Plumbers face blacklist over Hong Kong lead-in-water scare as Carrie Lam defends civil servants' role in scandal

The Housing Authority may blacklist three water supplies contractors and three licensed plumbers for their role in the lead-in-water scandal at public housing estates after punishing four building contractors.

In contrast, Chief Secretary Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor defended civil servants on Thursday, saying that flaws had lain in the system of monitoring water quality and government staff had just been following procedures.

One licensed plumber, Lam Tak-sum, and three subcontractors that conducted water works - Lam's employer Ho Biu Kee Construction Engineering, Golden Day Engineering and Ming Hop - have been named by officials as being responsible for installing pipes at the 11 public housing estates where drinking water samples were found to contain lead in excess of the World Health Organisation's guidelines.

An authority source said Golden Day boss Cheung Tat-yam and Ming Hop employee Ng Hak-ming were the two other licensed plumbers involved. The authority's tendering committee is considering ways to bar the subcontractors and plumbers from installation projects at public housing estates. It will meet on Thursday.

"While the authority only signs contracts with main contractors, we can ask them to blacklist the subcontractors and plumbers concerned. If they do not cooperate, we can deduct their scores in tender bids," the source said.