Hong Kong Housing Department promises to hold contractors accountable for lead-in-water scandal
Secretary for Transport and Housing Professor Anthony Cheung Bing-leung asks department to learn from the episode at special meeting
The Housing Department promised in a special meeting with the housing minister on Friday that it would hold its contractors accountable for the lead-in-water scandal in accordance with their contracts.
Secretary for Transport and Housing Professor Anthony Cheung Bing-leung asked the department to learn from the episode. He said a culture that emphasises safety, quality control and being conscious of risks should be encouraged and all management staff should work to improve communication within and with other government departments.
Cheung’s informal meeting with about 20 members of the Housing Authority, which implements the government’s public housing policies, was held days after a judge-led commission of inquiry into the scandal released its findings on Tuesday. An independent report by the commission concluded all stakeholders had collectively failed to guard against the use of non-compliant lead solder in freshwater plumbing systems.
About three dozen residents of affected public housing estates protested outside the meeting venue at the authority’s headquarters in Ho Man Tin, demanding the government hold the individuals involved accountable.
