LEGISLATORS yesterday criticised plans to authorise payments for public works before projects were finished after the Secretary for the Treasury, Mr Yeung Kai-yin, failed to convince them of the urgency to settle the bills.
According to new guidelines issued by the Treasury chief late last year, works directors will be allowed to make payments based on the estimated amount of work a contractor or consultant will complete by the end of next month.
At the time, it was widely considered the Government had introduced the plan to help cut back already embarrassingly high reserves.
But during yesterday's lands and works panel meeting, legislators asked why the Government did not maintain the normal practice of paying for completed jobs.
Mr Steven Poon Kwok-lim said it was unreasonable that tax-payers' money was handed over at an advanced stage.
The Deputy Secretary for the Treasury, Mr Stephen Selby, said the Government was making early settlements in order to prevent the accumulation of payments at the end of the financial year.
Asked what the Government would do if contractors failed to complete jobs, he said the money would be deducted in their following payments.