The Legislative Council's Finance Committee on Friday approved a HK$5.5 billion plan to expand and create a “smart prison” at the Lai Chi Kok Reception Centre.

Officials said the high-tech overhaul will improve working conditions for officers, make the jail more efficient and help prisoners rehabilitate.

It’s capacity will also go up by 27 percent to accommodate 1,894 detainees.

67 lawmakers voted in favour of the plan while six abstained.

Junius Ho, the only legislator to reject the funding proposal, said the price tag for the project is too high given the government’s current fiscal status. He had earlier compared the revamped jail to a “five star hotel”.

But the under secretary for security, Michael Cheuk, said there’s good reason why the project is expensive.

“It’s not akin to a five star hotel, this is not an appropriate analogy. If you are putting a star rating for the Lai Chi Kok Reception Centre, I would say this is a super-star prison in relation to security,” he said, noting that security items like gates are costly.

Cheuk added that there is an urgent need to expand the centre to address the overcrowding situation there.