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me advance copies of what they have said this afternoon, which will make my speech all the more longer.

Dealing first with the Commissioner for Resettlement's speech he made a point that the policies over decantation are involved and different from resettlement estate to resettlement estate. I do feel, however, that we owe a duty to our tenants to keep them in the picture. No necessarily through resettlement assistance, although those are the people most familiar to our tenants on the ground, but at least through senior officers of the resettlement estate in question. I am all against having a policy but only making it known to the citizens of Hong Kong when they deliberately go out of their way to enquire. The policy is that every tenant who has less than 24 sq. ft. per adult, children counting as half an adult at present, is regarded as over- crowded. He is therefore entitled to have more accommodation. At present, however, more accommodation in the older estates is un- available in large enough numbers, therefore, the Council has to have a policy that internal decantation i.e. a larger room in the same estate is available only for persons having considerably more overcrowded conditions. It differs from estate to estate, but on the average it is about 16 sq. ft. per adult or less. The only relief that this Council can offer for the moment to people between 16 sq. ft. per adult and 24 sq. ft. per adult is accommodation usually at more than 24 sq. ft. per adult, in outlying estates. In my opinion, something of this nature could be made known to every tenant of our resettlement estates, they being told that further particulars reference their own particular estate can be obtained from the Resettlement Office of their own estate.

As regards other alternatives, which apply equally to squatters persons living in overcrowded tenements, on roof tops etc.

I agree that they are free to apply for accommodation in a Housing Authority Government Low Cost Housing or even a Housing Society Estate. Indeed as regards the Housing Authority and Government Low Cost Housing estates, there is now one combined waiting list, but I question how many prospective tenants know the importance of stating their preference on the application form. Indeed it is stated as their pref- erence and obviously most tenants prefer a central estate. So that the Housing Authority and the Government Low Cost Housing lists have an overwhelming amount of preferences for centrally located estates. I am now advising anyone who comes to me for a form to state his preference as being Wah Fu Estate or the Tsuen Wan Estate. In that way apparently, he or she will get investigated very much quicker and offered accommodation if qualified within a few months at the outside, whereas those that state their reference as a centrally located estate do not even get investigated in some cases for several years. That again should be made known to the public, it is not really a case of preference as what they would accept. Tell them that if they state

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centrally located estates, they will have to wait for six years. If they state in black and white more outlying estates then if they have a better chance of being accommodated within a few months, state that in black and white.

Of course, as Mr. ASERAPPA says it is much more convenient to live closer to the place of work and additional transport charges from outlying areas can be a considerable burden on the budget of low paid families. In my opinion, there is a great necessity for improving the transport facilities in Hong Kong, and I suggest that the Commissioner for Transport, the Public Works Department and the Resettlement Department get together over a proposed new Resettlement Estate in outlying districts and discuss both the rate and the could be availability of public transport to that area.

I do question the remark made by the Commissioner for Resettle- ment which could be interpreted as meaning that tenants of resettlement estates are a burden on the taxpayers. From the first, when Govern- ment agreed to go into the resettlement scheme as now constituted after the Shek Kip Mei fire they made it clear the rentals were designed so that in a stated number of years, it would not be at the taxpayer's expenses. These rentals have long since been increased and, of course, in the later Marks even the original rentals were considerable higher. I think there is a certain amount of confusion over the word "Subsidized". The rentals of tenants in resettlement estates are only subsidized in so far as market rentals are much higher. In other words, the Government is not a grasping landlord but only wants to get its capital and a moderate interest expended back in the course of time. On course the rentals are well below market level which is of course, the general level set by private landlords themselves. I do agree with the Commissioner that a means test is almost impracticable, not only is it very much disliked, but in Hong Kong it is very hard to get at the true income of a family that has grown up sons and daughters. The older families expect the sons and daughters earnings to be given to the father in the more sophisticated, the more shall I say the modern Chinese families, this however does not by any means always happen. The sons and daughters revolt against the older customs and regard their wages as their own except for a reason- able amount for their own living expenses, if they stay at home. If they are married and have children of their own and different accom- modation then more than likely their contribution to their fathers' families is very insignificant. If, however, all subsidized housing were brought under one department and a campaign was instituted in effect saying that resettlement as such would be given up and that squatters who want Government housing should registered with the Commis- sioner of Housing then investigations could take place at a more leisurely pace, so that in the end we reach a state whereby in the