TUESDAY, JANUARY 12, 1993
8
ΤΟ BEEN
IN 1988 THE CENTRAL, GOVERNMENT ENDORSED A LONG TERM HOUSING
HOPING STRATEGY,
THAT BY 2001, WITH ADEQUATE PUBLIC HOUSING, RESOLVE THE HOUSING PROBLEMS FOR HONG KONG, AND $26 BILLION HAVE LOANED TO THE HOUSING AUTHORITY FOR THIS SCHEME.
HOWEVER, THE IIA EVERY YEAR HAS TO PAY FIVE PER CENT OF THE INTEREST AND FOR THE NON- DOMESTIC SURPLUS OF THE HA THE CENTRAL GOVERNMENT HAS TO SHARE THE SURPLUS WITH THE HA. 1 AM AN HA MEMBER. ACCORDING TO THE ESTIMATES
OF THE HA, BY 2001 THE HA WILL HAVE PAID $31.1 BILLION TO THE CENTRAL GOVERNMENT, THAT IS APART FROM THE GOVERNMENT LOAN, THE GOVERNMENT CAN ACTUALLY GET THE EXTRA INTEREST BACK, AND UP TO NOW, FOR PUBLIC HOUSING, OR YOU CAN SAY THAT BY 2001 WE'LL STILL LACK 54 HECTARES OF LAND.
—
FOR THIS FINANCIAL, ARRANGEMENT NOW, FOR THE HOSPITAL AUTHORITY, FOR THE AIRPORT'S RAILWAY, FOR THE URBAN COUNCIL, THEY HAVE DIFFERENT ARRANGEMENTS NOT LIKE THE HOUSING AUTHORITY. NOW, CAN THE CENTRAL GOVERNMENT GIVE A GUARANTEE TO THE PUBLIC SO THAT FOR THIS 54 HECTARES OF LAND IT CAN BE PROVIDED TO THE HA ON TIME? SECONDLY, FOR THESE 64 HECTARES, WILL THEY BE EVENLY DISTRIBUTED AT THE URBAN AND THE NEW TERRITORIES AREAS? AND THEN THIRDLY, CAN THE GOVERNMENT ALLOW THE MONEY
INTO GENERATED FROM PUBLIC HOUSING TO BE PLOUGHED BACK TOTALLY PUBLIC HOUSING SO THAT NO PROFITEERING OR PROFIT-MAKING IS INVOLVED? THANK YOU.
AS I RECALL
-
UP
THE GOVERNOR:
I WAS TRYING TO LOOK THE FIGURES WHEN THE HONOURABLE MEMBER WAS SPEAKING BUT AS I RECALL,
-
THE
THE COST OF THE HOUSING STRATEGY OVER THE PERIOD TO 2001, TO MEET AINS THAT THE COMMUNITY HAS SET FOR ITSELF, RUNS AT ABOUT HK$107 RILLION. THAT IS A VERY SUBSTANTIAL COMMITMENT OF RESOURCES.
THE HOUSING AUTHORITY SAW A RESTRUCTURING OF ITS FINANCIAL BASE A FEW YEARS AGO, AND I AM NOT SURE THAT I WOULD WANT TO UNDO THE DECISIONS THAT WERE MADE AT THAT TIME. SOME OF THE COMPARISONS THAT ARE MADE AND SOME OF THE ARGUMENTS THAT ARE PUT ABOUT THE FINANCIAL FLOWS BETWEEN GOVERNMENT AND THE HOUSING AUTHORITY AREN'T, I THINK, ENTIRELY FAIR, BECAUSE THEY DON'T, FOR EXAMPLE, TAKE ACCOUNT OF THE PROVISION OF LAND TO THE HOUSING AUTHORITY, NOR THE PROVISION OF INFRASTRUCTURE ΤΟ MAKE NEW HOUSING POSSIBLE.
SO [ DON'T WHOLLY ACCEPT
HONOURABLE MEMBER'S PROPOSITION ABOUT THE FINANCIAL FLOWS.
THE
ΤΟ
[
RELATION THINK, MYSELF, THAT WE FACE LARGER PROBLEMS IN LAND SUPPLY THAN IN RELATION TO CASH SUPPLY, AND ONE OF THE REASONS WHY WE HAVE TO INVEST IN INFRASTRUCTURE, AND IN PARTICULAR SOME OF THE NEW
ΤΟ MAKE ROADS WHICH THE COMMUNITY IS INTERESTED IN, IS IN ORDER SURE THAT WIC OPEN UP THE LAND THAT WE REQUIRE IN ORDER то CARRY THROUGH THE LONG-TERM HOUSING STRATEGY. THAT IS A POINT THAT I WAS DISCUSSING
WHEN LAST WEEK WITH THE CHAIRMAN OF THE HOUSING AUTHORITY REVIEWING THE HOUSING STRATEGY WITH HIM. IT'S A POINT WHICH I KNOW HE FEELS
WHOLE STRONGLY ABOUT AND THAT THE HOUSING AUTHORITY AS A FEELS STRONGLY ABOUT, AND I HOPE THAT WE CAN DEVELOP A CONSTRUCTIVE DIALOGUE WITH THE HOUSING AUTHORITY ABOUT HOW WE CAN MAKE CERTAIN THAT INFRASTRUCTURE DEVELOPS AT A PACE WHICH ALLOWS US TO DEVELOP THE WHICH IS REQUIRED BY THE HOUSING AUTHORITY.
LAND
/ BELIEVE