XN000022-1992-10-08 — Page 12

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THURSDAY, OCTOBER 8, 1992

MR EDWARD HO:

AND LOT

PROBLEM

A LOT OF PEOPLE ARE WORRIED ABOUT HUMAN RIGHTS DEMOCRATIC DEVELOPMENT AND SO SHOULD THEY BE. THERE ARE STILL 1 OF PEOPLE IN HONG KONG WHO ARE WORRIED ABOUT THE SHELTER OVER THEIR HEADS. AT LEAST DECENT SHELTER. I NOTICE FROM YOUR ADDRESS, FOR INSTANCE, YOU PROPOSE TO TACKLE THE MIDDLE INCOME HOUSING BY PROVIDING THE FIRST SITE IN 1993/94. AS I AM AN ARCHITECT, I KNOW THAT NORMALLY IT TAKES MORE THAN TWO YEARS TO PRODUCE THE FIRST HOME. So, I THINK YOUR PROJECTION OF HAVING THE FIRST HOME BY 1995/96 IS 1 BIT OPTIMISTIC. AND YOUR OTHER PROPOSAL OF BUYING FLATS FROM THE PRIVATE SECTOR. 1 WOULD HAVE DOUBTS WHETHER, FIRST OF ALL, THAT YOU WOULD NOT INCREASE THE SPECULATIVE ASPECT, THE INFLATION OF PRICES FOR HOUSING, IF YOU ARE NOT INCREASING LAND SUPPLY, THEN AS LATE AS JUNE THIS YEAR WE ARE STILL SHORT OF ABOUT 60 HECTARE, JUST FOR PUBLIC HOUSING. SO MY QUESTION TO YOU SIR, IS HOW WOULD YOU DEMONSTRATE ΤΟ THE PEOPLE OF HONG KONG THAT THE GOVERNMENT IS COMMITTED TO PROVIDE MORE LAND AND INFRASTRUCTURE TO ENABLE US TO COMPLETE OUR LONG TERM HOUSING STRATEGY AS WELL AS THE MIDDLE INCOME HOUSING THAT WE ARE SEEKING.

GOVERNOR: PERHAPS I CAN DEAL WITH THAT QUESTION IN THREE PARTS LIKE CEASAR'S GOLD. FIRST OF ALL, OUR INFRASTRUCTURE INVESTMENT IN HONG KONG OVER THE NEXT FIVE YEARS WILL BE, AS I RECALL, 14% HIGHER THAN IN THE LAST FIVE. WE ARE TALKING ABOUT INFRASTRUCTURE INVESTMENT OF ABOUT 78 BILLION AND THAT GOES, AMONG OTHER THINGS, TO PREPARE THE WAY FOR NEW HOUSING SCHEMES.

HOUSING.

SECONDLY, OF COURSE YOU ARE RIGHT TO SAY THAT SANDWICH CLASS THAT PARTICULAR AND IMPORTANT PROBLEM, IS ONLY ONE ASPECT OF OVERALL HOUSING POLICY. WE WILL BE SPENDING OVER THE NEXT FIVE YEARS -1 1 BILLION HONG KONG DOLLARS ON HOUSING. THE HOUSING AUTHORITY AND THE HOUSING SOCIETY WILL BETWEEN THEM BE BUILDING ABOUT A 190,000 HOUSES OR UNITS OF ACCOMMODATION HOUSES, FLATS DURING THAT PERIOD. THA WILL PROVIDE HOMES FOR ABOUT 650,000 PEOPLE. IT IS A VERY BIG HOUSING PROGRAMME. WITHIN THAT, LARGELY BECAUSE OF THE INTEREST SHOWN

BY A NUMBER OF MEMBERS OF THIS LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL, WE HAVE TRIED TO PUT FORWARD PROPOSALS ON THE SPECIFIC ISSUE OF SANDWICH CLASS HOUSING. WHAT WE'VE LOOKED FOR IS A LONGER TERM SCHEME BUT BECAUSE, AS THE HONOURABLE MEMBER SAYS, IT TAKES SOME TIME TO GET THAT UP AND RUNNING, WE'VE ALSO BROUGHT FORWARD - OR WE'RE GOING TO BRING FORWARD PROPOSALS FOR INTERIM MEASURES FOR A SHORTER TERM SCHEME AND WE ARE PROPOSING, IN EFFECT, TO TRY TO TRADE LAND FOR FLATS WHICH WOULD OTHERWISE BE UNOCCUPIED OR BE HANGING OVER THE MARKET. WE WILL OF COURSE HAVE TO HAVE ARRANGEMENTS IF WE CAN GO FORWARD WITH THAT, WHICH ENSURE THAT IT DOESN'T LEAD TO SPECULATION SO THAT ANY TRADE OF LAND FOR FLATS WOULD HAVE, IN MY JUDGMENT, TO INVOLVE AS WELL THE PROPERTY DEVELOPER SPECIFYING A PRICE IN ADDITION TO ACCEPTING LAND.

THE SECRETARY FOR THE ENVIRONMENT WILL OF COURSE BE AVAILABLE TO ANSWER QUESTIONS ON THIS ISSUE FROM HONOURABLE MEMBERS, BUT THE HONOURABLE MEMBER WILL KNOW THAT ANY ARRANGEMENTS WILL BE DEPENDENT OF AN AGREEMENT WITH THE SINO-BRITISH LAND COMMISSION. BUT I HOPE THAT, SINCE THEY'VE BEEN ALREADY INFORMED ABOUT OUR THINKING ON THIS MATTER, THEY WON'T ACTUALLY FIND THAT TOO DIFFICULT.

/MR SIMON