A planned renovation monitoring body could be held liable for poor oversight when recommending and keeping tabs on consultants and contractors, Hong Kong’s development chief Bernadette Linn Hon-ho has warned, as officials detailed broader reforms to curb malpractice during major building repairs.
Deputy Financial Secretary Michael Wong Wai-lun also gave assurances on Friday that a new department overseeing major renovation projects would adopt a fresh approach and provide training, despite being staffed by personnel from the Housing Bureau’s Independent Checking Unit (ICU) – the agency deemed most responsible among government bodies for the city’s deadliest fire in decades.
The remarks followed a second public apology from ministers implicated in the inferno, with authorities pledging to have enforcement agencies sit in “high-risk” owners’ committee meetings and criminalise bid-rigging by next April.