12
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 3, 1994
GOVERNOR:
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BUT
FIRST OF ALL, ON THE REQUIREMENT FOR ADDITIONAL LAND SUPPLY IN ORDER TO MEET THE TARGETS THAT WE ANNOUNCED EARLIER IN THE SUMMER, WE WILL NEED TO GO TO THE LAND COMMISSION. I THINK I AM RIGHT IN SAYING THAT WE WON'T REQUIRE TO GO TO THEM ABOUT 15 HECTARES - I THINK THERE ARE A COUPLE OF HECTARES WHICH ARE ACTUALLY COVERED ALREADY I THINK IT IS ABOUT 13 THAT WE NEED TO GO TO THEM ABOUT I'LL TELL THE HONOURABLE MEMBER IF I AM NOT ABSOLUTELY ACCURATE THAT. BUT THE HONOURABLE MEMBER IS RIGHT THAT WE WILL NEED TO GO THE LAND COMMISSION, I DON'T WISH TO BE PRESUMPTUOUS BUT I HAVE NO REASON ΤΟ SUPPOSE THAT THE LAND COMMISSION WOULD WISH TO OBJECT ΤΟ PROPOSALS WHICH ARE CLEARLY IN THE INTERESTS OF HONG KONG AND WHICH ARE CLEARLY DIRECTED TOWARDS THE QUALITY OF LIFE OF THE PEOPLE OF HONG KONG.
ON TO
IF WE WERE UNABLE TO SATISFY THAT REQUIREMENT;
THEN THEORETICALLY, THE HONOURABLE MEMBER IS ENTIRELY RIGHT TO MENTION THE OTHER OPTION. BUT WE DO WANT, AS FAR AS WE CAN, TO PROVIDE A BALANCED RESPONSE TO HOUSING DEMAND IN THE COMMUNITY AND WE THINK WE'VE GOT IT JUST ABOUT RIGHT BETWEEN HOUSING AUTHORITY ACCOMMODATION AND PRIVATE ACCOMMODATION AND PUBLICLY-ASSISTED HOME OWNERSHIP SCHEMES.
ON THE SIZE OF THE WAITING LIST, PERHAPS 1 CAN
SAY TWO THINGS. I DON'T WANT TO GET INTO A THEORETICAL ARGUMENT WITH THE HONOURABLE GENTLEMAN ABOUT THE 150,000 FIGURE, BUT I THINK HE KNOWS, AS I DO, THAT THERE IS A GOOD DEAL OF SKEPTICISM ABOUT THAT FIGURE, THAT MANY PEOPLE BELIEVE THAT IT INCLUDES DOUBLE COUNTING AND THAT IT INCLUDES PEOPLE WHO HAVE ALREADY MET THEIR HOUSING DEMANDS ELSEWHERE, BUT WHO HAVEN'T TAKEN THEMSELVES OFF THE LIST. THERE ARE SOME WHO WOULD PUT THE REAL FIGURE OF DEMAND WAITING FOR HOUSING AUTHORITY ACCOMMODATION AT JUST OVER HALF THE 150,000, AT ABOUT 80,000 I DON'T WANT TO BECOME TOO PRECISE ABOUT IT, IT'S NOT A PRECISE SCIENCE BUT EVEN IF 80,000 IS THE FIGURE IT IS STILL AN AWFUL LOT OF PEOPLE WAITING IN NEED, FOR DECENT LIVING ACCOMMODATION.
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HAVE
FOR
THE
SECONDLY, WE HAVE ACTUALLY ADDRESSED THE NERD OF PARTICULAR GROUPS WITHIN THAT OVERALL LIST. FOR EXAMPLE, WE GIVEN COMMITMENTS TO THOSE LIVING IN TEMPORARY HOUSING AREAS. EXAMPLE, WE HAVE GIVEN COMMITMENTS ABOUT THE SINGLF ELDERLY AND ELDERLY LIVING IN FAMILIES. BOTH THOSE ARE IMPORTANT GROUPS AND IN BOTH CASES WE HAVE BEEN ABLE TO BE FAIRLY SPECIFIC ABOUT WHEN OFFERS OF HOUSING MAY BE MADE AND ABOUT REDUCTIONS IN THE AMOUNT OF TIME THEY MAY HAVE TO SPEND ON THE LIST. FOR THE OVERALL LIST, THE BEST WAY WE CAN MEET IT IS BY ENSURING THAT WE CONTINUE ΤΟ HAVE A HOUSING PROGRAMME IN THE PUBLIC AS WELL AS THE PRIVATE SECTOR WHICH CATERS FOR A COMMUNITY WHICH IS NOT ONLY GROWING AS HONG KONG IS GROWING, BUT WHERE HOUSING DEMAND IS BECOMING MORE SOPHISTICATED AND THEREFORE NEEDS TO BE MET WITH MORE TARGETED SUPPLY MEASURES.
TARGETS?
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MR LEE WING-TAT (FOLLOW UP): A SHORT FOLLOW UP. YES, I AGREE THAT FOR THE 150,000 THERE IS SOME DOUBLE COUNTING BUT AT LEAST THERE ARE 80,000 TO 90,000 PEOPLE WAITING. SO IN YOUR MIND, DO WE HAVE ANY THAT IS, WHEN THESE PEOPLE ON THE WAITING LIST CAN GET AFFORDABLE PUBLIC HOUSING? CONCERNING MANY GOVERNMENT SERVICES THERE ARE PERFORMANCE PLEDGES, BUT CONCERNING THE WAITING LIST IN HOUSING, THERE HAS NOT BEEN ANY PERFORMANCE PLEDGE LIKE I HAVE BEEN WAITING FOR A FEW YEARS, WILL I GET THE HOUSING? SO HAVE YOU CONSIDERED ASPECT?
THIS
/GOVERNOR