Some Wang Fuk Court residents urge merger after public inquiry reveals communication problems between both government arms of similar functions
2-MIN READ2-MIN ListenLeopold ChenPublished: 7:45pm, 18 Jul 2026Updated: 7:55pm, 18 Jul 2026Some residents displaced by Hong Kong’s deadliest inferno in decades have called for merging the Housing Bureau’s Independent Checking Unit (ICU) with the Buildings Department, after a public inquiry revealed regulatory failures linked to communication problems between the two arms of similar functions.
In recommendations submitted to the independent committee probing the Wang Fuk Court fire, which were released on Saturday, legal representatives for nine residents said authorities should merge the two government arms to avoid overlap in functions.
“Given the systemic defects and collaborative failures as revealed by the fire, we recommend that the work of the Independent Checking Unit be handed to the Buildings Department, to reduce redundancy and avoid any errors caused by delays of information flow,” they said.
An inferno broke out at Wang Fuk Court in Tai Po on November 26, 2025, killing 168 people and displacing nearly 5,000.
Following the disaster, Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu ordered the establishment of a judge-led independent committee to probe the cause of the fire. The panel had conducted 30 public inquiry sessions involving 80 witnesses since March.
During the inquiry, the committee heard that the checking unit failed to carry out effective investigation and supervision over non-compliant materials despite repeated complaints from residents.
