Hong Kong’s development chief has said that government contractors will bear the full repair costs for faulty lift work in a redeveloped building at Queen Mary Hospital that resulted in tilted elevator shafts.

Queen Mary Hospital. File photo: GovHK.

Secretary for Development Bernadette Linn also said on Tuesday that the government reserves the right to seek compensation from the contractors and subcontractors responsible for the defective work, which has delayed the full reopening of Clinical Block 1 at the largest public hospital on Hong Kong Island.

Linn confirmed on Tuesday that the external walls of the building’s elevator shafts had structural “errors,” following media reports that revealed the defects last week.

“The errors may have left insufficient room for elevators to operate smoothly inside the buildings,” Linn told reporters in Cantonese, adding that some lift components were installed “improperly.”

The Hong Kong Economic Times first reported on the structural defect last week, with unnamed sources saying that the new elevator shafts had a “rhombus” shape that they likened to Italy’s leaning Tower of Pisa.

Linn said on Tuesday that the contractors were confident that the defects could be fixed in the final quarter of this year.

Proper disclosure in due course

She also defended a piecemeal-style disclosure process employed by various government departments regarding the issue, saying that full transparency at this stage could lead to legal disputes in the future.

Hong Kong Development Secretary Bernadette Linn addresses the Legislative Council on January 14, 2026. File photo: Kyle Lam/HKFP.

The Architectural Services Department and the Electrical and Mechanical Services Department – the two governmental departments with direct oversight in the incident – have been criticised for a lack of transparency regarding the structural defects.

“Precisely because there could be contractual claims to be made later, it is undesirable to publicly discuss every detail at this stage… so as not to affect the government’s right to make compensation claims,” Linn said.

She pledged that proper disclosures would be made in due course.

Linn added that the government will also review whether the two departments can improve their inspection and acceptance procedures.

The Development Bureau said last week that it had requested the two departments submit reports regarding the incident and minimise further delays to Queen Mary Hospital’s redevelopment work.