XN000022-1996-03-06 — Page 97

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Collapse of footbridge in Tseung Kwan O

Following is a question by the Hon Lo Suk-ching and a written reply by the acting Secretary for Works, Mr Lee Shing-see, in the Legislative Council today (Wednesday):

Question:

Following the collapse of a footbridge under construction off Hau Tak Estate, it is learnt that the building contractor of the project has been awarded many Government projects in the Tseung Kwan O area. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:

Reply:

(a)

(b)

(c)

(d)

Mr President,

of the number of Government and Housing Authority projects undertaken by the contractor and his subsidiaries (including those relating to the construction of public housing and home ownership scheme estates) in which accidents have occurred in the past three years;

whether the Government has taken into account the past performance records of contractors, particularly in regard to safety records, before awarding a contract; if so, whether the Government will consider re- examining the other projects undertaken by the contractor concerned if an accident which has occurred in a project is found to have been caused by human negligence on the part of the contractor;

whether, in the light of the report that the accident mentioned above has been caused by the temporary props developing problems in the course of the construction of the bridge, the Government has laid down a set of safety standards for inspecting such temporary props, and whether such props can only be used after they have been inspected by the Government before the commencement of each project; and

whether the Government will consider suspending all similar projects temporarily until the cause of the accident is known?

My answer to the respective parts of the question is as follows: