Hong Kong authorities could vet construction firm directors to tighten oversight

Hong Kong authorities could expand background checks on authorised persons in construction projects to cover company directors, the development chief has said, as the government moves to plug policy loopholes exposed by the Tai Po inferno.Secretary for Development Bernadette Linn Hon-ho indicated the possible policy direction on Wednesday, after experts said earlier this month that government proposals to strengthen the city’s maintenance regime did not go far enough to address long-standing systemic issues.Authorities have yet to reveal specific details on the vetting process, although it will involve screening the disciplinary records of authorised persons, including checking for any criminal history, to ensure their company qualifies for government projects.Linn said there was significant feedback regarding the proposal to expand the vetting process beyond “authorised persons”.“Can we also expand [the scope], and consider checking the track record of directors or subcontractors as well?” she told a radio programme.Under the current mechanism, government scrutiny is mostly limited to the track record of the authorised person in charge of a project, who could be a registered surveyor or architect.