XN000022-1984-10-10 — Page 21

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 10, 1984

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AT THE END OF THE YEAR, THERE WERE ONLY 1 700 PEOPLE STAYING IN TRANSIT CENTRES AS COMPARED WITH 4 000 IN THE PREVIOUS YEAR.

CONSTRUCTION WAS STEPPED UP ON TEMPORARY HOUSING UNITS AND THIS RESULTED IN AN ADDITIONAL 25 000 PERSON SPACES BEING MADE AVAILABLE DURING THE YEAR. THE AUTHORITY HAD ENDORSED HIGHER SPACE ALLOCATION STANDARDS TO PROVIDE BETTER LIVING CONDITIONS IN TEMPORARY HOUSING UNITS.

DURING THE SAME YEAR, MR LIAO CONTINUES, A TOTAL OF 64 000 SQUATTERS WERE REHOUSED MAINLY AS A RESULT OF DEVELOPMENT CLEARANCES.

IT IS ESTIMATED THAT THERE WERE STILL SOME 500 000 SQUATTERS IN THE TERRITORY ALTHOUGH ONLY 160 000 ARE ESTIMATED TO BE LIVING IN THE URBAN AREA. VARIOUS MEASURES TO HELP SPEED UP THE PROCESS OF REHOUSING SQUATTERS WERE UNDER ACTIVE CONSIDERATION TOWARDS THE END OF THE YEAR. THE AUTHORITY HOPES TO REDUCE THE TOTAL NUMBER OF SQUATTERS BY HALF WITHIN THE NEXT FIVE YEARS.

MEANWHILE, THE SQUATTER AREA IMPROVEMENTS DIVISION CONTINUED TO PROVIDE FIREBREAKS AND OTHER BASIC AMENITIES TO SQUATTER SETTLEMENTS WHICH ARE NOT SCHEDULED FOR CLEARANCE IN THE IMMEDIATE FUTURE. MORE SITES HAVE BEEN IDENTIFIED FOR IMPROVEMENT WORKS IN A PROGRAMME THAT WILL ULTIMATELY BENEFIT 100 000 SQUATTERS.

IN REFERRING TO THE HOME OWNERSHIP SCHEME, MR LIAO STATES THAT ITS POPULARITY REMAINED HIGH AND A RECORD NUMBER OF 19 000 FLATS WERE SOLD DURING THE YEAR.

SINCE THE INCEPTION OF THE SCHEME IN 1978 AND THE PRIVATE SECTOR PARTICIPATION SCHEME IN 1979, OVER 12 000 PUBLIC HOUSING TENANTS HAD PURCHASED HOS AND PSPS FLATS, INDICATING THE IMPORTANT ROLE THE SCHEMES PLAYED IN ATTRACTING BETTER-OFF TENANTS TO MOVE OUT OF RENTAL HOUSING FOR BENEFIT OF THOSE ON THE PUBLIC HOUSING WAITING LIST.

TO ENSURE ADEQUATE SUPPLY, A FURTHER STOCK OF OVER 25 000 HOS FLATS ARE NOW AT VARIOUS STAGES OF CONSTRUCTION AND TOGETHER WITH ANOTHER 15 000 FLATS IN THE PLANNING STAGES, WILL GUARANTEE AN ANNUAL PRODUCTION OF AT LEAST 5 000 FLATS FOR THE NEXT FIVE YEARS, MR LIAO ADDS.

NOTE TO EDITORS:

THE HOUSING AUTHORITY'S 1983/84 ANNUAL REPORT, IS NOW ON SALE.

THE 128-PAGE REPORT IS AVAILABLE FOR $15 FROM THE GOVERNMENT PUBLICATIONS CENTRE AT THE GENERAL POST OFFICE BUILDING IN CONNAUGHT PLACE, CENTRAL.

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