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MR. HU:- I think this time we will clear in three months.
MRS. ELLIOTT:- Mr. Chairman, that is the backlog, I am talking about another backlog that was building up over the following years.
MR. HU:- I do not think there will be any backlog because we haven't used all the compassionate quarters yet. We tried to lower the standard for the allocation of resettlement rooms on compassionate grounds, so I think in future this question can probably be settled.
MRS. ELLIOTT:- Mr. Chairman, if we are going to lower the criteria and give more rooms on compassionate grounds, wouldn't that increase the backlog?
MR. HU:- I think Mrs. ELLIOTT did press the question. I do not think there is good cooperation between the various departments. The first inter-departmental meeting, as I have said, after our meeting on 24th February, was a meeting held on the 2nd March, 1970, in which the representatives of the Resettlement Department, Social Welfare Department, Medical and Health Department discussed the question together. I think I can assure Mrs. ELLIOTT this question will be solved in future.
MRS. ELLIOTT:- Mr. Chairman, I am grateful to Mr. Hu, but I am concerned about the compassionate cases waiting so long. Is the Commissioner satisfied that he has enough people working on the cases?
COMMISSIONER FOR RESETTLEMENT:- I am sorry, I didn't quite get the question.
MRS. ELLIOTT:- Mr. Chairman, I will repeat the question. I am sorry to trouble the Commissioner when he is not feeling well, but could he clarify whether or not he has enough people working on them, because I was given a hint that it was slowness on the part of the Resettlement Department in dealing with the applications?
COMMISSIONER FOR RESETTLEMENT:- Since you raised the question last month I have put additional staff on the job. We hope to be able to clear the job much quicker. Last year there wasn't any supply of accommodation to begin with, then there was a backlog, and then there were not enough people to pay attention to it. But we have put additional staff on to the job and we hope to clear them quicker. The other point was that we still need to have the co-operation of the applicant to solve it quickly.
MRS. ELLIOTT:- Mr. Chairman, the Commissioner has raised a point there I would like to ask him about. Is it a fact that if one person refuses his resettlement room because it is not in the place that he wants, everybody is held up waiting for that one person?
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COMMISSIONER FOR RESETTLEMENT:- This point was discussed at the interdepartmental meeting. Some insist that an offer should be made in writing giving them seven or fourteen days to make up their minds. In fact, there was quite a lot of discussion on that point. It would be much better to make an offer. If the person doesn't want to take it, well then give it to someone else; it would quicken the process. If you allow an applicant fourteen days to make up his mind, there will be a hold up from behind the queue. There are a lot of details to be worked out yet. Now, with the decision taken, we hope to be able to work out the procedure. I worked out the other day that, with the existing agreed procedure, if everybody agrees with me, the offer and everything, the process will take one week. Otherwise there could be long delays.
MRS. ELLIOTT:- Mr. Chairman, may I promise the Commissioner that I shall keep on asking this question until everything is cleared up.
MR. LO TAK-SHING:- I do have a supplementary, Mr. Chairman, for the Chairman of the Resettlement Management Select Committee. I remember when we took an active part in the Management Select Committee meeting, what was agreed to by the Committee, was that this inter-departmental meeting was not to discuss the procedure involved. It was, in fact, to discuss the criteria used and I am in fact rather surprised with this answer. Perhaps Mr. Hu could verify whether in fact any criteria has been decided for compassionate cases, because, you see, until the criteria has been decided it is rather surprising that the procedure can be worked out.
COMMISSIONER FOR RESETTLEMENT:- I might be able to help in this context. They met to discuss the relaxing of the criteria, but before we can tackle that one the first thing is to clear the backlog. That was the main point. Now we are due to have another meeting within the near future, but we have to clear the backlog first.
MR. LO:- I think, Mr. Chairman, that what the Commissioner has confirmed is this that, despite the Committee's request to consider the question of criteria what it has done of course, the Government has completely ignored the request and has spent its time discussing the question of procedure instead and I think Mr. Hu will recall that this was contrary to the instructions of the Select Committee.
MR. HU:- I should think that Mr. Lo would remember that in all the past years the quota for domestic resettlement have never been completely used. This is why we want the qualification to be lowered so that many poor people who are now not eligible to have resettlement rooms could be given one. This is our aim. I think we should work on this aim. The other thing is to clear the backlog. They could all be resettled if they like as we have never used our quota entirely.
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