Govt changing fire safety priorities after Jordan fire

Development minister Bernadette Linn said officials were redeploying resources and reviewing priorities with regards to enforcing fire safety laws, following last week’s deadly blaze in Jordan that killed five people. She told lawmakers on Wednesday that more manpower would be deployed to step up prosecution, with a focus on buildings such as those with many guesthouses and subdivided flats as well as those with only one staircase. High risk blocks whose owners have not complied with mandatory building inspection orders, she said, would also be given priority. Linn conceded that the fire, as well as a number of fallen concrete and large-scale illegal structure cases last year, showed government efforts on ensuring building safety were not good enough. "The incidents... reflect that owners have not taken government directives seriously, and that the government's enforcement efforts have fallen short," she said at a special Legco finance committee meeting on this year's budget. The minister said the administration had to "vigorously enhance the effectiveness of law enforcement" to urge homeowners fulfill their responsibilities, while helping owners who need assistance in this regard. Linn said officials were looking at submitting proposals to amend existing laws this year, which would include changes to streamline prosecution procedures and increase penalties. Roundtable lawmaker Michael Tien agreed it's time to add tougher penalties, noting that no one has been jailed for not complying with mandatory building inspection orders. Owners of Wah Fung Building in Jordan, he added, had ignored such orders for six years. Linn said in the past three years, owners convicted of failing to comply with mandatory inspection orders have been fined an average of HK$2,500, with the highest penalty a HK$33,000 fine. She said while there was a need for tougher penalties, the degree of severity would depend on the seriousness of each case and a balance needs to be struck. The minister believed illegal structures and not improving fire safety facilities would be among the more serious cases prosecuted in future.