WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 29, 1986
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HE ALSO FELT THAT THE STIPULATED 15 PER CENT WAS TOO CLOSE TO THE RENTAL LEVEL OF PRIVATE HOUSING AND THAT THE ARGUMENTS REGARDING TENANTS' AFFORDABILITY PUT URWARD IN THE REPORT WERE NOT SOUND.
J
HE ALSO CONSIDERED THAT THE COMPARISON WITH RENTAL LEVELS IN FOREIGN COUNTRIES COULD HARDLY BE USED AS A SUPPORTING ARGUMENT BECAUSE DIFFERENT SOCIETIES HAD DIFFERENT SOCIAL WELFARE SYSTEMS.
MR TAM SAID THE CRUX OF THE WHOLE PROBLEM LAY IN THE FINANCIAL ARRANGEMENT BETWEEN THE GOVERNMENT AND THE HOUSING AUTHORITY AND IN WHETHER THE GOVERNMENT SHOULD RELINQUISH ITS LIMITED COMMITMENTS.
MR TAM SAID THE FORMULATION OF A LONG-TERM HOUSING POLICY MUST INVOLVE PUBLIC PARTICIPATION.
+ SUCH A POLICY NOT ONLY AFFECTS EXISTING PUBLIC HOUSING TENANTS, BUT ALSO THOSE WHO ARE OR WHO WILL BE ON THE WAITING LIST,+ HE SAID.
+ IN THE COURSE OF DISCUSSION, THE IMAGE OF THE SO-CALLED HEAVILY SUBSIDISED PUBLIC HOUSING TENANTS SHOULD NOT BE OVER- EXAGGERATED BECAUSE THIS IS OF NO HELP TO THE WHOLE SOCIETY IN WORKING OUT A REASONABLE HOUSING POLICY, HE ADDED.
ALL-OUT EFFORT TO PREVENT ANOTHER FUR FACTORY FIRE
*****
DEPARTMENTS CONCERNED WILL DO ALL THEY CAN TO PREVENT THE RECURRENCE OF AN ACCIDENT SIMILAR TO THE ONE WHICH TOOK PLACE IN THE KWAI CHUNG FUR FACTORY ON OCTOBER 8 THIS YEAR, THE SECRETARY FOR EDUCATION AND MANPOWER, THE HON RON BRIDGE, SAID IN THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL TODAY WEDNESDAY).
REPLYING TO A QUESTION BY THE HON TAM YIU-CHUNG, MR BRIDGE SAID A TEAM OF 20 FIRE SERVICES PERSONNEL LED BY SENIOR OFFICERS HAD BEEN WORKING CONTINUOUSLY 18 HOURS A DAY SINCE THE FIRE TO ESTABLISH ITS CAUSE AND THEIR WORK WAS EXPECTED TO BE COMPLETED IN THREE WEEKS' TIME.
AN INQUEST WOULD BE HELD ON NOVEMBER 25 AND THE RESULTS OF THE FIRE SERVICES INVESTIGATIONS WOULD BE MADE AVAILABLE TO THE CORONER.
MR BRIDGE SAID THAT SINCE THE ACCIDENT WAS THE SUBJECT OF A CORONER'S INQUEST, HE WAS NOT READY TO COMMENT FURTHER AS THIS WOULD PREJUDICE THE HEARINGS.
/ON PREVENTING