Govt To Take Applications For Pipe Subsidies In May

Secretary for Development Michael Wong said on Friday that he expects to start subsidising 300 old buildings to repair their sewage pipes this year, with the Urban Renewal Authority accepting applications from May.

HK$1 billion has been earmarked for the programme announced in the financial secretary's latest budget that targets more than 3,000 buildings that are 40 years or older.

Speaking on an RTHK radio programme, the minister said authorities will subsidise these building owners 80 percent of their drainage system revamp costs, and they will only need to pay the remaining 20 percent.

"If you use public money to fully cover the costs involved, there might be some moral hazard," he explained.

"Because if owners believe that if they do not actively maintain the upkeep of the building, then every time [the repair cost] will be covered by money from the public purse... we don't think it is a wise move."

For buildings that don't have any owners' corporations, and where owners may have difficulty organising the needed improvement work, the Buildings Department will carry out the works for them before recovering the costs from them, he added.