The independent commission looking into the lead contamination in tap water will officially begin its hearing on November 2.
The chairman of the commission, High Court judge Andrew Chan, said it would continue until all witnesses have been examined and all submissions made.
This was revealed at the start of the Commission’s preliminary hearing on Tuesday, as it set down the procedure of future hearings. The Commission of Inquiry was formed by the Chief Executive in July.
Present at the proceedings were lawyers for the Housing Authority, the Water Supplies Department, the contractors and a plumber involved in public housing estates found with excessive lead in drinking water, as well as several affected residents.
The Commission, with Chan and Alan Lai as member, will identify the cause of the contamination, review existing regulations and make recommendations, but it will not pinpoint any criminal or civil liability.
The probe is expected to be completed by May next year, nine months after the Chief Executive first announced the formation of the Commission. It is one of three investigations on the lead saga.
In a separate probe conducted by a government-appointed task-force led by the Water Supplies Department, soldering material used to join different water system parts was blamed for the excessive lead found in government water samples taken from 11 public housing estates.
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Last updated: 2015-10-20 HKT 11:00
The chairman of the commission, High Court judge Andrew Chan, said it would continue until all witnesses have been examined and all submissions made.
This was revealed at the start of the Commission’s preliminary hearing on Tuesday, as it set down the procedure of future hearings. The Commission of Inquiry was formed by the Chief Executive in July.
Present at the proceedings were lawyers for the Housing Authority, the Water Supplies Department, the contractors and a plumber involved in public housing estates found with excessive lead in drinking water, as well as several affected residents.
The Commission, with Chan and Alan Lai as member, will identify the cause of the contamination, review existing regulations and make recommendations, but it will not pinpoint any criminal or civil liability.
The probe is expected to be completed by May next year, nine months after the Chief Executive first announced the formation of the Commission. It is one of three investigations on the lead saga.
In a separate probe conducted by a government-appointed task-force led by the Water Supplies Department, soldering material used to join different water system parts was blamed for the excessive lead found in government water samples taken from 11 public housing estates.
_______________________
Last updated: 2015-10-20 HKT 11:00
http://news.rthk.hk/rthk/en/component/k2/1218399-20151020.htm
