To enhance the public’s ability to respond to emergencies, the Ministry of the Interior of the Republic of China announced today (23rd) that the inclusion of air raid shelter facilities in buildings will be part of the public safety inspection and reporting measures, effective from July 1.
The Ministry of the Interior released a press statement today announcing the implementation of new regulations, effective July 1, which include incorporating air raid shelter facilities into the public safety inspection and reporting of buildings.
According to the Ministry of the Interior, in order to promote the integration of air raid shelter facility inspections, based on the decision of the National Security Council, starting from July 1, buildings with air raid shelter facilities will be subject to public safety inspections and reporting. This will help enhance and improve the safety of using such facilities, as well as coordinate evacuation drills with law enforcement agencies to improve the public’s crisis response capabilities.
The inspection items, as per the website of the Police Administration’s Air Raid Shelter Zone, target air raid shelter facilities with a capacity of 500 people or more. The entry and exit channels should be kept clear, free of water accumulation, not obstructing evacuation, and equipped with basic lighting facilities.
Furthermore, the Ministry of the Interior stated that in the event of an air raid drill, ongoing military conflict, or an imminent one as declared by the Ministry of National Defense, access to shelter will be allowed; cases found non-compliant will be referred to law enforcement agencies, governed by the regulations of air raid evacuation shelter facility documentation. Violations of the Apartment Building Management Regulations and the Building Act will also be handled in accordance with relevant provisions.
The Ministry of the Interior pointed out that the current scope of implementation includes venues with a capacity of 500 people or more for inspection, with plans to expand the inspection scope in the future.
Starting from July 1, the new regulations also include providing free use of public funeral facilities for police officers killed in the line of duty, volunteer officers, civil defense personnel, firefighters, volunteer firefighters, or other individuals engaged in public service in accordance with the law as a gesture of national respect.
The Ministry of the Interior emphasized that the operation and management of public funeral facilities fall under the responsibility of local governments, which must cooperate in amending relevant funeral autonomy regulations. This is in line with the amended Public Funeral Management Regulations, for which the Ministry of the Interior has notified the Executive Yuan to be effective from July 1 and will continue to urge all local governments to comply with the processing.
Additionally, the new regulations also include the management fees for private cemeteries and ash (bone) storage facility management (replacing the Funeral Facility Operation Management Fund with a “emergency expenditure” special account and strengthening the facility’s security mechanism).
According to the amended Public Funeral Management Regulations, the management fees charged by private cemeteries and ossuaries to consumers should be deposited in separate “daily expenses” and “emergency expenses” special accounts, abolishing the Funeral Facility Operation Management Fund system and replacing it with the “emergency expenses” special account. Operators are also required to mandatory insure the building structures within the facility, and specify the transfer and custodial procedures of the management fee special accounts when the facility is temporarily unmanaged to better safeguard consumer rights.
The Ministry of the Interior stated that complementary regulations like the “Implementation Rules for the Funeral Management Regulations,” the “Management Measures for Private Cemetery Ash and Bone Storage Facility Management Fee Special Accounts,” and the “Standardized Contract Terms for the Purchase and Sale of Rights to Use Ash (Bone) Storage Units and Prohibited Clauses” will be implemented concurrently to enhance the quality of funeral services and management efficiency.