XN000022-1994-06-09 — Page 14

13

THURSDAY, JUNE 9, 1994

LIMITS

ON

ON THE QUESTIONS OF STATUTORY TIME PLANNING AND PROCESSING OF APPLICATIONS, I HAVE SOMETIMES CONSIDERED THOSE IN THE PAST, BOTH IN THIS ENVIRONMENT AND IN ANOTHER ENVIRONMENT. I HAVE ALWAYS THOUGHT THAT ONE OF THE PROBLEMS WITH STATUTORY TIME LIMITS IS THAT WHERE GOVERNMENT THINKS IT CAN'T MEET A STATUTORY TIME LIMIT, I THINK IT IS SOMETIMES TEMPTED SIMPLY TO TURN DOWN THE APPLICATION RATHER THAN TO RISK OVER-RUNNING THE TIME LIMIT. SO I THINK WE ARE BETTER SERVED BY LOOKING AT HOW WE CAN DEVELOP PERFORMANCE PLEDGES IN ORDER TO EXPEDITE PROCEDURES AND 1 THINK THIS IS THE SORT OF SUBJECT WHERE THE CUSTOMER ADVISORY GROUPS THAT WE HAVE BEEN ESTABLISHING CAN MAKE A CONTRIBUTION, SO THAT GOVERNMENT LEARNS FROM THE CONSUMER IN IMPROVING ITS OWN SERVICE. BUT IT 13 VERY IMPORTANT IN THIS PARTICULAR AREA - AND [ KNOW THAT THE LANDS DEPARTMENT AND OUR PLANNERS ARE AWARE OF IT, ARR AWARK OF PUBLIC CONCERNS AND ARE TRYING TO RESPOND TO THEM.

MR ERIC LI:

A SHORT FOLLOW UP PLEASE.

+

NOW, AS FAR AS LAND SUPPLY IS CONCERNED I ENTIRELY AGREE WITH YOU, STR, MR GOVERNOR, THAT THE CHINESE AGREEMENT WOULD BE VERY IMPORTANT. NOW, I JUST WANT TO TALK ABOUT LAND RESERVE, THE IDEA OF A LAND RESERVE. WOULD YOU VERY SOON RAISE IT TO THE AGENDA OF THE JLG AND WOULD YOU EXPECT A VERY QUICK REPLY?

GOVERNOR:

WELL, I THINK WE WANT TO DISCUSS THIS AND OTHER MATTERS IN THE LAND COMMISSION. I THINK IT IS FAIR ΤΟ SAY THAT WHATEVER THE PROBLEMS WE HAVE SOMETIMES ENCOUNTERED ELSEWHERE, THE WORK IN THE LAND COMMISSION HAS INVARIABLY BEEN CONSTRUCTIVE AND CO- OPERATIVE AND I HOPE THAT WILL HAPPEN IN RELATION TO THE PROPOSALS THAT WE HAVE PUT FORWARD. THIS IS A PROBLEM, SHARED AS IT WERE BY THE PAST AND THE FUTURE AND THE PRESENT, AND THOSE WHO HAVE RESPONSIBILITIES IN THOSE TEMPORAL FRAMES HAVE TO WORK TOGETHER IN ORDER TO DEAL WITH THE PROBLEM.

MR W Y WONG:

THANK YOU, MR PRESIDENT.

MR GOVERNOR, WHEN WE TALK ABOUT PROPERTY PRICES, I THINK OUR FOCUS WILL ALWAYS BE ON THE PRIVATE SECTOR BUT IN FACT THE HOUSING AUTHORITY IS NOW SUPPLYING A LOT OF HOS FLATS AND THE PRICES ARE LINKED TO THE MARKET VALUE EVEN THOUGH WE HAVE GOT A DISCOUNT.

NOW,

FOR PRIVATE RESIDENTIAL PROPERTY PRICES, THEY ARE SKY-ROCKETING AND AS A RESULT HOS FLAT PRICES ARE ALSO BEING PUSHED UPWARDS AND IT IS ONLY A COMMON SCENE TO HAVE HOS FLATS FETCHING OVER A MILLION DOLLARS FOR ONE UNIT. MR GOVERNOR, WOULD YOU TALK TO THE HOUSING AUTHORITY AND ASK THEM TO FREEZE THE HOS FLAT PRICES AND THE PRICES WOULD ONLY BE ADJUSTED BY THE FACTOR OF INFLATION SO THAT THE GENERAL PUBLIC WOULD HAVE THE BURDEN OF MORTGAGE REPAYMENT BEING REDUCED?

MOREOVER, THE QUALITY OF PUBLIC RENTAL. HOUSING BLOCKS HAS BEEN CRITICISED AND PSPS BLOCKS HAVE ALSO ATTRACTED A LOT OF CRITICISM. SAY, FOR EXAMPLE, THE STEEL-WORKS ARE DEFECTIVE; AND RECENTLY IN TIN SHUI WAI WE HAVE ALSO GOT LEAKAGE PROBLEMS IN THE PSPS BLOCKS. I THINK IT IS A MATTER OF INADEQUACY OF MONITORING OF THE WORKMANSHIP. NOW, REGARDING SUCH DEFECTIVE BLOCKS, DO YOU THINK THAT THEY ARE WORTH A MILLION DOLLARS?

/GOVERNOR: