XN000022-1995-01-25 — Page 60

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(b)

(d)

The Administration will not consider partial clearance of these squatter areas in view of the likely problems of environment, security and disruption which may be caused to the remaining residents.

The Administration is making steady progress in fulfilling the Governor's undertaking to clear all urban squatters on government land by March 1996. Squatter areas situated on mixed government and private land do not fall within the Governor's undertaking, and their clearance will only be carried out when the private lots are resumed for public purposes.

End/Wednesday, January 25, 1995

Property price movements

Following is a question by the Hon Eric Li Ka-cheung and a written reply by the Secretary for Planning, Environment and Lands, Mr Tony Eason, in the Legislative Council today (Wednesday):

Question:

The Secretary for Planning, Environment and Lands recently mentioned that local property prices might still fall by five to ten percent, and he expected that the gap between property prices and the affordability of the public would be narrowed within this year. Will the Government inform this Council of:

(a)

(b)

(c)

the grounds, research or survey data on which the above-mentioned extent of fall in property prices is based;

the objective criteria adapted by the Government to measure the property purchasing power of the public; and what are the actual figures of the public's affordability arrived at by the Government; and

the legitimate authority of known established policy on which the Government relies to provide property price indices to the public and play a direct role in determining the property price level in place of the free market mechanism?

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