Hong Kong’s disgraced Independent Checking Unit (ICU) will be disbanded as part of reforms in the wake of the city’s deadliest fire in decades, after a judge-led inquiry identified it as the government arm with the greatest responsibility for the Wang Fuk Court inferno.
Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu said on Thursday that the Housing Bureau would undergo internal restructuring, under which the ICU would be replaced by a new Public Housing Building Control Section.
Deputy Financial Secretary Michael Wong Wai-lun, who is now also acting housing secretary after Winnie Ho Wing-yin resigned to take political responsibility for the fire, said the new section would be established next month.
The new section is expected to operate on a project basis and actively liaise with concerned parties, replacing the unit’s practice of selecting a small number of building works applications for desktop audits and investigating only after receiving complaints.