The Government has no plan to set up an independent regulatory body on building maintenance matters, as the Police, the Independent Commission Against Corruption and the Competition Commission already tackle bid-rigging investigations and enforcement works.
Acting Secretary for Development Eric Ma made the statement in response to a lawmaker’s question in the Legislative Council today.
It would be more direct and effective for these agencies to tackle bid-rigging with their statutory powers than to set up an independent regulatory body, Mr Ma said, adding that it can avoid problems such as overlap of functions.
Setting up an independent body would entail administrative expenses, which would likely be passed on to building owners, resulting in higher maintenance works costs.
The Home Affairs Department helped 159 owners' corporations to apply for subsidies to start building maintenance works, he noted, and it has arranged for 72 owners' corporations to meet with experts on selecting consultants for these works.
On the enforcement front, the ICAC received about 3,800 corruption complaints involving building management and maintenance in the last four years. As a result, 121 people were prosecuted and 106 people were convicted. Police hotlines had also received 41 reports up to October, including 28 that concerned tender pricing.
