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of a dangerous building, but it is to this effect: - A pre-war building, which is the subject of a closure order by the Court on application from the Buildings Ordinance Office.
MRS. ELLIOTT: Mr. Chairman, sorry I have a lot of supplementaries. May I ask the Commissioner, again through you, if there is any reason why people living in cottage areas were given preferential treatment over other people living in squatter areas, for example?
COMMISSIONER FOR RESETTLEMENT: - I think, Mr. Chairman, Members will agree that those who are already tenants in resettlement areas are entitled to special consideration and to the offer of alternative accommodation, if, through no fault of their own, circumstances are such as to deprive them of their homes. There are not, in fact, spare cottages in which they can be re-housed. The only alternative is to offer them rooms in resettlement estates.
MRS. ELLIOTT: - Mr. Chairman, another supplementary. I am afraid you may rule this out of order I will add the rider, if the Commissioner can give the information. Does the Commissioner happen to know how many victims will not be re-sited?
COMMISSIONER FOR RESETTLEMENT: - Yes, I can give that. About 1,100 squatters will be re-sited and about 3,300 should be able to return to their old homes.
MRS. ELLIOTT: Mr. Chairman, I have been asking all these questions because I feel it brings out that there seems to be an anomaly as to which persons in a dangerous building can be resettled, and which can't. May I ask that this question of resettling victims of natural disasters be put before the Resettlement Policy Select Committee?
CHAIRMAN: It seems a very natural and reasonable request.
COMMISSIONER FOR RESETTLEMENT: - I think I should point out in reply, Mr. Chairman, that the Resettlement Policy Select Committee agreed some time ago to review its priorities for resettlement, after Government had taken decisions on the report of the Working Party of the Slums Clearance. I believe the decision is likely to be made within the next month or two. Secondly, I should also point out that earlier this year the Resettlement Policy Select Committee re-endorsed the present policy - admittedly in this case, in relation to the victims of squatter fires, not victims of floods - that disaster victims should not be resettled direct, but should either be re-sited or allowed to return to their original sites if there was no objection.
MRS. ELLIOTT: - Mr. Chairman, I have already had this pointed out about the difference between squatters and fire squatters. May I ask the Commissioner, through you, if he can see any difference between a squatter fire in which it is possible that somebody started the fire, and a victim of a natural disaster, of which you could not suggest anybody could be the instigator?
COMMISSIONER FOR RESETTLEMENT: - Although, Mr. Chairman, in discussion in the Resettlement Policy Select Committee the point was made that there was that danger at one time, and it was one of the reasons in the past for not resettling fire victims, it was not an argument which I think swayed the decision a few months ago.
DR. BELL: - Mr. Chairman, could I ask a supplementary? Am I not right in thinking that it is a very fair question just now. Mrs. ELLIOTT suggested that the whole question of resettling storm victims should be referred to the Resettlement Policy Committee. As the new Chairman on that Committee, I would welcome that it should be referred to the Committee.
COMMISSIONER FOR RESETTLEMENT: - Certainly, but what I wanted to make clear was that victims of natural disasters have a certain, although very limited, priority for resettlement already. If it is the wish of the Policy Select Committee to re-consider the position in regard to this matter, then that means in effect reviewing the priorities which, in any case, will have to be done in a month or two's time. I was merely suggesting that this consideration might be deferred a little longer.
DR. BELL: Mr. Chairman, could it be referred as soon as possible? I feel that storm disasters are not something that happen very often. They are exceptional and therefore I think that perhaps a form of policy could be formulated to deal with such exceptional circumstances without altering the normal priorities as they stand.
COMMISSIONER FOR RESETTLEMENT: - Certainly. If members wish, I am the last person to refuse.
MR. BERNACCHI: - Mr. Chairman, I am rather distressed by the fact that of the numbers of flood victims entitled to resettlement, over half the number consists of people from cottage areas. Are the cottage areas generally becoming in a dangerous state?
COMMISSIONER FOR RESETTLEMENT: - Mr. Chairman, no, I would not say so. By far the greatest number of those people from cottage areas come from So Kon Po, parts of which, I am afraid, are in a dangerous condition. Apart from So Kon Po the numbers of victims in cottage areas are quite small.
MR. HU: - Mr. Chairman, I do not quite understand. 839 tenants of dangerous buildings, "if they accept the rent advance scheme". What does that phrase mean?
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