The government on Thursday pledged full support for the work of the independent investigation committee probing the Wang Fuk Court inferno, after its first day of hearings heard that officials appeared to have given advance warning to contractors before inspections.

The committee's senior counsel, Victor Dawes, said while the Housing Department had carried out inspections over mesh netting safety concerns prior to the deadly blaze at the Tai Po estate, evidence appeared to show that officials had disclosed their inspection times to contractors in advance.

This, he said, gave contractors the chance to cover their tracks, adding that this practice has been a systemic problem.

In a statement, a government spokesperson outlined a series of improvement measures that are being implemented.

For example, the Fire Services Department has set up a dedicated taskforce and conducted inspections on fire safety installations at 461 buildings undergoing major renovations.

Since January, it has also required contractors who want to shut down fire safety equipment to cater for renovation works to notify authorities beforehand and put up notices to alert residents and other parties.

Special operations have been undertaken by the Buildings Department and the Housing Bureau's Independent Checking Unit, including site inspections of private buildings and subsidised housing developments. Officers verified if the mesh nettings were certified and ensured they were fire-retardant.

Moving forward, the spokesperson said legislative amendments are set to be tabled to the Legislative Council in the first half of the year to ban smoking at construction sites.

The Security Bureau, meanwhile, is working to strengthen the fire department's regulatory powers and increase penalties for contractors convicted of foul play, with such changes expected to be tabled to the legislature by the end of the year.

And the Development Bureau is working with the Urban Renewal Authority to roll out an improved version of its Smart Tender programme for building renovation contracts, in a bid to stamp out bid-rigging.



Edited by Cecil Wong