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Answers to the four specific points raised are:
(a) Among the 1,257 flats vacant for one year or more, about 600 have never been allocated. They have been reserved for various clearance and redevelopment exercises which may take nine to 24 months to complete, depending on the scale of the exercise concerned. For the remaining flats, the number of offers made to eligible households ranges from one to 39. No breakdown is ready available.
(b)
The flats reserved for clearance or redevelopment exercises, which have been unoccupied for one year or more, are mainly in Tin Shui, Kwai Shing (East), Cheung Hang and On Yam Estates as shown below:
Estate
Vacant flats
Tin Shui
222
Kwai Shing (East)
145
Cheung Hang
139
On Yam
107
(c)
(d)
613
The other flats vacant for one year or more are scattered over a hundred housing estates, and are mostly unpopular and non-self-contained flats without lift service, or are stigmatised by incidents of homicide or suicide. As indicated at (a) above, the number of offers made to eligible households ranges from one to 39. No further breakdown by duration of vacancy for both categories is readily available.
Among the 14,000 vacant flats, 6,300 are vacated flats requiring refurbishment which usually takes three months. On average, two allocations will have to be made before a flat is eventually let. This means that the total time taken for a vacant flat to be refurbished, allocated and occupied is usually around six months.
In order to reduce the vacancy period of flats under refurbishment, the Housing Department has introduced a centralised allocation system under which flats are allocated one month before refurbishment is completed. A working group has been set up recently to examine ways to reduce the number and period of other flats left vacant.
End/Wednesday, June 7, 1995
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