16
A VISION OF THE FUTURE
opportunities to gain international experience and thereby broaden their outlook on life; improve their civic awareness and encourage them to participate in community affairs, and promote youth leadership training.
In the years ahead, I hope to see progress in another area: sports. Already some Hong Kong sportsmen and women are beginning to make their presence felt in international competitions. But so far our achievements in sport lag behind those in other areas. It is time we made an effort to raise our standards. A major step forward will be the creation of a Sports Development Board. Its Executive Director has already been appointed. So have the members of the Provisional Board. Its first priority will be to work out a territory-wide strategy for sport. The aim will be to get the right balance between the twin goals of excellence and mass participation.
Housing
The availability of good, reasonably-priced housing is a key factor in creating the stable yet dynamic society we want to see in Hong Kong. Our record of providing subsidised housing stands comparison with anywhere else in the world. The Housing Authority now manages 723 000 flats and is the landlord for 47 per cent of our population. In the last financial year, it completed over 50 000 flats, a record for a single year. This year, it is likely to set a new record yet again, with an estimated production of 53 000 flats. These are remarkable figures by any standard. They will be achieved without any sacrifice to the quality of -accommodation and environment provided.
-In every community, ordinary families dream of owning their own home. Communities are healthier and more stable when home ownership is widespread. Helping Hong Kong families to become home owners is an important part of the Long Term Housing Strategy. At present, only 15 per cent of our stock of public housing is owned by the family living in it. But this figure is set to increase. This year, one-third of the new Housing Authority flats will be for sale rather than for rent. The authority has also decided recently to increase the scope of its Home Purchase Loan Scheme so that more of its tenants will receive larger interest-free loans to buy flats in the private sector. It is considering another bold initiative: the feasibility of selling some of its newer flats to the families who are now renting them. At present, 41 per cent of Hong Kong families own their homes. As a result of the authority's imaginative ideas, we can expect the number to rise steadily during the years ahead.
The Housing Authority aims to produce 527 000 public housing flats for rental and sale between now and the year 2001. This is an ambitious target. The government will do its best to find the new land required and to provide the necessary infrastructure. Our planners and engineers are hard at work already. Maintaining our housing programme will remain an important priority for the government.
The Environment
Last October, I spoke at some length about the various pollution problems that we face and our determination to tackle them. A White Paper on Pollution, published in June, set out in detail proposals for a comprehensive programme of action over the next 10 years. We have already begun to implement these. The Planning, Environment and Lands Branch, which recently came into being, will give a fresh impetus to our efforts to improve the environment.
I would like to emphasise the importance that I personally, and the government as a whole, attach to dealing with the problem of pollution. It is not just a matter of keeping