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Wednesday, February 14, 1973
HOUSING BILL SYMBOLISES HOPES FOR BETTER HOUSING
Essential First Step To New Targets
The Housing Bill 1973, designed to create a new, streamlined Housing
Authority, "symbolises all our hopes and ambitions for better housing for the
people of Hong Kong," the Secretary for Housing, the Hon. I.M. Lightbody, said
today.
In introducing the bill into the Legislative Council, he said that
the bill reflected the conviction that Hong Kong's housing problem required
"a concentrated attack" and "the formulation of sound policies to govern the
allocation of available public housing."
Mr. Lightbody described the bill as an "essential first step" on the
road leading to the fulfilment of the new public housing targets which the
Governor disclosed at the opening of the Legislative Council session last October.
The Bill, if passed, will vest in the new Housing Authority the powers
and functions now exercised by the Housing Board, the present Housing Authority,
the Urban Council and the Commissioner for Resettlement.
Referring to the financial aspects of the bill, Mr. Lightbody said a
very important provision required the new Authority to ensure that the revenue
accruing to it from its estates was sufficient to meet its recurrent expenditure
on its estates.
"This Authority will take over-existing Housing Authority and Low
Cost Housing estates, which meet this injunction; but it will also take over
all existing resettlement estates where revenue fails by a wide margin to cover
outgoings," he said.
Mr. Lightbody