By tendering a formal apology, Mr Tung is hoping pressure for officials to take personal blame for the airport debacle will be defused, or at least contained.
A step in the right direction though it may be, the Chief Executive has in the meantime raised the temperature ahead of a tussle between the executive and the legislature over the outcome of the inquiries.
In his response yesterday, Mr Tung sent the message that he puts more emphasis on the report by Mr Justice Woo Kwok-hing - appointed by him - than the Legco and Ombudsman's findings.
Privately, senior officials criticised the way the committee had come to its conclusions without giving a chance for those criticised to reply. This was 'not in line with natural justice'.
While the Government had agreed to an apology, it stood firm on the issue of personal/political responsibility for individual officials.
This is because the implication of holding officials personally responsible for policy failures would be enormous. It would set a precedent for what accountability of the executive meant in the new political era.
