The government held two special press conferences today (Oct. 30) to further elaborate on the reform measures rolled out based on the recommendations of the Independent Committee report on the Tai Po Wang Fuk Court fire. The first press conference was held at 10:30 am today at the government headquarters, hosted by Deputy Financial Secretary and Acting Secretary for Housing Michael Wong and Secretary for Development Bernadette Linn, on the theme of reforming the building maintenance regulatory regime and support services.
Linn said the government will fully restructure the Buildings Department's organisation to enhance enforcement capacity. At the top level, the department will move from having one deputy director to having two branches, each led by a deputy director, overseeing "new building works" and "existing building maintenance works and enforcement" (including unauthorised building works, illegal signboards, and unauthorised use of premises) respectively.
For the regulation of existing buildings, the relevant branch will implement a "district officer system", dividing Hong Kong into ten districts. District officers will develop an in-depth understanding of building conditions in their areas and serve as convenors, holding regular cross-departmental meetings to coordinate the Housing Bureau, Labour Department, Fire Services Department, and other departments in jointly following up on building maintenance projects underway or about to commence in their districts.
In addition, the Buildings Department will strengthen its internal oversight mechanism by upgrading the existing internal audit unit to be led by directorate-grade officers reporting directly to the Director. The audit scope will cover not only the Buildings Department itself but also the work of the Housing Bureau in enforcing the Buildings Ordinance under delegated authority. At the same time, the government will second an additional directorate-grade officer to the Housing Bureau to assist in exercising the relevant statutory powers.
Clear timetables have been set for the reform measures. The government plans to establish a new Support and Service Bureau by the end of the year and begin appointing building consultants in January next year, prioritising the more than 1,800 existing pending cases. In the first quarter, tendering and tender assessments will be carried out for eligible projects, and the restructuring of the Buildings Department will be launched. As for the proposed amendments to the Buildings Ordinance, the government will brief the Legislative Council's Panel on Development in detail later this month and seek to secure the LegCo's passage as soon as possible next year.
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