XN000022-1980-10-01 — Page 24

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 1, 1980

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HE RECOGNISED THIS WAS AN INTERIM MEASURE AND NOTED THE CONCERN OF THE COMMITTEE ON DIVERSIFICATION THAT TERTIARY EDUCATION FACILITIES MAY PROVE INADEQUATE.

+AN OFFICIAL REVIEW IS THEREFORE BEING UNDERTAKEN AS A MATTER OF URGENCY,+ HE SAID.

AS FOR THE POLYTECHNIC, NO PROBLEMS WERE FORESEEN IN REACHING THE TARGET OF 12 000 FULL-TIME EQUIVALENT STUDENTS BY 1983/84.

WITHIN THIS TOTAL, IT HOPED TO START OFFERING SOME COURSES AT DEGREE LEVEL AND TO INCREASE THE NUMBER OF STUDENTS ON HIGHER LEVEL WORK. DETAILED PROPOSALS, AS FOR THE UNIVERSITIES, ARE ABOUT TO BE MADE BY THE UPGC, SIR MURRAY SAID.

HIGH PRODUCTION RATE OF FLATS TO BE MAINTAINED

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THERE WAS AN OVERALL INCREASE OF 65 000 NEW FLATS IN THE PUBLIC AND PRIVATE SECTORS THIS YEAR AND THE GOVERNOR EXPECTS THIS PRODUCTION RATE TO BE MAINTAINED AT LEAST FOR THE NEXT TWO YEARS AND PROBABLY FOR SEVERAL YEARS MORE.

+WE HAVE EVERY RIGHT TO BE PROUD OF THESE FIGURES WHICH ARE MUCH HIGHER THAN WE HAVE EVER ACHIEVED BEFORE AND ARE GREATLY TO THE CREDIT OF THE HOUSING DEPARTMENT AND PRIVATE DEVELOPERS ALIKE, THE GOVERNOR, SIR MURRAY MACLEHOSE, SAID IN HIS OPENING ADDRESS TO THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL TODAY (WEDNESDAY).

+NEVERTHELESS WE STILL HAVE TO LOOK SQUARELY AT WHERE THIS RATE OF COMPLETIONS IS GETTING US, AND WHEN IT WILL BRING THE CHRONIC PROBLEM OF INADEQUATE HOUSING NEARER A SOLUTION,→ SIR MURRAY SAID.

HE SAID +A NEW STUDY OF THIS OLD PROBLEM+ HAD BEEN UNDERTAKEN AND WOULD SHORTLY BE SUBMITTED TO THE EXECUTIVE COUNCIL AND IN DUE COURSE, PUBLISHED.

SIR MURRAY SAID IT WAS CLEAR THAT BY THE MID-80'S THERE WOULD STILL BE A VERY LARGE NUMBER OF PEOPLE IN SHARED, OVERCROWDED NON SELF-CONTAINED, OR OTHERWISE SUB-STANDARD ACCOMMODATION.

IT WAS ALSO ABUNDANTLY CLEAR THAT FOR MANY YEARS TO COME WE WOULD HAVE TO STRIVE TO IMPROVE ON THE LEVEL OF FLATS PRODUCTION IN BOTH PUBLIC AND PRIVATE SECTORS AND PLAN OUR LAND PRODUCTION ACCORDINGLY.

HE SAID: THE POSITION HAS BEEN WORSENED BY IMMIGRATION. IMMIGRANTS ARE NOT IMMEDIATELY ELIGIBLE FOR PUBLIC HOUSING, BUT THE DEMAND ON OUR HOUSING STOCK THAT WILL EVENTUALLY BE MADE BY THE NUMBERS THAT ARRIVED LAST YEAR IS EQUAL TO AT LEAST A FULL YEAR'S BUILDING AT CURRENT RATES.

/+THE LONGER