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THURSDAY, OCTOBER 7, 1993
THE GOVERNOR: THE HONOURABLE MEMBER IS SPOT ON. I THINK THE HONOURABLE MEMBER HAS IDENTIFIED ONE OF THE KEY PROBLEMS IN RESPONDING TO AN IMPORTANT SOCIAL ISSUE. I SPENT PART OF MY EARLY ADULTHOOD AS A CIVIL SERVANT TRYING TO CO-ORDINATE POLICY IN THE BRITISH CIVIL SERVICE ON SOCIAL WELFARE ISSUES WHICH SPANNED MORE THAN ONE DEPARTMENT AND IT CREATES DIFFICULTIES AND THE HONOURABLE MEMBER IS RIGHT IN SAYING THAT IT'S A PARTICULARLY ACUTE PROBLEM IN RELATION ΤΟ THE ELDERLY. ONE IS TALKING ABOUT FINANCIAL ISSUES, ONE IS TALKING ABOUT SOCIAL WELFARE ISSUES, ONE IS TALKING ABOUT HOUSING ISSUES, ONE'S TALKING ABOUT HEALTH ISSUES, OTHER ISSUES AS WELL. TRANSPORTATION, LAW AND ORDER, ALL THOSE COME INTO PLAY. So, THE ADMINISTRATION HAS REACHED THE SAME CONCLUSION AS THE HONOURABLE MEMBER AND WE PROPOSE TO SET UP A WORKING PARTY WHICH WILL TRY TO PULL TOGETHER ALL THE THREADS AND ENSURE THAT WE HAVE A COHERENT AND COMPREHENSIVE POLICY ON THE ELDERLY. BUT I ALSO FEEL THAT WE CAN'T WAIT FOR THAT WORKING PARTY TO REPORT TO ME WHICH IT WILL DO BY NEXT AUGUST. I CAN ANNOUNCE I HOPE TO THE SATISFACTION OF THE CHAIRMAN + LIKELY CHAIRMAN OF THE COMMITTEE THIS AFTERNOON. WE CAN'T WAIT UNTIL NEXT AUGUST TO GET ON WITH THINGS WHICH IS WHY I ANNOUNCED YESTERDAY A SERIES OF OTHER STEPS THAT WE INTEND TO TAKE IN RELATION TO INFIRMARY PLACES, IN RELATION TO CARE AND ATTENTION PLACES, IN RELATION TO ACUTE BEDS,
IN RELATION TO HOME HELPS AND IN RELATION TO THE ESTABLISHMENT OF A NETWORK OF NURSING HOMES AT CONSIDERABLE CAPITAL AS WELL AS RECURRENT COST BUT TO MEET A VERY IMPORTANT DEMAND. SO WE WILL GET AHEAD WITH THOSE ISSUES NOW, BUT THE HONOURABLE MEMBER IS ENTIRELY RIGHT TO SAY THAT WE NEED TO PULL ALL THESE POLICY THREADS TOGETHER. IF I CAN ADD ONE OTHER POINT BECAUSE IT'S AN AREA ABOUT WHICH THE HONOURABLE MEMBER KNOWS AS MUCH AS ANYBODY IN THIS COMMUNITY IF I CAN ADD SOMETHING ON HOUSING. WE ARE PLANNING TO MORE THAN DOUBLE SHELTERED HOUSING UNITS FOR THE ELDERLY IN THE NEXT FIVE YEARS FROM 1900 TO ABOUT 4000 AND WE ARE DISCUSSING A NUMBER OF MATTERS WITH THE HOUSING AUTHORITY, NOT LEAST HOW IT CAN CLEAR THE BACKLOG OF 4000 ELDERLY SINGLE PEOPLE ON THE WAITING LIST BY 1997, AND HOW IT CAN. BEST GIVE PRIORITY TO NEW ELDERLY APPLICANTS FOR PUBLIC HOUSING. THOSE ARE ALL, IN MY JUDGMENT, IMPORTANT STEPS THAT WE NEED TO TAKE.
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LEE WING-TAT (THROUGH INTERPRETER):
MR PRESIDENT, THIS YEAR, MR GOVERNOR, NOW YOU WERE DESCRIBED AS A "ONE ISSUE GOVERNOR"
I HOPE THAT THIS IS NOT TRUE TODAY, BECAUSE WE HAVE MANY ISSUES. TODAY, I WOULD LIKE TO ASK A QUESTION ON HOUSING. MR GOVERNOR, IN YOUR POLICY ADDRESS YOU TALKED ABOUT HOUSING BUT I AM QUITE DISAPPOINTED BECAUSE YOU TALKED ABOUT SOMETHING QUITE TRIVIAL, SOMETHING, REALLY, I DIDN'T EXPECT FROM A POLICY ADDRESS. WELL MR GOVERNOR, YOUR PREDECESSOR, IN 1987, ANNOUNCED A LONG TERM HOUSING STRATEGY AND FT IS A PUBLIC UNDERTAKING THAT BY 1997 ALL THE BACKLOG ABOUT (OF) PEOPLE ON THE WAITING-LIST WILL BE CLEARED. WE HAVE ABOUT 180,000 PEOPLE ON THE WAITING-LIST NOW. THE HOUSING AUTHORITY, AFTER ITS VERY STRINGENT SCREENING SCHEME, ABOUT 120,000 PEOPLE ARE STILL ON THE WAITING-LIST AND THE HOUSING AUTHORITY IS ONLY PRODUCING AROUT 35,000 UNITS EVERY YEAR. ABOUT ONLY 14,000 WILL BE GIVEN TO THESE PEOPLE ON WAITING-LIST, SO BY '97 THERE WILL BE STILL 60,000 PEOPLE WAITING HOUSING. SO THIS POLICY IS REALLY A FAILURE BUT NOT ONE WORD WAS DEVOTED TO THIS STRATEGY. IS IT BECAUSE YOU DO NOT KNOW ABOUT THIS STRATEGY, , OR IS IT BECAUSE YOU DO NOT WANT TO FACE THE FAILURE OF THIS STRATEGY? SO HOW WOULD YOU DEAL WITH THIS UNDERTAKING WHICH MAY FALL THROUGH? PLEASE LET US KNOW WHAT SOLUTIONS YOU HAVE IN MIND? THANK
YOU.
THE FOR
/THE GOVERNOR: