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52 -
(b)
the student's living environment at home; and
(c) exceptional personal needs, e.g. physical disabilities.
In addition, HKUST and HKU reserve a small number of hostel places for allocation to students with leadership qualities and a proven contribution to hall life.
In reply to (b) of the question, the Administration has sought information from the universities concerned. HKU and CUHK do not have statistics on the number of students living in Tuen Mun and Yuen Long whose applications for hostel places were rejected. However, both universities confirm that under normal circumstances, students living in Tuen Mun and Yuen Long would be assigned hostel places. In the case of HKUST, all students living in Tuen Mun or Yuen Long and applying for admission to a student hostel have been allocated hostel places over the past three
years.
End/Wednesday, May 24, 1995
Seven-year residency rule for public housing
Following is a question by the Hon Mrs Elsie Tu and a written reply by the Secretary for Housing, Mr Dominic Wong, in the Legislative Council today (Wednesday);
Question:
China-based wives of Hong Kong residents know that, in addition to other benefits, they can beat the seven-year residency rule in applying for public housing by depositing Hong Kong born infants in the territory to make up the 60% eligibility rule for allocation of housing to a family. Therefore a mother even with one China-born child can avoid this rule if she deposits two more children in the territory and has them added to the husband's singleton application to fulfil the requirement. As this practice creates social problems for motherless babies, encourages larger families. and lengthens the waiting time for local residents on the waiting list, will the Government inform this Council if it will plug this loophole by counting only the residency qualification of the mother after her admission to Hong Kong on the daily quota, and not the children she has deposited here apparently as a housing warranty for herself?