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standard policy but retaining what has been planted is a problem. Any assistance Councillors can give in encouraging the residents of estates (children in particular) not to damage trees and shrubs which have been planted for their benefit would be much appreciated.
MR. WONG:-Thank you very much for the answer, I am quite satisfied.
(13) MR. LO TAK-SHING asked the following question:-
Will the Commissioner for Resettlement inform this Council how many resettlement rooms are reserved for compassionate cases and how many of these are vacant at present?
COMMISSIONER FOR RESETTLEMENT replied as follows:-
Sir, the 1969-70 quota for domestic resettlement on compassionate grounds was 3,000 persons. In fact, 3,145 persons in this category were resettled during the year. The quota for the current year has been increased to 3,500 persons. Over 500 have been resettled so far.
MR. Lo: Mr. Chairman, I think this gives a very interesting answer as to the performance of Government in the past, but really my question relates to the number of vacant rooms we now have. May I take it that it is 3,500 less 500?
COMMISSIONER FOR RESETTLEMENT:-In a manner of speaking, yes. Quotas are set aside, but it is rather a loose sort of arrangement. Rooms are set aside during the year, but they are not specifically kept vacant, waiting for families to move in, because we don't know what size the families are, whether they will fit particular rooms, and so forth.
MR. LO:-There are no empty rooms in that case?
COMMISSIONER FOR RESETTLEMENT:-There are empty rooms, yes, and to the extent that every time families are recommended for compassionate resettlement, they are allocated a specific room, which is available for them. If the question is that "has any family been held up in allocating a room on compassionate grounds", then the answer is no.
MR. Lo: No, Mr. Chairman, the question was not "has any family been delayed when they applied for a room". The question put, and it is in writing, is how many vacant rooms have we got now. I will read it if you like-(laughter)—“Will the Commissioner for Resettlement inform this Council how many resettlement rooms are reserved for compassionate cases"--you have given the answer to that, it's 3,500 this year and the second part of the question "how many of these are vacant at present?"
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COMMISSIONER FOR RESETTLEMENT:-I have tried to explain, Mr. Chairman, that these rooms aren't kept vacant for this purpose. The short answer is that 3,000 places is the balance of the quota for the current year, and that rooms have been earmarked, not specific rooms, but a general quota over various estates has been set aside for this purpose. To that extent, those rooms are vacant.
MR. HU: Estates then, Mr. Chairman, which are normally referred to by the Resettlement Department as full, may still have vacant rooms, being part of this quota?
COMMISSIONER FOR RESETTLEMENT: I think we are going round in circles on this one, Mr. Chairman.
MR. Lo:-It would help of course, Mr. Chairman, if we had an answer to my question.
COMMISSIONER FOR RESETTLEMENT:-I find it difficult to grasp the point of this question, Mr. Chairman. In the first place, the allocation is over the whole year, and you can't say the rooms are vacant at present because some of the estate blocks are not completed yet, and in the second place, in those that are completed there are vacant rooms.
MR. Lo:-Well, thank you. Mr. Chairman, the point of the question is simply this. Are rooms being wasted for half the year by being left vacant with nobody filling them.
COMMISSIONER FOR RESETTLEMENT:-I thought I had answered that, Mr. Chairman, by saying that this was a loose sort of arrangement and that there was a general quota, but no specific rooms are reserved for this specific purpose.
MR. LO:-Would you interpret the answer for me, Mr. Chairman. Is it "yes", or "no", or "don't know"?
MR. BERNACCHI:-As Chairman of the Policy Select Committee that decided on this quota of 3,500, I will try, with your permission, to clarify the thinking of Mr. Lo. The answer is that this quota is made progressively over the year, and it is not set aside at the beginning of the year. That is to say, 3,500 rooms are not set aside at the beginning of April every year, but this quota becomes available to the Social Welfare Department progressively over the year and, as the Commissioner has said, it is a somewhat loose arrangement so that
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standard policy but retaining what has been planted is a problem. Any assistance Councillors can give in en- couraging the residents of estates (children in particular) not to damage trees and shrubs which have been planted for their benefit would be much appreciated.
MR. WONG:-Thank you very much for the answer, I am quite satisfied.
(13) MR. LO TAK-SHING asked the following question:-
Will the Commissioner for Resettlement inform this Council how many resettlement rooms are reserved for com- passionate cases and how many of these are vacant at present?
COMMISSIONER FOR RESETTLEMENT replied as follows:-
Sir, the 1969-70 quota for domestic resettlement on com- passionate grounds was 3,000 persons. In fact, 3,145 persons in this category were resettled during the year. The quota for the current year has been increased to 3,500
persons. Over 500 have been resettled so far.
MR. Lo: Mr. Chairman, I think this gives a very interesting answer as to the performance of Government in the past, but really my question relates to the number of vacant rooms we now have. May I take it that it is 3,500 less 500?
COMMISSIONER for ResettleMENT:-In a manner of speaking, yes. Quotas are set aside, but it is rather a loose sort of arrangement. Rooms are set aside during the year, but they are not specifically kept vacant, waiting for families to move in, because we don't know what size the families are, whether they will fit particular rooms, and so
forth.
MR. LO:-There are no empty rooms in that case?
COMMISSIONER for ResettlEMENT:-There are empty rooms, yes, and to the extent that everytime families are recommended for com- passionate resettlement, they are allocated a specific room, which is available for them. If the question is that "has any family been held up in allocating a room on compassionate grounds", then the answer is no.
MR. Lo: No, Mr. Chairman, the question was not "has any family been delayed when they applied for a room". The question put, and it is in writing, is how many vacant rooms have we got now. I
F
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91
will read it if you like-(laughter)—“Will the Commissioner for Resettle- ment inform this Council how many resettlement rooms are reserved for compassionate cases"--you have given the answer to that, it's 3,500 this year and the second part of the question "how many of these are vacant at present?"
COMMISSIONER FOR RESETTLEMENT:-I have tried to explain, Mr. Chairman, that these rooms aren't kept vacant for this purpose. The short answer is that 3,000 places is the balance of the quota for the current year, and that rooms have been earmarked, not specific rooms, but a general quota over various estates has been set aside for this purpose. To that extent, those rooms are vacant.
MR. HU: Estates then, Mr. Chairman, which are normally referred to by the Resettlement Department as full, may still have vacant rooms, being part of this quota?
COMMISSIONER FOR RESETTLEMENT: in circles on this one, Mr. Chairman.
I think we are going round
MR. Lo:-It would help of course, Mr. Chairman, if we had an answer to my question.
COMMISSIONER for ResettleMENT:-I find it difficult to grasp the point of this question, Mr. Chairman. In the first place, the alloca- tion is over the whole year, and you can't say the rooms are vacant at present because some of the estate blocks are not completed yet, and in the second place, in those that are completed there are vacant rooms.
MR. Lo:-Well, thank you. Mr. Chairman, the point of the question is simply this. Are rooms being wasted for half the year by being left vacant with nobody filling them.
COMMISSIONER FOR RESETTLEMENT:-I thought I had answered that, Mr. Chairman, by saying that this was a loose sort of arrange- ment and that there was a general quota, but no specific rooms are reserved for this specific purpose.
MR. LO:-Would you interpret the answer for me, Mr. Chairman. Is it "yes", or "no", or "don't know"?
MR. BERNACCHI:-As Chairman of the Policy Select Committee that decided on this quota of 3,500, I will try, with your permission, to clarify the thinking of Mr. Lo. The answer is that this quota is made progressively over the year, and it is not set aside at the beginning of the year. That is to say, 3,500 rooms are not set aside at the beginning of April every year, but this quota becomes available to the Social Welfare Department progressively over the year and, as the Commissioner has said, it is a somewhat loose arrangement so that
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