Committee probing Tai Po fire delays submission of report till end of October

Panel says it has asked Chief Executive John Lee for deadline extension, citing complexity of issues and large volume of documents it must review

The independent committee investigating the causes of Hong Kong’s deadliest fire in decades will postpone submitting its report by a month to the end of October, attributing the delay to the complexity of issues and the large volume of documents it must review.

The committee announced on Tuesday that it had sought approval from Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu to extend the deadline for submitting the report. The judge-led panel was originally tasked to conclude its work over nine months and deliver its findings in September.

The panel said it was processing written evidence and receiving other materials, including more than one million files, as it drafted its report.

But the issues arising in the work were “numerous and complex in nature”, with many parties involved.

“As the committee has to reach its findings and conclusions, and formulate recommendations on the matters within its terms of reference that are grounded in a factual framework, more time is required for it to analyse and study the large amount of information submitted by various parties,” it said.

“In view of this, the committee has sought the agreement from the chief executive to extend the time for submitting its report, and the chief executive has given his agreement.