TNAG-0329-FCO40-365-Briefs-for-UK-officials--visits-to-Hong-Kong-1972 — Page 54

NOTHING TO BE WRITTEN IN THIS MARGIN

Registry No.

DRAFT

Type 1 +

From

SECURITY CLASSIFICATION

Top Secret.

Secret.

Confidential.

Restricted.

Unclassified.

PRIVACY MARKING

..In Confidence

To:-

SOCIAL SERVICES:

HOUSING

Telephone No. & Exy

Department

Despite its achievements in the field of housing

& resettlement the Hong Kong Government still face

the formidable problems of satisfactorily rehousing

the squatter population and/refurbishing manyhof the

older estates which have fallen into decay. re

concerned that there shotld be ne opmplasene

2. This year's budget allots $192 million for Housing which is one million Aess than last year (this is one

of the very few Heads which shows a decrease). In the

subsequent Budget/debate bwo Members referred to the

need for more housing, and another called for a review

of policy on the resettlement of squatters with

hopsi

particular regard for :

(a) the oldest resettlement esta tes

(b) squatters in the New Territories, who now number

270,000 In the past 5 years only 6% of the total

number resettled were from the New Territories, he aimed)

3.

The Commissioner for Resttlement

in reply has

stated that preliminary proposals for modernising the

older type estates have been drawn up at a cost of

$700 million. A start will be made in the Shek Kip Mei

state which contains 60,000 people.

140 In reply to the criticism that squatters were only

moved when the land was needed for development, the

Commissioner drew attention to the fact that since 1954

/....184,000

(885363) Dd. 896639 1,000м 8/71 St.S.