Govt should be cautious about setting up independent building maintenance body: Andrew Lam

Lawmaker Andrew Lam Siu-lo on Tuesday urged the government to proceed with caution on proposals to establish an independent body dedicated to building maintenance, warning that authorities must first clarify the boundaries between public oversight and private property owner responsibilities.

Speaking on a radio program on Tuesday, Lam said he is cautious about the proposal for the government to set up an independent body dedicated to building maintenance.

He pointed out that the government’s role should focus on support and supervision. The government should clarify the division and integration of four functions, support, supervision, screening, and acting on behalf.

Lam cautioned that consolidating all four roles into a single entity could inadvertently create a “super department” that supersedes multiple existing government agencies.

He also questioned whether recurring issues in building maintenance stem from human error by responsible parties, systemic institutional failures, or insufficient statutory guidelines—stressing that accountability must be identified before restructuring departments.

He emphasized that supervision and support should be strengthened, while acting on behalf should only be implemented in extreme cases, when the market is ineffective and public safety is threatened.

Lam explained that stepping in to execute repairs is effectively deploying the collective resources and power of all taxpayers to subsidize individual private property owners, a policy threshold that demands broad public discussion and consensus across the community.

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