HOUSING
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Organisational Framework
Housing Bureau
The Secretary for Housing has overall responsibility for formulating strategic policies on the provision of housing in the public and private sectors in Hong Kong, and co- ordinating and monitoring the implementation of these policies by government departments, the Hong Kong Housing Authority, the Hong Kong Housing Society and private sector agencies. He is assisted by staff in the Housing Bureau.
Housing Authority
The Hong Kong Housing Authority (HKHA), established in 1973, is a statutory body responsible for implementing the majority of Hong Kong's public housing programmes. It plans and builds public housing for rent or sale to low income people. It manages public rental housing estates, Home Ownership Scheme (HOS) courts, interim housing, Cottage Areas, transit centres, flatted factories and ancillary commercial and community facilities. Increasingly, it has contracted out these management services to private sector agencies. It also administers the Private Sector Participation Scheme (PSPS) and the Home Purchase Loan Scheme (HPLS). The Housing Department is the executive arm of the HKHA, and also acts as the Government's agent to control squatting and to carry out clearances.
Housing Society
The Hong Kong Housing Society (HKHS) is an independent non-profit-making organisation established in 1948. It plans and builds quality housing for rent or sale to specific target groups at affordable rents or prices. To assist first-time home buyers, the HKHS administers the Home Starter Loan Scheme on behalf of the Government. The HKHS also assists in the redevelopment of old buildings in urban areas through its Urban Improvement Scheme.
Housing Demand
Housing demand varies according to economic conditions and population fluctuations, as well as policy decisions which may create housing needs (for example, the pace of squatter clearance). Taking these factors and past trends into account, the Government has devised a housing demand model to assess and update demand for different categories of housing. This demand model shows that, with an average population growth rate of 1.6 per cent a year, the estimated average flat requirement over the period 1997-98 to 2006-07 will be in the order of 80 000 flats a year. The Government carries out surveys of household aspirations to help update the forecast of housing demand.
Housing Supply
Flat production in 2000 was 85 710. This comprises 25 790 flats in the private sector, 42 500 public rental housing flats and 17 420 subsidised home ownership flats.
Flat Production and Land Disposal Programmes
The Housing Bureau maintains a 13-year programme of flat production potential to facilitate the planning and monitoring of housing production. The programme is divided into three parts. The first part comprises the first three years when