“Our legislative proposals encompass six pillars and seek to achieve enhanced public safety, regulatory coherence, enforcement effectiveness and accountability,” the consultation paper said.
The sweeping changes form part of the government’s response to the devastating Wang Fuk Court blaze on November 26 last year. The 43-hour fire, which ravaged seven of the eight residential buildings in the Tai Po housing estate, killed 168 people and displaced about 5,000 residents.
Ongoing independent hearings into the disaster have revealed widespread loopholes across multiple government departments in regulating fire hazards and supervising the estate’s renovation project at the time.
The proposed legal amendments aim to strengthen oversight of fire safety equipment inspections, toughen penalties, expand the scope of stakeholders who can be held accountable for fire hazards, and enhance the department’s law enforcement powers.
