The Legislative Assembly’s (AL) 2nd Standing Committee will urge the government to clarify the scope of a government-initiated bill regulating the use of hazardous materials, lawmaker-cum-restaurateur Andrew Chan Chak Mo, who heads the committee, told reporters yesterday.
Chan made the remarks after chairing a closed-door meeting of the committee, which is reviewing the bill article-by-article. The bill’s outline was passed by a plenary session in November. No government officials attended yesterday’s meeting.
In addition to several items used by various industries, hazardous materials covered by the bill also include everyday items such as household liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) cylinders and insecticide sprays.
The bill proposes to regulate the production, storage, transport and use of hazardous materials. Chan said the committee members hoped that the government would give specific details on which materials, including those used by households, will be covered by the bill so that members of the public will not inadvertently breach the law.
The bill proposes that every kind of hazardous materials users will be obliged to take “all necessary measures” when handling such materials, with the aim of preventing “serious accidents”, If requested, according to the bill, the users will be required to inform the authorities what measures they have taken and to provide the necessary proof.
Chan said that the legislators on the committee asked what such “necessary measures” would be.
The bill also proposes that government inspectors can enter venues where hazardous materials may be being stored.
According to the bill, public entities which will exercise the hazardous materials law comprise the Public Security Police (PSP), Health Bureau (SSM), Fire Services Bureau (CB), Marine and Water Bureau (DSAMA), Civil Aviation Authority (AACM), and Macau Customs Service.
The bill proposes that if a public servant while performing his or her duties becomes aware that hazardous materials are being stored in a way that breaches the law, they must inform the respective public entities which enforce the law about it. If they fail to comply with this requirement, according to the bill, they will be subject to disciplinary procedures.
Chan also said that according to the bill, only private entities which have been issued the relevant licences can set up or operate a “controlled storage area”, i.e., an area, either outdoor or indoor, that has been officially designated for the storage of hazardous materials. Chan said that the committee will ask the government to clarify what “setting up” means, i.e., whether a controlled storage area can only be set up by the government that will then pass it on to private entities to operate.
In addition, the bill proposes the establishment of a consultative committee on the management of Macau’s hazardous materials. The bill lays out duties and functions of the committee. Chan said that other details about the operation of the consultative committee, such as its composition, will be laid out by an administrative regulation (by-law). However, Chan said some members of his committee suggested that some other details, such as the composition of the consultative committee, should also be defined by the bill.
Chan said that the committee will soon give a list of questions to the government, before holding a meeting with officials for further discussion.
Lawmaker-cum-restaurateur Andrew Chan Chak Mo (right), who chairs the legislature’s 2nd Standing Committee, talks to reporters after the committee’s closed-door meeting which is reviewing the government’s hazardous materials bill, while the committee’s secretary, Lam Lon Wai, looks on. Photo: Ginnie Liang
