TNAG-0494-FCO40-559-Establishment-of-Anti-Corruption-Commission-in-Hong-Kong-1974 — Page 68

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A block of service flats on Hong Kong Island and another in Kowloon provide for single men and women who prefer this type of accommodation or who are waiting for a quarter. Married couples may apply if they wish. Normally single officers with a substantive salary below 6140 p.m. are accommodated in a service flat instead of in an hotel on first appointment or return from leave, unless there are no service flats available. The flats are 2-roomed self-contained furnished apartments with their own bathroom and limited cooking facilities. A communal lounge and dining room are also provided for residents who do not wish to cook their own meals. Officers in service flats pay, in addition to rent, a charge for service as well as the cost of electricity and water consumed.

Quarters and private tenancies are equipped with heavy furniture including a cooker, refrigerator, portable fan and electric heater. Rent of quarters includes hiring charges for these items. An officer must supply his own curtains, carpets, linen, chair covers, crockery, cutlery, etc., and must pay for electricity, gas and water. Air conditioners are not supplied but many officers decide to air condition bedrooms at their own expense. Occupants of Government quarters do not pay rates. For officers who move into temporary (or for that matter permanent) quarters before their personal belongings arrive by sea an "emergency kit" of pots, pans, crockery, cutley, cleaning implements, sheets, blankets, pillows, pillow cases and similar items are provided if required. The kit does not include curtains (because the shapes and sizes of windows vary considerably) or such items as chair and cushion covers.

When an officer proceeds overseas on vacation leave, his quarters revert to the general pool unless he is receiving a substantive salary above 77010 per month as at the date of his departure on vacation leave or will have completed over 15 years service at the date of his return from leave, in which case he is eligible to return to the same quarters after his leave if he so wishes, and if such quarters are not more than one grade above that appropriate to his salary.

(1) Non-departmental and departmental quarters are mostly flats in blocks

of from three to twelve stories though there are a few houses and bungalows. They vary from one bedroom "bachelor" flats to three bedroom "family" flats, and also according to grade. Some have separate living rooms and dining rooms and others combined living/dining rooms. Nearly all flats except the smallest have two bathrooms (or a bathroom and a shower-room), as well as kitchen, utility and storage space and servants quarters. Overall sizes vary according to the design as well as the grade but a typical 'D' grade flat with living room, dining room and two bedrooms has a total area of about 2300 sq ft, a typical 'C' grade flat with living/dining room and three bedrooms a total area of about 2400 sq ft and a typical 'A' grade flat with living room, dining room and three bedrooms a total area of about 3200 sq ft. Ceilings are generally higher than in a modern house in the UK. There are one, two and three bedroom flats in all relevant grades, except 'A' which only has two and three bedroom flats and also a few four bedroom flats in 'A' 'B' and 'C' grades. However, present proposals for increasing the number of quarters provide for the acquisition of blocks of over 12 storeys and a considerable increase in the number of 4 bedroom quarters.

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