The SAR government will be looking at alternative places to house the office of former chief executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor once the lease has expired next year, according to sources.
Citizens and lawmakers were previously astonished to learn Lam's office on Level 8 of One Pacific Place in Admiralty has cost taxpayers more than HK$22 million over the space of 21 months, in a revelation of the government's Administrative Wing.
With the current office’s lease expiring next year, it is understood that the SAR government is considering alternatives to house Lam’s office to address concerns, and what critics describe as setting a good example on public finance as the current government grapples with a widened fiscal deficit and a slowdown in the economy.
A spokesman of Lam’s office told Sing Tao Daily, a sister publication of The Standard, that in view of the expiry of the lease mid-next year, the office has voluntarily notified the Administrative Wing in early June, a year before the lease term ends, to plan ahead and avoid any disruption to the office’s operation.
The spokesman also quoted the Director of Administration as saying that the SAR government has always provided office space and administrative support for all former Chief Executives in accordance with the approval of the Finance Committee of the Legislative Council, to facilitate their performance of promotional and protocol-related functions for Hong Kong.
Meanwhile, the spokesman said Lam had previously indicated she would fully cooperate with the government on matters related to the relocation of her office, with the office not commenting on relevant government procedures.
