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Hong Kong pledges tighter contractor oversight after Tai Po blaze
The minister said the housing development oversight system should be adjusted to address gaps linked to a HK$336 million maintenance project underway when the fire occurred.
Hong Kong’s development minister Bernadette Linn Hon-ho said the government will tighten monitoring of contractors and consider harsher penalties for industry misconduct after criticism that reliance on self-supervision helped contribute to a deadly Tai Po blaze.
According to SCMP Economy, Linn defended the existing regulatory approach, saying the monitoring system was never meant to allow professionals to act unchecked, and that violations are penalized.
SCMP Economy also cited criticism from Victor Dawes SC, lead counsel of a government-appointed independent committee investigating the fire, who argued that an “honour system” left oversight loopholes and fire hazards at the Wang Fuk Court housing estate unchecked during a HK$336 million maintenance project.
Linn spoke on a television program aired Sunday, as the government reviews contractor oversight tied to the project that was underway when the blaze broke out last year.