XN000022-1973-02-14 — Page 9

8

Wednesday, February 14, 1973

HOUSING BILL SYMBOLISES HOPES FOR BETTER HOUSING

Essential First Step To New Targets

The Housing Bill 1973, designed to create a new, streamlined Housing

Authority, "symbolises all our hopes and ambitions for better housing for the

people of Hong Kong," the Secretary for Housing, the Hon. I.M. Lightbody, said

today.

In introducing the bill into the Legislative Council, he said that

the bill reflected the conviction that Hong Kong's housing problem required

"a concentrated attack" and "the formulation of sound policies to govern the

allocation of available public housing."

Mr. Lightbody described the bill as an "essential first step" on the

road leading to the fulfilment of the new public housing targets which the

Governor disclosed at the opening of the Legislative Council session last October.

The Bill, if passed, will vest in the new Housing Authority the powers

and functions now exercised by the Housing Board, the present Housing Authority,

the Urban Council and the Commissioner for Resettlement.

Referring to the financial aspects of the bill, Mr. Lightbody said a

very important provision required the new Authority to ensure that the revenue

accruing to it from its estates was sufficient to meet its recurrent expenditure

on its estates.

"This Authority will take over-existing Housing Authority and Low

Cost Housing estates, which meet this injunction; but it will also take over

all existing resettlement estates where revenue fails by a wide margin to cover

outgoings," he said.

Mr. Lightbody