The vast majority of lawmakers on Tuesday expressed support for the government's plans to change fire safety laws following the deadly Tai Po blaze.

Under the amendment bill, officials propose a number of tougher penalties for violations, such as shutting down fire safety devices without approval and responsible parties not ensuring that the devices always work.

Several lawmakers, however, asked why officials only require maintenance firms to apply for sustained switch-offs of devices for late-night repairs three working days beforehand but not for daytime repair work.

Secretary for Security Chris Tang said this came down to balancing relevant risks.

"It is because during the daytime, shutdowns are likely to be for a short period of time for maintenance purposes," he said.

"Very often, staff from the contractors will be on hand in the daytime, as well as guards or watchmen.

"And residents would know about the maintenance work, so the risks therein would be lower. We want to balance the risks, and daytime risks are low."

While property management firms will in future take up more fire safety responsibilities, such as conducting fire alarm checks every six months instead of a year, Tang said the legal changes should not result in a surge in the fees that they charge.

He said the companies are already doing most of the things the amended legislation will mandate – it is just that they will in future be considered to be legally responsible for fire safety matters.

And in the event that a firm gets penalised for violating fire safety regulations, Tang said it should not pass on the fine to customers as it is the guilty party.

With regards to the extra workload for frontline fire safety officers, he expects the Fire Services Department to handle it through internal staff redeployment.

If there is really a need, Tang said, officials will look internally for more resources, before the government asks the legislature for more funding.

He also said the government would recommend work be conducted in phases, if that is feasible, but noted that in some instances it is not possible to ban contractors from working on an entire estate simultaneously, like what happened in Wang Fuk Court.

"For example, it's not feasible to repair a pipe only a few floors at a time when it connects all floors," Tang said.

As for so-called "three-nil" buildings, that is, those that do not have owners' corporations, resident groups and management firms, he said fire safety committees in district councils would organise fire drills.

Tang also said officials have decided to amend laws to fine buyers of illegal fuel up to HK$1 million and imprison them for up to a year as such acts pose serious risks to communities.

He noted there have been recent cases of such activities in urban areas that have resulted in people suffering serious injuries and vehicles catching fire.

Tang said the government would soon conduct a one-month public consultation with a view to tabling the amendment bill within this year.



Edited by Thomas McAlinden