Harry Ng
Monday, November 16, 2015
The government will improve the online booking system for cremations, Secretary for Food and Health Ko Wing-man said.
His assurance follows media reports that some funeral company staff are making use of special applications to book dates, and a parade of hearses is being planned for November 25 to voice opposition.
Ko said authorities have discussed the issue with the industry and admitted shortcomings with the system. But he appealed to the sector not to start actions that will affect the public.
Ko said the shortage of cremation services will be alleviated after the second phase of Cape Collinson Crematorium comes into operation by year end.
Funeral Business Association chairman Lam Wai-lung said many users either find it difficult to log into the online booking system, or all sessions are usually reserved once they get in.
"I assign staff to reserve the booking every morning, but most of the time we cannot secure a place," said Lam, adding that making an online reservation is like fighting a war.
"Because cremation and funeral processions cannot be coordinated, family members of the deceased often have to pay additional rent to funeral parlors," he said.
He has asked the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department to review the booking mechanism, but the situation remains unchanged.
Lam suggests the department set up quota allocations.
About 50 hearses and 20 representatives of funeral home operators will take part in the demonstration.
They will start in Hung Hom, with the first stop being Cheung Sha Wan Government Offices where the department processes cremation applications.
They will then proceed to the Central Government Offices where they will express their demands.
The online system has failed five times since it was launched in 2013. The login system crashed for about three hours on Thursday. A similar failure occurred in mid-October.
A department spokesman said the department updates the system regularly.
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