Former project director Douglas Oakervee, airport management director Chern Heed and information technology director Kiron Chatterjee were also found primarily responsible for the problems in the official inquiry chaired by Mr Justice Woo Kwok-hing.

Mr Lam said on Commercial Radio yesterday the group would meet this week to discuss the gratuities paid to Mr Townsend and Mr Oakervee.

Both men left the authority late last year.

Dr Townsend returned to the United States with a $2.5 million end-of-contract gratuity, which critics said should have been withheld.

Mr Heed will leave when his contract expires next month.

'We will try to study the wordings of the report and see whether the four mentioned are guilty of any dereliction of duty and the extent; whether they have to bear any responsibility; the wordings of their contract and the relevant legal implications.' A decision would be made after two other reports on Chek Lap Kok were released.

It is understood the Legco Select Committee will release its report on the airport chaos on Wednesday.

The other report is being compiled by the Ombudsman's office.

Mr Lam also pledged to better co-ordinate work of different divisions in the future.

The study group will also look into various ways to simplify the authority's structure and to increase its accountability.

Reading out a Chinese poem, Mr Lam asked the public to forget the problems of the past and work together for a better future.