Hong Kong authorities may expand background checks on authorised persons in construction projects to cover company directors, the development chief has said, as the government moves to plug policy loopholes exposed by the Tai Po inferno. Secretary for Development Bernadette Linn Hon-ho shared the possible policy direction on Wednesday, after experts noted earlier this month…
The dust has settled on the election of the Legislative Council president, and committees and panels have settled into the new Legco. Most, it seems, are ready to hit the ground running. First on the agenda: dealing with the aftermath of the Tai Po fire. The more immediate matters involve the rebuilding of a community…
New measures to strengthen Hong Kong’s building maintenance regime after the deadly Tai Po fire only scratch the surface of long-standing issues that require deeper systemic reforms and tougher laws, according to experts and industry figures. The damning verdict came after the government’s pledges and proposals on Wednesday to close policy gaps and tackle entrenched…
Hong Kong’s newly elected lawmakers, many of them fresh faces on the political scene, held their first meeting on Wednesday, with officials pledging to address policy gaps exposed by the deadly Tai Po inferno, from tightening oversight of maintenance project tenders and raising homeowner voting thresholds to imposing a smoking ban at construction sites. Wednesday…
Alongside death and taxes, there are few things more universally certain than corruption in public procurement. That is a reality worth keeping front of mind in Hong Kong as we home in on those we want to blame for the tragic Wang Fuk Court fire that in November killed at least 161 people and left…
Hong Kong should make bid-rigging a crime in the wake of the city’s deadliest fire in decades, a local think tank has urged, echoing a similar call from the city’s barristers. The proposal by the POD Research Institute came after the Hong Kong Bar Association formed a task force to review existing legislation following the…
Flat owners displaced by Hong Kong’s deadliest fire in seven decades will receive an annual subsidy of HK$150,000 (US$19,280) each for two years to rent homes in the private market, under the latest government relief measure worth HK$1.2 billion. Deputy Chief Secretary Warner Cheuk Wing‑hing also said on Thursday that both flat owners and tenants…
Hong Kong will hold the Legislative Council election as scheduled on Sunday, the chief executive has announced, arguing that it is important to elect new lawmakers who will be his key partners in launching reforms as the city reels from the deadly fire in Tai Po. City leader John Lee Ka-chiu said on Tuesday that…
This story has been made freely available as a public service to our readers. Please consider supporting SCMP’s journalism by subscribing. Get faster notifications on the latest updates by downloading our app. Substandard protective nets with defective fire retardant properties have been found at the residential estate where Hong Kong’s worst inferno in seven decades…