WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 11, 1976
$20 M SPENT ON IMPROVING LICENSED AREAS
****
THE HOUSING AUTHORITY HAS SPENT ABOUT $20 MILLION OVER THE PAST TWO YEARS IN IMPROVING THE OLDER LICENSED AREAS AND BUILDING NEW ONES TO MUCH HIGHER STANDARDS, THE SECRETARY FOR HOUSING, THE HON. IAN LIGHTBODY, TOLD THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL TODAY.
SPEAKING IN AN ADJOURNMENT DEBATE, HE SAID THAT OF THE 25 OLD-STYLE LICENSED AREAS, 15 HAD ALREADY BEEN GIVEN A PROPER ELECTRICITY SUPPLY, LEAVING TEN OLD AREAS WHICH HAD NOT BEEN GIVEN A SUPPLY UP TO NOW BECAUSE IT WAS HOPED THAT SUFFICIENT PUBLIC HOUSING WOULD BE AVAILABLE TO REHOUSE THE OCCUPANTS IN THE COMING YEAR.
IN ADDITION, HE SAID, THE HOUSING DEPARTMENT WAS CONSTANTLY CONSIDERING WHAT FURTHER IMPROVEMENTS MIGHT REASONABLY BE PROVIDED IN LICENSED AREAS AND WAS, FOR EXAMPLE, CONSIDERING THE FEASIBILITY OF PROVIDING MAINS WATER FLUSHING IN THE TOILET BLOCKS IN THESE AREAS.
AS TO THE HONG NING ROAD LICENSED AREA, MR. LIGHTBODY SAID IT WAS ONE OF THE TEN MARK AREAS TO BE CLEARED INTO PUBLIC HOUSING DURING THE COMING YEAR.
HOWEVER, HE SAID THAT THE EXACT TIMETABLE MUST DEPEND ON THE AVAILABILITY OF NEW PUBLIC HOUSING AND THE HOUSING AUTHORITY'S OTHER COMMITMENTS, INCLUDING CLEARANCES FOR PUBLIC WORKS WHICH MUST HAVE A HIGH PRIORITY.
+AT THE SAME TIME, WE HAVE TO REMEMBER THAT THESE PLANS CAN BE UPSET BY SUDDEN EMERGENCIES WHICH MIGHT LEAVE LARGE NUMBERS OF FAMILIES IN NEED OF HOUSING AT SHORT NOTICE.+
MR. LIGHTBODY SAID THAT SUBJECT TO THESE RESERVATIONS, THE HOUSING AUTHORITY WOULD SHORTLY BE ASKED TO AGREE THE CLEARANCE OF THESE MARK I LICENSED AREAS NEXT YEAR.
ONCE THE TIMETABLE HAD BEEN FINALISED LATER THIS YEAR, HE ADDED, EACH LICENSED AREA WOULD BE GIVEN THREE MONTHS' NOTICE OF CLEARANCE,
BUT HE EMPHASISED THAT IT WAS NOT GOOD PRACTICE TO SUGGEST CLEARANCE DATES TOO FAR IN ADVANCE, SINCE ALL SORTS OF FACTORS COULD INTERVENE TO UPSET SUCH CÁLCULATIONS.
MR. LIGHTBODY ALSO POINTED OUT THAT THERE COULD BE NO GUARANTEE THAT RESIDENTS OF THE NEW-STYLE LICENSED AREAS COULD NECESSARILY EXPECT TO BE ALLOCATED PUBLIC HOUSING AFTER ANY PARTICULAR NUMBER OF YEARS' RESIDENCE.
/EARLIER,