Question No. 2
Reply by the Hon. D.P.H. Liao, CBE, JP, Secretary for District Administration,
to the Hon. HUI Yin-fat's Question
in Legislative Council on Wednesday, 8 April 1987
Question: Will Government inform this Council what
criteria are used to determine whether public consultation should be conducted prior to the publication of a policy paper, and why no consultative document will be published on the proposals arising from the Government's Long-Term Housing Strategy Review even though it is obvious that such proposals will generate a great deal of public interest?
Sir,
In determining whether public consultation
should be conducted prior to the publication of a policy
paper, the relevant policy secretary will usually take
into account the nature of the subject, the degree of
public interest in it, the availability of options for the
consultation and whether the proposals would involve any
significant changes to existing policies.
2.
The Long-Term Housing Strategy which the Chief
Secretary has just outlined does not represent a change in
housing policy, but proposes certain improvements to
achieve the existing policy objectives. Its implementation
will not adversely affect those who are eligible for public
housing under present policies. It is for this reason
that the Government has decided not to publish a
consultative document.
However, the strategy will be widely