ENG-2000 — Page 247

CHAPTER 12

Housing

IN FEBRUARY 1998, the Government promulgated a White Paper on Long Term Housing Strategy, which provided a blueprint for future housing policy in Hong Kong. By the end of 1999, all the specific initiatives set out in the White Paper were implemented. A Long Term Housing Strategy Advisory Committee was established to advise the Secretary for Housing on future policy issues.

The approved estimate of public expenditure on housing in 2000-01 was $43.4 billion, or 15 per cent of total public expenditure. This represents a decrease of 8.3 per cent in real terms over 1999-2000.

Total housing stock in 2000 amounted to 2 073 000 flats, comprising 682 600 public rental housing flats, 364 300 subsidised home ownership flats and 1 026 100 flats in the private sector.

Housing Policy

The Government's housing policy objectives are

policy objectives are to reduce the number of inadequately housed people in Hong Kong, to help all households gain access to adequate and affordable housing, and to encourage home ownership in the community.

To ensure that its policy objectives can be achieved, the Government:

⚫ assesses housing demand regularly;

monitors the supply of land and supporting infrastructure for housing, and maintains a long-term programme of flat production potential;

⚫ creates conditions to enable the private sector to make the fullest possible

contribution towards meeting the demand for housing;

• implements subsidised housing schemes and loan schemes to enable those in the relevant income groups to buy their own homes;

provides public housing at reasonable rents to those who cannot afford any other type of housing; and

• implements initiatives to address the housing requirements of groups in special need.

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