14
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 3, 1994
MRS ELSIE TU:
MR PRESIDENT, I WOULD LIKE TO FOLLOW ON WHAT MR LEE WING-TAT SAID. I AGREE WITH WHAT HE SAID. BUT BESIDES THOSE EIGHTY THOUSAND WE HAVE AN UNKNOWN NUMBER OF PEOPLE WHO FALL BETWEEN THE RENTED HOUSING INCOME LIMITS AND THE POINT AT WHICH THEY CAN BUY OWNERSHIP OR GO INTO THE SANDWICH CLASS. THAT IS A HUGE AND UNKNOWN NUMBER OF PEOPLE. I'M TIRED OF DRAWING ATTENTION TO THEM WHAT IS BEING DONE FOR THEM?
A
I
GOVERNOR:
I AGREE WITH THE HONORABLE MEMBER THAT THERE ARE GROUP OF PEOPLE WHO DON'T QUALIFY FOR HOUSING AUTHORITY ACCOMMODATION, AND
DO FIND IT DIFFICULT TO PURCHASE THEIR OWN ACCOMMODATION. IT'S ALSO WORTH NOTING, THEY WILL IF THEY'RE IN PRIVATELY RENTED ACCOMMODATION BE PAYING A FAR HIGHER PROPORTION OF THEIR INCOME THAN THEY WOULD BE IF THEY WERE IN HOUSING AUTHORITY ACCOMMODATION. THINK I'M RIGHT IN SAYING THAT AS A PROPORTION OF HOUSEHOLD INCOME THOSE IN HOUSING AUTHORITY FLATS WOULD BE PAYING ABOUT SEVEN-AND-A- HALF PERCENT, WHEREAS ON AVERAGE THOUGH THEIR FLATS MAY BE A BIT LARGER, THOSE IN THE PRIVATE SECTOR ARE PAYING ABOUT TWENTY-EIGHT PERCENT OF THEIR HOUSEHOLD INCOME. ONE MAY NOT BE COMPARING IDENTICAL INCOME GROUPS, BUT THOSE ARE BROADLY SPEAKING THE FIGURES ACROSS THE SECTOR. IT IS PRECISELY FOR THAT REASON THAT WE HAVE A RANGE OF PROGRAMMES TO SUBSIDISE THE PURCHASE OF ACCOMMODATION BY THOSE WHO DON'T QUALIFY FOR HOUSING AUTHORITY HOMES. WE HAVE PUBLIC SECTOR PARTICIPATION SCHEMES, WE HAVE THE HOME OWNERSHIP SCHEME AND SO ON, AND WE'LL CONTINUE TO PUT PUBLIC SUPPORT INTO THOSE SCHEMES SO THAT WE CAN HELP THE GROUP WHICH THE HONORABLE MEMBER REFERS TO, WHICH ISN'T I HAVE TO SAY UNIQUE TO HONG KONG, BUT IS A FEATURE OF LIFE IN MOST ADVANCED ECONOMIES.
MRS ELSIE TU:
MR GOVERNOR, IF YOU WOULD CHECK UP ON THAT BECAUSE I THINK HE IS WRONG IN SAYING THAT THEY ARE LIVING IN BETTER ACCOMMODATION AND PAYING HIGHER RENT. THAT IS TRUE THAT THEY ARE PAYING HIGHER RENT, UP TO 50% OF THEIR SALARY IS GOING IN RËNT, THEY ARE LIVING IN WORSE ACCOMMODATION THAN PUBLIC HOUSING.
AND
GOVERNOR:
I
WAS
DIDN'T, IF I SAID BETTER IT INADVERTENT, THE FLOOR SPACE COMPARISON SUGGESTS THAT THE FLATS ARE USUALLY, WELL I'M JUST GIVING THE AVERAGES, OF COURSE THE HONORABLE MEMBER IS RIGHT TO SAY THAT THERE WILL BE MANY EXAMPLES OF PEOPLE LIVING IN VERY BAD PRIVATE SECTOR ACCOMMODATION, AND PAYING MORE THE AVERAGE FIGURE THAT I GAVE. BUT I WAS GIVING THE AVERAGES THEY PERHAPS DISTORT IN BOTH PUBLIC AND PRIVATE SECTORS.
HR CHIH FUI-CHUNG:
SIR, RECENTLY YOU VISITED LONDON - AND IN KONG SOMETHING HAPPENED THAT VIOLATES YOUR PRINCIPLES. YOU HAVE IN SUPPORT OF OPEN OPERATIONS BUT RECENTLY, THE SECRETARY FINANCIAL SERVICES, HE HAS BEEN DOING SOMETHING NOT IN THE OPEN. REFERRING TO STOCK FUTURES. FOR THE STOCKBROKERS IN HONG KONG, WERE KEPT IN THE DARK; THEY DID NOT KNOW WHAT THE ISSUE REALLY So, MR GOVERNOR, WITH REGARD TO STOCK FUTURES, DO YOU ALLOW POLICY SECRETARIES TO COME TO SUCH DECISIONS IN YOUR ABSENCE?
THAN
AND
HONG BEEN
FOR
I AM THEY
WAS.
YOUR
/OF EXPERIENCE