TNAG-1362-FCO40-1808-Hong-Kong-Hansard-reports-and-minutes-of-the-meetings-of-the-1985 — Page 21

Question No. 7

Reply by Hon. D.R. Ford, LVO, OBE, JP, Secretary for Housing, to a question by Hon. CHAN Ying-lun

in Legislative Council on 29th May 1985

QUESTION:

With regard to the relief of overcrowding in public housing estates, can Government inform this Council

-

(a) What are the reasons for tightening

the space-eligibility criterion from 3.25 m2 to 2.23 m2 per person?

(b)

(c)

How will the demand and supply for relief of overcrowding be affected by the revised space eligibility criterion?

For those over-crowded families not eligible for relief, by what other

means can they improve their situation?

Sir,

The present policy on overcrowding relief is that such relief would be provided to families currently living in the more overcrowded conditions, that is those

people occupying less than 2.23 square metres per person. In order to qualify for overcrowding relief, household income must be below $7,500 per month and tenants should not possess domestic property. Overcrowding relief may also be provided when tenants are rehoused for management reasons, including re-development, improvement or conversion; or when there is a need to create small flats for single persons and two-person households. This policy has been implemented

since November last year.

/The main