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will take at least another year before something positive can be done. Would it be possible for you to look into this and see if action could be taken earlier than that?
CHAIRMAN:-I hope, as I have already said, to inform Members of this Council more fully fairly soon. I cannot say more than that at the present time.
MRS. ELLIOTT:-Mr. Chairman, may I ask another supplementary? I notice that you say the place is washed every Thursday. Is it sufficient for a dirty place like this to be washed once a week? I think I was informed it was washed several times a week when I asked this question a few years ago.
CHAIRMAN:-I will look into this, Mrs. ELLIOTT. I would like to think that we might be able to do something better, but certainly there is difficulty about getting in there to do it.
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estates because of the large number of families living at densities just below the present levels. However, the allocation of empty rooms in Tsz Wan Shan and Ngau Tau Kok estates is continuing and it is expected that the position will further improve.
As regards the third part of the question, the present qualifying levels for internal decantation in the Marks I and II estates are:—
Estate Qualifying density sq. ft. per adult Shek Kip Mei 12 Tai Hang Tung 13.3 Lei Cheng Uk 15 16 18 19.1 20.2 Chai Wan 19.1 Wong Tai Sin 21.8 Jordan Valley 20 Tai Wo Hau 20.2 Tung Tau 20.2 Kwun Tong Hung Hom Lo Fu Ngam Wang Tau Hom(3) MRS. E. ELLIOTT asked the following question:—
(a) How many families have been decanted to Tsz Wan Shan or Ngau Tau Kok Resettlement Estates from the older estates in the past two months?
(b) How has this decantation improved (if at all) the decantation density level for tenants remaining on those older estates?
(c) What is the present decantation eligibility level for tenants living in Mark I and Mark II blocks?
MR. HENRY H. L. HU, CHAIRMAN OF THE RESETTLEMENT MANAGEMENT SELECT COMMITTEE, replied as follows:
Mr. Chairman, during the period from 1st April to 31st August, 1969 some 5,000 persons were moved from Mark I and Mark II resettlement estates to Tsz Wan Shan and Ngau Tau Kok estates. Of these some 4,000 persons were moved during the last two months.
Regarding the second part of the question, the overall density in the older estates has improved as a result, the percentage of persons living below 24 sq. ft. for each adult being reduced from 51 to 48.4%. In Lei Cheng Uk and Kwun Tong estates the qualifying density for internal decantation has been raised to 15 sq. ft. and 21.8 sq. ft. respectively from the first of this month. It has not yet been possible to raise the qualifying density in other estates because of the large number of families living at densities just below the present levels.
MR. SALES:-Mr. Chairman, the Appointed Members would like to congratulate, through you, Mr. Hu upon his maiden effort in answering questions in this Urban Council. May he long be called upon to answer them. (Laughter).
MRS. ELLIOTT:-Mr. Chairman, I am greatly alarmed to find that we still have about half of the tenants living in less than 20 sq. ft., not 24, 20 sq. ft. in the older estates. I am also alarmed when people come to me and I tell them there are not any empty rooms and they tell me there are dozens of them. Is it possible for the Commissioner to have an investigation made by someone outside the staff of each estate to find out really how many rooms are available?
COMMISSIONER FOR RESETTLEMENT:-I think, Mr. Chairman, that there is some misunderstanding about this. There is always a certain number of empty rooms and these will, of course, change from time to time as the numbers do fluctuate. The one difficulty in all this, of course, is to find a room that fits the family concerned. A family may be theoretically eligible for decantation, but there is no room of the appropriate size to fit that family. The other difficulty is that even if there is, quite often these families for various reasons decide they do not want that room. So there is always a time lag, a room may seem to be available, but in fact it may have been earmarked for a family which, in fact, may not be allocated it in the end. So it may seem that the room is vacant and not wanted by anybody.
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