ENG-2009 — Page 269

Housing 209

revised several times in past years to make assistance more readily available to needy tenants. Currently, eligible tenants are offered rent cuts of 25 or 50 per cent and the length of time families need to live in the newer blocks before applying for rent assistance has been shortened to two years. As at December 2009, about 12 000 households were receiving RAS.

Better-off Tenants

Under existing regulations, better-off tenants are required to pay higher rents. At the end of December, about 25 000 households were doing that. In addition, tenants who have lived in public housing estates for more than 10 years will have to move out if their household incomes and assets have exceeded the Subsidy Income Limits and Net Assets Limits set by the HKHA. Those who choose not to declare their household assets will have to move out and surrender the flat to the HKHA as well.

Redevelopment

The removal of tenants from Lower Ngau Tau Kok (II) Estate (LNTK(II)) to make way for redevelopment was completed on November 25, 2009. LNTK (II) was the last estate cleared for redevelopment under the HKHA's Comprehensive Redevelopment Programme. Since the start of the programme in 1988, 566 housing blocks have been redeveloped, improving the living conditions of some 192 100 households.

Estate Clearance

Phase 1 clearance of So Uk Estate was completed in July 2009 and Phase 2 clearance is scheduled to be completed in April 2012. Some 13 400 people from 5 000 families are involved and about 3 800 families (including both Phase 1 and Phase 2 tenants) were rehoused up to the end of 2009.

Clearance of Block 22, Tung Tau (1) Estate which started in January 2008, involving about 1 400 people from some 900 families, will be completed by 2012. Clearance of Interim Housing Block 12 at Kwai Shing East Estate which started in July 2008, involving some 600 people from about 200 families, will be completed in 2010.

Sustainable Public Housing Stock

The HKHA adopts a concept called 'Life Cycle of Public Housing Estates' to ensure that the development of public housing resources is sustained to cater for the housing needs of residents during the life of the estate. An approach to good maintenance, called 'Total Maintenance Scheme' has been in operation since 2006. Under it, Inspection Ambassadors carry out flat inspections and make arrangements on the spot for minor repairs or improvements to flats.

The scheme also provides for a flat-to-flat maintenance database and a maintenance hotline. The scheme was serving 148 public rental housing estates at the end of 2009.