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WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 8, 1986
THESE FLATS, TOGETHER WITH OVER 10 000 FLATS WHICH WOULD BE PRODUCED UNDER THE HOME OWNERSHIP AND PRIVATE SECTOR PARTICIPATION SCHEME NEXT YEAR, WOULD HELP TO CATER FOR THE GROWING DEMAND FROM FAMILIES WISHING TO OWN HOMES, HE SAID.
SIR EDWARD SAID IT WAS NOW TIMELY FOR THE GOVERNMENT TO REVIEW ITS PRODUCTION PROGRAMMES AND TO FORMULATE LONG-TERM HOUSING STRATEGIES FOR THE 1990'S AND BEYOND, WHICH COULD FORM A SOLID BASE FOR FUTURE DEVELOPMENT PLANS.
+WHILE THE HOUSING AUTHORITY SHOULD BE IN A POSITION TO MEET THE DEMAND FOR RENTAL HOUSING BY THE MID-1990'S, THE GROWING WISH AMONG THE POPULATION, TO OWN THEIR OWN HOMES, WILL TAKE MANY YEARS TO SATISFY AT THE CURRENT RATE OF FLAT PRODUCTION BY THE PUBLIC AND PRIVATE SECTORS.
+THE REVIEW WILL CONSIDER HOW PRIVATE SECTOR OUTPUT CAN BEST BE ENCOURAGED, AND HOW PUBLIC RESOURCES CAN BEST BE USED TO COMPLEMENT THE PRIVATE SECTOR TO MEET THE OVERALL DEMAND FOR HOUSING.+
SIR EDWARD SAID THE RESULTS OF THESE STUDIES WOULD BE EXPECTED TOWARDS THE END OF THIS YEAR.
ON THE REDEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME, HE SAID IN THE SHORTER TERM, THE PROGRAMME TO REDEVELOP THE OLDER HOUSING BLOCKS WOULD CONTINUE AND WAS EXPECTED TO BE COMPLETED IN 1990.
SIR EDWARD SAID UNDERSTANDABLE PUBLIC CONCERN HAD BEEN ECHOED IN THE COUNCIL OVER THE DISCOVERY THAT A NUMBER OF BLOCKS WERE OF SUB-STANDARD STRUCTURAL QUALITY.
+DEMOLITION OF THESE BLOCKS WILL BEGIN NEXT YEAR. MEANWHILE, THE IR STRUCTURAL CONDITION IS BEING MONITORED CLOSELY.
+ BUT IN RECTIFYING THE MISTAKES OF THE PAST WE MUST NOT LOSE SIGHT OF THE ACHIEVEMENTS OF A PROGRAMME WHICH HAS HOUSED SOME 2.5 MILLION PEOPLE, OVER THE PAST QUARTER OF A CENTURY, AND PROVIDES HOMES FOR NEARLY HALF OUR POPULATION+. HE SAID.
ON PUBLIC HOUSING SUBSIDIES, SIR EDWARD SAID THE COMMITTEE ON HOUSING SUBSIDY TO TENANTS OF PUBLIC HOUSING HAD CONCLUDED. AFTER CAREFUL CONSIDERATION OF THE PUBLIC COMMENTS EXPRESSED ON THE PROPOSALS IN LAST YEAR'S GREEN PAPER. THAT THERE WAS CONSIDERABLE PUBLIC SUPPORT FOR THE PRINCIPLE THAT HOUSING SUBSIDIES SHOULD BE GIVEN ONLY TO THOSE WHO WERE REALLY IN NEED OF THEM.
+THE COMMITTEE RECOMMENDS THAT TENANTS WHO HAVE OCCUPIED PUBLIC HOUSING FOR TEN YEARS, OR MORE, AND WHOSE HOUSE HOLD INCOME HAS RISEN TO A LEVEL WHICH IS TWICE THE EQUIVALENT INCOME LIMIT FOR THOSE ON THE WAITING LIST FOR PUBLIC HOUSING, SHOULD BE REQUIRED TO PAY DOUBLE RENT,
/+THE COMMITTEE
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