'Room for improvement in public niches arrangement'

The Office of the Ombudsman has released 19 recommendations to the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD) aimed at improving how public columbarium niches are allocated. Formerly, only the Tsang Tsui Columbarium offered monthly allocations, but the standard system left many without niches for nearly a year after missing the annual application period. The Ombudsman's Jack Chan suggested the FEHD hold allocation exercises monthly, or at least quarterly, which the department agreed to implement starting this month.

Chan criticized the FEHD for not expanding the successful Tsang Tsui pilot scheme to other columbaria sooner. He urged the department to conduct regular reviews to meet public demand and use resources efficiently. Additionally, the investigation revealed a significant disparity in processing times. Online applications were typically approved within a day, while paper or email submissions could take up to 50 days.

The Ombudsman also noted that many applicants were unaware of this difference, recommending better public and funeral industry education on the matter.

The FEHD launched a dedicated website for after-death arrangements following a prior Ombudsman report. While the Ombudsman hailed the site as a "significant step forward," he pointed out that some content overlaps with the FEHD's main website and features inconsistent wording and information. He suggested consolidating the two platforms for clarity.

On a positive note, the Ombudsman praised interdepartmental collaboration, highlighting the FEHD's partnership with other government agencies to develop a one-stop digital platform for death registrations, cremation permits, and related services. He also commended the department's promotion of eco-friendly funerals, noting a steady rise in green burials over recent years.

The FEHD has accepted all recommendations and initiated the monthly allocation arrangement, vowing to study further suggestions and continue enhancing service quality.