Secretary for Transport & Housing Prof Anthony Cheung has refuted claims the Marine Department has not done enough to prevent vessel accidents.
Speaking to reporters today, he said the department has been reforming since the commission of inquiry into the Lamma Island ferry tragedy.
As part of that reform, the department has called in an efficiency unit to look into its procedures and record management.
A steering committee on systematic reform of the department has also been formed with a former Ombudsman as one of its members, he said, adding that the committee is taking a very serious look at the way the department is run.
An independent marine expert from the UK has been commissioned to examine the managing of different types of vessels under the department's purview.
"Since 2013, as far as the Marine Department and the Transport & Housing Bureau are concerned, we have not lost sight of the need to quickly and very comprehensively improve the procedure - the work culture - of the Marine Department," Prof Cheung added.
