1969 — Page 220

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414

HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL

As Council Members will note from the January monthly report, Representatives of the Hawker Liaison Units took part in 20 meetings on hawker matters at various City District Offices and Police Stations in Kowloon. These and other efforts are gradually but surely bringing about some improvement in the Kowloon hawker situation.

(Mrs. C. J. SYMONS arrived at this point).

With regard to hawking problems in Resettlement Estates, the Resettlement Department's "Tidiness Teams" have been carrying out regular programmes of clearance and demolition of new structures in the estates, and it is hoped that steady improvement will continue in the months to come.

MR. B. A. BERNACCHI:--Mr. Chairman, as a Ward Councillor myself, I would like to ask you a question as Chairman of the Standing Committee of the Whole Council under Standing Order 8(3). What is the difference, I refer to Appendix I to the monthly Report, between "Housing-23 cases" and "Resettlement-152 cases". What is the difference between those two items?

CHAIRMAN:-I am informed that there is a correction to be made to the Report. It is "Housing, other than Resettlement".

QUESTIONS.

(1) MRS. E. ELLIOTT asked the following question:-

From time to time the Resettlement Department issues state- ments to the wards on the density required for decanta- tion in each individual estate. For example, the decanta- tion figure for Wang Tau Hom and Lo Fu Ngam is 20.2 square feet, and for Wong Tai Sin it is 18. However, tenants with densities as low as 15 square feet are put on a waiting list no matter what kind of room they require, on the grounds that there is a shortage of rooms. (a) What is the purpose of presenting these unrealistic

figures?

(b) Does not this flexibility of density requirements lead

to unfairness in allocation?

(c) How can discrepancies be explained to tenants who know that they are eligible but cannot get decanta- tion?

Would the Department please issue some realistic figures and make them clear in notices to tenants, so that they will be informed of their rights?

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MR. HENRY H. L. HU, CHAIRMAN of the Resettlement MANAGE- MENT SELECT COMMITTEE, replied as follows: -

This question relates to internal decantation. As Members are aware, vacant rooms in the older estates are extremely scarce, and insufficient for the demand. To ensure that vacant rooms are allocated to the most overcrowded families, the present system is to have a "qualifying density" in each estate. This density level, fixed accord- ing to the number of vacant rooms and the number of overcrowded families, is adjusted from time to time in order to meet changing circumstances, such as the in- crease of vacant rooms created by tenants moving out to other estates, and the changes of room densities of overcrowded families through additions and children reaching the age of ten. This qualifying density does not mean that the family concerned can obtain a larger room automatically; it is used to decide which group of families should be considered for extra space when rooms become available. For instance, Wong Tai Sin, the qualifying density is 18 sq. ft., but there are 538 families living at this level, all of whom are eligible to be allocated the 47 rooms at present vacant. These rooms must be allocated to the most overcrowded families, and as there are some extremely overcrowded families these will natu- rally take priority in obtaining the existing and future vacant rooms over other families at 18 sq. ft. Because of the complications involved, and the difficulty of making the present system comprehensible to tenants, the Resettlement Management Select Committee, at its meeting held on 14th January, 1970, agreed to adopt a new procedure whereby empty rooms are to be allocated to overcrowded families by competition. Eligible fami- lies will be invited to apply and allocation will be made on the principle of the degree of overcrowding and the closeness of applicants' rooms to the empty rooms. This new approach will be introduced in all estates with effect from the 1st March, 1970.

MRS. ELLIOTT:-Mr. Chairman, the Resettlement Department seems to have admitted that the present system is rather chaotic, admitted through the Chairman of the Resettlement Management Select Committee. I do not want to ask any questions, and I am glad to say that we are having this new system. What does "competition" mean, anyhow, in the last part of the answer?

MR. HU:-"Competition"-I can answer this question. Of course, about the overcrowdedness, there is no competition. For example,

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