WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 1987
18
GOOD QUALITY, SUBSIDISED HOUSING FOR 800 000 TARGETTED
*****
THE GOVERNMENT WILL PROVIDE ADDITIONAL GOOD QUALITY FLATS IN THE FORM OF SUBSIDISED HOUSING FOR NEARLY '800 000 PEOPLE IN THE NEXT FOUR YEARS, THE FINANCIAL SECRETARY, THE HON PIERS JACOBS, TOLD THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL THIS (WEDNESDAY) AFTERNOON.
HE WAS COMMENTING ON SOME OF THE MAJOR PROGRAMMES AND POLICIES FOR 1987-88, IN WHICH THE CONSOLIDATED ACCOUNT EXPENDITURE WAS FORECAST TO BE $53.4 BILLION.
+ SHALL REFER SPECIFICALLY TO OUR LAND PRODUCTION, HOUSING, EDUCATION, MEDICAL AND SOCIAL WELFARE PROGRAMMES BECAUSE THEY ARE SO IMPORTANT AND, TOGETHER, MAKE UP MORE THAN HALF OF THE CONSOLIDATED ACCOUNT EXPENDITURE, HE SAID.
MR JACOBS SAID GROSS LAND PRODUCTION IN 1987-88 WAS EXPECTED TO BE 357 HECTARES COMPARED WITH A REVISED ESTIMATE FOR 1986-87 OF 356 HECTARES, AND THE TOTAL PRODUCTION FOR THE NEXT THREE YEARS WAS EXPECTED TO BE 1 572 HECTARES.
ON PUBLIC HOUSING, HE SAID $3.4 BILLION WOULD BE ALLOCATED FOR THE CONSTRUCTION OF HOUSING, INCLUDING TEMPORARY HOUSING AREAS, COMPARED WITH THE REVISED ESTIMATE OF $3.2 BILLION FOR 1986-87.
NOTWITHSTANDING THE HIGH LEVEL OF THIS EXPENDITURE, HE ADDED, THE FIGURES HAD EXCLUDED THE VALUE OF LAND USED BY THE HOUSING AUTHORITY FOR RENTAL HOUSING AND FOR FLATS WILT UNDER THE HOME OWNERSHIP SCHEME.
MR JACOBS SAID THAT IT WAS GOVERNMENT POLICY THAT THE PUBLIC HOUSING PROGRAMME SHOULD ACHIEVE A LEVEL OF PRODUCTION OF AT LEAST 40 000 FLATS A YEAR FOR RENTAL AND SALE.
THIS TARGET COMPRISED THE HOUSING AUTHORITY'S 'RENTAL FLATS AMD FLATS FOR SALE UNDER THE HOME OWNERSHIP SCHEME, FLATS SOLD UNDER THE PRIVATE SECTOR PARTICIPATION SCHEME, AND THE HOUSING SOCIETY'S PRODUCTION THROUGH THE DEVELOPMENT OF RENTAL HOUSING AND THE URBAN IMPROVEMENT SCHEME.
MR JACOBS SAID THE FORECAST OF HOUSING AUTHORITY PRODUCTION IN THE FOUR YEARS 1987-88 TO 1990-91 EXCEEDED PRODUCTION IN THE PREVIOUS FOUR YEARS BY 14 PER CENT.
THIS INCLUDED A TOTAL OF 7 200 FLATS TO BE PRODUCED UNDER THE EXTENDED REDEVELOPMENT PROGRAMMES THE REDEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME OF THE 26 SUB-STANDARD BLOCKS, AND THE ANNUAL PRODUCTION TARGET OF 30 000 FLATS.
+THE TOTAL