XN000022-1991-04-17 — Page 39

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 17, 1991

37

COMMUNITY

THE

IN RESPONSE TO CONCERNS BY SOME SECTORS OF THE OVER THE ACTIVITIES OF PROPERTY AGENCIES, MR BARNES SAID INDEPENDENT COMMISSION AGAINST CORRUPTION HAD ALREADY DONE SOME STUDIES ON THE SUBJECT AND HAD PASSED THE FINDINGS то BOTH THE GOVERNMENT AND THE CONSUMER COUNCIL.

"THE CONSUMER COUNCIL IS EXAMINING THE ISSUE, NOT ONLY IN THE CONTEXT OF PROPERTY AGENCIES' INVOLVEMENT IN SPECULATIVE ACTIVITIES, BUT ALSO IN RELATION TO COMPLAINTS ABOUT MALPRACTICE. THE GOVERNMENT WILL STUDY THE COUNCIL'S RECOMMENDATIONS VERY CAREFULLY WHEN WE RECEIVE THEM,

10 HE SAID.

$10 BILLION COMMITTED TO HOUSING AUTHORITY: SHA

THE GOVERNMENT HAS COMMITTED $10 BILLION, IN THE FORM OF CAPITAL INJECTION, TO THE HOUSING AUTHORITY FOR THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE LONG TERM HOUSING STRATEGY, THE SECRETARY FOR HOME AFFAIRS, THE HON PETER TSAO, TOLD THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL TODAY (WEDNESDAY).

THIS, MR

SPEAKING AT THE RESUMED BUDGET DEBATE IN ADDITION TO TSAO SAID, THE GOVERNMENT WOULD CONTINUE ΤΟ CONTRIBUTE TOWARDS THE DEVELOPMENT OF PUBLIC HOUSING BY MAKING SITES AVAILABLE AND PROVIDING

THE SUPPORTING INFRASTRUCTURE.

HE SAID UP TO 1990-91, A TOTAL OF ABOUT $8 BILLTON OF THE COMMITMENT HAD BEEN SPENT AND HE EXPECTED THE RALANCE ΤΟ RE FULLY DRAWN DOWN THIS YEAR.

So, MR TSAO NOTED, THE HOUSING

IN ANOTHER TWO YEARS OR AUTHORITY SHOULD BE FULLY SEFL-FINANCING.

HE SAID HE HOPED THIS DEMONSTRATED PRUDENT PLANNING AND MANAGEMENT WHILST ALLOWING THE HOUSING AUTHORITY ΤΟ MAKE A VERY SIGNIFICANT CONTRIBUTION TO THE WELFARE OF A VERY LARGE NUMBER OF LOW- INCOME HOUSEHOLDS.

MR TSAO SAID IN THE LAST FIVE YEARS, THE HOUSING AUTHORITY HAD PRODUCED WELL OVER 153,000 RENTAL FLATS AND INCURRED CAPITAL EXPENDITURE OF OVER $21 BILLION.

"OVER THE SAME PERIOD, THE HOME OWNERSHIP SCHEME PROGRAMME HAS OF OVER PRODUCED ABOUT 40,000 FLATS AND INCURRED CAPITAL EXPENDITURE $6.9 BILLION.

"THIS IS ALL PUBLIC EXPENDITURE IN THE BROAD SENSE OF THE WORD, AND IS A SUBSTANTIAL COMMITMENT BY ANY STANDARD, HE SAID.

+

PARTICIPATION

IN THE NEXT FIVE YEARS, MR TSAO SAID, A TOTAL OF ABOUT 59,000 HOME OWNERSHIP SCHEME FLATS AND 27,000 PRIVATE SECTOR SCHEME FLATS WOULD BE PRODUCED,

"THE HOME