HONG KONG: Hong Kong housing authorities have spent HK$34 million (US$4.3 million) on recovery efforts following the devastating fire at Wang Fuk Court, including removing damaged scaffolding, conducting structural assessments and strengthening works.
The Housing Bureau said on Thursday (April 9) evening that the HK$34 million expenditure was the main reason for the 22.1 per cent increase in the revised building control expense estimate for the 2025–26 financial year, compared with the original figure.
“This is mainly due to the expenditure on follow-up works related to the fire at Wang Fuk Court in Tai Po, which is around HK$34 million,” the bureau said in its reply to a written question on the government budget filed by lawmaker Chan Chun-ying.
“The expenditure items mainly cover the removal of dangerous scaffolding and nets from the buildings, assisting police and other government departments in clearing debris around the buildings to facilitate evidence collection, carrying out structural assessments, and strengthening and fencing off works for the buildings affected by the fire.”
The building control expenditure is intended to support the work of the Independent Checking Unit (ICU) under the Office of the Permanent Secretary for Housing, which oversees building control for subsidised sale flats, among other duties.
The ICU has faced criticism for failing to effectively supervise renovation works at Wang Fuk Court in Tai Po. The estate was engulfed by flames last November, killing 168 people.
According to the budget announced in February, the revised estimate for building control in 2025-26 reached HK$215.8 million. It marks a 22.1 per cent increase from the original estimate of HK$176.7 million.
The estimate for the current 2026-27 financial year is HK$226 million, up 27.9 per cent from the original estimate for the previous year.
The bureau also attributed the 27.9 per cent increase to the expenditure on follow-up works related to the fire.
In a response to a separate inquiry raised by lawmaker Chan Hok-fung, the bureau said it was “inappropriate” to disclose the complaint figures and details related to building control matters at Wang Fuk Court.
It explained that the bureau was collaborating with law enforcement departments to investigate related inquiries, adding that it would fully cooperate with the Independent Committee that probed the fire.
The bureau also noted that the ICU did not maintain statistics on the total number of buildings inspected on-site following public reports or complaints regarding repair works.
Victor Dawes, the lead counsel of the committee, earlier identified three key failures in the use of substandard scaffolding mesh, including the lack of established fire-retardant testing standards and the practice of flagging inspections in advance at the ICU.
Meanwhile, senior counsel Jenkin Suen, who represents the government, sought to clarify “misunderstandings” on tipping off the inspection.
He stressed that the project consultant’s registered inspector was legally responsible for supervising the renovation work, and that the inspector was required to be present during the site inspection to provide on-the-spot responses to queries from ICU surveyors.
Separately, the bureau reiterated the “serious deadline” of Aug 31 for owners of Wang Fuk Court to confirm whether they would sell their properties to the government.
It added that residents would have to resolve the issues in the market if they rejected the government’s acquisition offer, noting that the property value had been greatly reduced due to the extensive damage.
It said the owners would have to bear the risks arising from legal and insurance compensation issues, and face uncertainties in relevant procedures and time. - South China Morning Post
