Dear Registered Architects,
Invitation for Nomination of Registered Architects to
i) Fire Safety Committee and
(ii) Advisory Committee for the Fire Safety (Buildings) Ordinance and the Fire Safety (Commercial Premises) Ordinance
Architects Registration Board, HKSAR (“ARB”), is invited by the Building Authority (“BA”) to nominate 2 Registered Architects (“RAs”) for BA’s consideration for appointment as members of the Fire Safety Committee (“FSC”). The nominees may also be selected by the Director of Buildings (“DB”) to become members of a separate Advisory Committee for the Fire Safety (Building) Ordinance Cap. 572 and the Fire Safety (Commercial Premises) Ordinance Cap. 502 (“ACFSO”) of which the DB is one of the enforcement authorities. The tenure for appointment will be 3 years commencing 1 June 2022.
The membership and terms of reference of the FSC are listed in Appendix A, whereas the terms of reference and the composition of the ACFSO are provided in Appendix B for your reference.
Criteria as set by the BD
The nominees should satisfy the following criteria:
a) MUST be a RA possessing at least 3 years of experience in handling fire engineering proposals under the BO;
b) Should be available for attending the FSC meetings which will be held on a weekly basis; if required and ACFSO meetings, which is anticipated to be held less than once a month.
c) The appointee in the capacity of FSC, shall attend the meetings on a personal basis (not more than 18 meetings per annum as a rotational member) for a term of three years commencing 1 June 2022.
d) The appointee in the capacity of ACFSO member, shall attend the meetings on a personal basis for a term of three years commencing 1 June 2022.
e) Should NOT be serving more than 6 government boards or committees concurrently (including the proposed nomination to serve on the FSC);
f) Should NOT be a government officer;
g) Younger person where appropriate is preferred
ARB’s Recommendation
ARB regards that FSC is an important external representation and prefers the nominees to possess at least 15-year RA and AP experiences.
Points to Note
1. ARB would consider gender balance in participation and contribution to community service as suggested by the Buildings Department.
2. An honorarium will be given to FSC member but not ACFSO member to reimburse the travel, out of pocket and related expenses incurred by serving the FSC. They are taxable income and are reflected in the annual tax return to Inland Revenue Department. Currently, the remuneration is HK$1,040 per meeting.
3. Reference should be made to the guidelines on declaration of interests by FSC and ACFSO members as recommended by ICAC. Please refer to Appendix C for details.
4. Information about the appointed members and meetings may be disclosed to the public without necessarily obtaining FSC and ACFSO members’ prior consents. Please refer to Appendix D for details. Mailing list of nominated members will be sent to the Secretary for Home Affairs (SHA) for him to invite FSC and ACFSO members to provide their personal particulars which will be stored in the Central Personality Index database keeping by the SHA.
5. An undertaking letter at Appendix E for the potential candidates’ advance information of the need to hold information in confidence, to declare conflict of interest and to inform the BA/DB when they become no longer suitable to be appointed. This undertaking letter will only be required to be signed and returned to the BA/DB before appointment.
Expression of Interest of Being Nominated
For the RA who would like to put forward his/her nomination, please provide the following documents to ARB for consideration by fax (No.2519 6011) or by email (arbsec@arb.org.hk) by 18 March 2022:
- An up-to-date CV;
- BD’s designated curriculum vitae form at Appendix F; and
- ARB’s designated declaration and nomination form at Appendix G
Thank you for your kind attention.
Yours faithfully,
Ken TSANG (Mr)
Registrar
Enc: Appendices
