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Obviously what happened last night underlines the importance of one thing the importance of this Council passing as rapidly as possible the legislation which we have put to it, and which it has quite properly been considering thoroughly, to tighten up fire safety regulations. The Fire Safety (Commercial Premises) Bill was put to this Council on 29 May this year. When this legislation is in place, it will allow our Fire Services to take action to improve fire safety in places like Garley Building. Those improvements will help to retard the rapid spread of fire on the lower floors of a building like the one in this incident. The Bill also contains measures to improve emergency escapes and means of access for fire fighting and rescue. These will allow the Fire Services speedier access to such buildings. I am not criticising this Council for examining this Bill in detail. It is an important Bill. But let us now act as quickly as possible to put this legislation on to the Statute Book so we can start to implement it on the ground. We will obviously, in the light of this incident and the investigation into it, urgently wish to see whether a further Bill is required, for example to extend the scope of the new legislation specifically into office premises.
Before I take your questions, let me make a final plea. I do hope that in the coming days all of us will act with the greatest possible sensitivity towards the injured, and towards the families of those who have been injured or killed. They have quite enough to deal with already without undue and unwanted intrusions into their grief.
Hong Kong is a great city. It has achieved some of the greatest economic successes known to any city over the last half century. But our life is still marred by too many preventable tragedies. Trying to put in place the sort of regulations which can and do save lives is not a hindrance to Hong Kong's competitiveness, not an intolerable addition to the costs of business in Hong Kong, not unnecessary intrusion or interference by Government. It is merely a recognition of what is required in any prosperous and civilised society to give its citizens the protection in their daily lives which they deserve and which they have a right to expect.
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