Hong Kong authorities announce that the government’s Independent Checking Unit (ICU) will be disbanded and replaced with a new regulatory body following an inquiry into failures linked to last year’s deadly Tai Po fire at Wang Fuk Court. Officials say around 300 civil servants from the ICU will be transferred to the new structure.
The outlets describe the reforms as part of a broader restructuring within the Housing Bureau. A judge-led investigation is reported as identifying the ICU as the government arm with the greatest responsibility for the fire, while other reporting highlights criticisms of policy and operational shortcomings in the period leading up to the incident, including allegations of a “slack” work attitude. The South China Morning Post and Hong Kong Free Press both frame the change as a replacement of the ICU with a new housing building control function, while Hong Kong Free Press also emphasises the move of personnel into the new regulatory body.
