XN000022-1973-03-28 — Page 13

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Wednesday, March 28, 1973

SELLING PUBLIC HOUSING UNITS TO PEOPLE

Government Studying The Matter

The Government has, over the past few months, been studying the

matter of selling public housing units, such as those being built by the

present Housing Authority, to the tenants.

This was disclosed by the Secretary for Housing, the Hon. Ian Lightbody,

at the resumed budget debate in the Legislative Council today in reply to

points raised by the Hon. Mrs. Ellen Li.

Mr. Lightbody said that the new Housing Authority would have to take

a decision on how much housing to build for the lower middle-income group,

and how much for families in the bottom-income range.

He said the decision on the former would no doubt be influenced by

financial considerations.

He added that "if we can help to meet the needs of this group, and

at the same time avoid locking up large capital sums, so much the better."

While agreeing that problems are unavoidable, Mr. Lightbody saw no

reason why the Government should not be able to devise some suitable scheme

which would "meet both these objectives, at prices within the means of the

families who need this sort of help."

He assured the Council that studies in this field would be pushed

ahead as rapidly as possible and he expressed the hope that it would prove

possible to introduce some such scheme "fairly soon".

/On the