It was a busy month at the beginning of the year. Building surveyors are faced with opportunities and challenges. With the shift of the government focus on building safety issue, I am able to see the increasing demand of the services of professional building surveyors. However, we should not ignore the potential threat to our profession in this juncture.

BSD Representatives to various Boards
BSD has nominated the following representatives to the three main boards of the Institute for this council year;

Board of Education
Mr Vincent Ho
Ms Wong Kam Wah

Board of Membership
Mr Kenneth Yun
Mr Alex Wong

Board of Professional Development
Mr James Pong (James is subsequently elected as the board chairman)
Mr Edwin Tang

Thank you in advance to the representatives for sparing their valuable time in serving the boards.

MBIS Practice Guides Working Group
Anticipating the implementation of the MBIS/MWIS by the government in early 2012 upon completion of the legislation process in this year, we have set up a working group to assist our building surveying profession to prepare for the implementation of the MBIS. Although the government would issue a Code of Practice for MBIS/ MWIS, we trust a set of practice guides providing practical guidance to our fellow building surveyors in carrying out the survey and making recommendations would be useful in ensuring consistent professional advice to the public. The working group will initially help prepare the practice guides and would also formulate the appropriate strategies and actions in promoting the expertise of BS to the public in this respect subsequently.

Revised PNAPs/JPNs in Fostering a Sustainable and Quality Building Design
The Buildings Department has circulated a set of drafted new PNAPs and revised PNAPs and JPNs to cater for the implementation of the policy on Fostering a Sustainable and Quality Building Design and tightening of Gross Floor Area concessions (GFA concessions) to the Institute for comment in mid November 2010. Our representatives in the Buildings Sub-committee and APSEC have submitted a set of detailed comments to BD in mid December 2010. A letter was also sent to the Secretary for Development summarizing our concerns and comments in this respect. A copy has been uploaded to the HKIS Website for members' reference: http://www.hkis.org.hk/hkis/html/upload/NewsPosPaper/posp145_0.pdf.

Reorganisation of Buildings Department
The government is intending to re-organise the executive arm of the existing building section of the Buildings Department to cater for the increasing workload due to the new government policy in building safety. However, many of our members working in the Buildings Department have expressed their worries and concerns that the proposed re-organisation cannot provide a satisfactory professional set-up to properly handle the works. There is a risk of mismatch of the professional skills and job duties. We have issued letters to the Secretary for Development and the Director of Buildings via the President to voice out our concerns.

Minor Works Control System
The minor works control system has been implemented on 30 December 2010 and our building surveyors should prepare to advise and provide services in connection with this new control system. The new system provides a simplified means to carry out relatively simple building or structural alteration works. However, at the same time, it has made clear that many minor and simple works previously not subject to formal control are now falling into the minor works control regime. Formal appointment of registered minor works contractors and fulfillment of all related submission, notifications and reporting procedure shall be required.

At the start of the implementation period, we discover a lot of ambiguities and uncertainties in the interpretation of the work trades items and the administration procedures.

Should members encounter any difficulties in pursuing works under the new system, please let me know for feedback to the Buildings Department.

The BD has resumed the Minor Works Working Group recently to keep reviewing and updating the system. Prof Barnabas Chung, Kenny Tse and I are representing the BSD to sit in the Working Group. The BD has proposed amendments to the minor works schedule with a view to imposing control on the "flat sub-division works" and is seeking our comments on it.

Meeting with the Director of Architectural Services Department
On the invitation of the Architectural Services Department (ArchSD), delegates of our BSD Council (including Mr Kenneth Yun, Mr Kenny Tse and myself) and the Professional Building Surveying Consultant Association (PBSCA) met the Director, Deputy Director and Assistant Director/PSM of the ArchSD and its senior management on 13 January. We exchanged views on the latest move of the ArchSD as well as the potential opportunities for further collaboration of our building surveying consultants with the ArchSD. It was a very constructive meeting paving the road for closer linkage between the building surveying profession and the ArchSD.

Legislative Council Panel Meeting on Barrier Free Access Provision
The Panel on Welfare Services (福利事務委員會) invited us to attend a LegCo panel meeting on 22 January to discuss the government's response to and proposed follow up action on Equal Opportunities Commission's Formal Investigation Report on Accessibility in Publicly Accessible Premises. Our Vice Chairman, Andrew Kung, joined the meeting and delivered our views in this respect.

Press Conference on the ICON Issue
In response to the outbreak of the disputes between the purchasers and the developer of the ICON development at Conduit Road, Mid-Levels, the Institute held a press conference on 17 January with the support of the BSD and the Housing Policy Committee to provide a timely feedback and comment on the issue to the government and the public.

I took the opportunity to arouse the public awareness on the importance of getting sufficient information during home purchase and the precautionary items in inspecting the premises during the flat handover process. I also introduced the role of building surveyors in the process. Our pamphlet "Guide to Take-over Domestic Unit for Prospective Homebuyer 準業主收樓指南" has been widely referenced and promoted by the media to the prospective home purchasers in preparing for handing over of purchased flats.

Passing away of our senior member Mr Eddie S. S. Lee
李樹城資深建築測量師辭世
正當我和 Eddie (李樹城先生之英文名字)仍趕緊為一月十三日與建築署署長會面作準備之時， 於一月十日早上接到鍾鴻鈞教授來電，告知 Eddie 已於九日不幸辭世的消息。

對於 Eddie 的突然離世，我深感難過及婉惜。 Eddie 的追思會及喪禮已分別於一月廿二及廿三日於北角香港殯儀館舉行，不少學會資深會員亦到臨致哀。

我聯同多位建築測量組理事代表建築測量組出席了追思會， 以表達我們對 Eddie 的敬意及懷念。

在此我希望引用鍾鴻鈞教授在追思會上誦讀的其中一節悼文，以紀念 Eddie 對建築測量界的貢獻。

「Eddie 的離開， 對業界是一個極大的損失。在此我們對 Eddie 這位良師益友、業界典範表達最祟高的致敬；更加盼望我們同業可在Eddie 為行業所奠定的基礎上，繼承Eddie 的積極進取、無私奉獻和努力承擔的精神， 發展建築測量專業，以慰 Eddie 在天之靈。」