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Following is a question by the Honourable Lau Kong-wah and a written reply by the Secretary for Housing, Mr Dominic S W Wong, at the Legislative Council meeting today (Wednesday):

In view of the several recent incidents in which substandard piling works were found in public housing buildings under construction, will the Government inform this Council:

(a) whether it has assessed the costs of the remedial works for the two Home Ownership Scheme buildings with substandard piling works at Shatin Area 14B Phase 2, and of the expected date of completion of the remedial works;

(b) of the timetable for reviewing the piling works of its 106 public housing sites under construction; the names of the public housing projects for which reviews have been completed and the outcome of the reviews;

(c) whether it has plans to review the structural safety of the foundation of the public housing buildings that have been completed and occupied; if it has no such plans, of the reasons for that; and

(d) of the progress of the reform on the system for monitoring the quality of public housing projects?

Reply

Madam President,

The Housing Authority has appointed independent consultants to investigate the piling problem at the public housing site in Shatin Area 14B Phase 2. The consultants are conducting detailed assessments of the structural safety of the two buildings concerned and are exploring the viability of various remedial methods including their technical feasibility and cost effectiveness. The Housing Authority will decide on the next steps after the submission of a report by the consultants within March 2000.

The Housing Authority is conducting a detailed review of the foundations in 106 projects under construction. The review is expected to be completed within March 2000. The findings will be made public as soon as possible thereafter.

Before issuing occupation permits for public housing, professionals in the Housing Department will inspect the buildings thoroughly to ensure structural safety. So far, there is no sign of foundation problems in completed public housing buildings. The Housing Authority does not plan to review the structural safety of the foundations for these buildings.

The consultative document "Quality Housing: Partnering for Change", which has made 40 major recommendations including strengthening the supervision of the quality of public housing projects, has been released to the public. The consultation exercise will last until 31 March 2000, after which the Housing Authority will draw up an implementation plan to improve public housing quality.

End/Wednesday, March 8, 2000

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