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Following is a question by the Hon Lau Wong-fat and a written reply by the Secretary for Housing, Planning and Lands, Mr Michael Suen, in the Legislative Council today (June 27):
Question:
Many District Council ("DC") members, whose constituencies have public housing estates ("PHEs"), and charitable organisations have pointed out that over the years, they have often conducted activities under the meet-the-public scheme (including distributing DC members' work reports and collecting signatures) as well as charity sales in shopping malls of PHEs, but after The Link Management Limited ("The Link") has taken over the management of shopping malls of PHEs, it forbids them to conduct the above activities in such malls. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(a) whether it knows which shopping malls of PHEs under The Link's management still allow such activities to be conducted therein, and list the names of such shopping malls according to the types of activities (i.e. charity sales or activities under the meet-the-public scheme); and
(b) before handing over the management of shopping malls of PHEs to The Link, how the Government ensured that The Link would fulfill its corporate responsibility and foster community harmony in managing the shopping malls concerned, particularly when processing applications in relation to the above two types of activities often held in the shopping malls of PHEs?
Reply:
Madam President,
Upon its public listing on November 25, 2005, the Link Real Estate Investment Trust (The Link) has become a private entity, whose business strategies and day-to-day operations are entirely independent of the Hong Kong Housing Authority (HA). So long as the operations of The Link comply with the relevant legislation, conditions of the government leases, and terms of the covenants and agreements made between The Link and the HA, the Government and the HA will not intervene in The Link's day-to-day management and business strategies.
Under a covenant made between the HA and The Link, The Link shall continue to let certain floor area in prescribed shopping centres at concessionary rent to non-profit making organisations operating social welfare or education facilities. It is for The Link to determine the arrangements for District Council (DC) members or charitable organisations to hold activities in The Link's shopping centres. According to the information provided by The Link to the Legislative Council Panel on Housing in April 2007, The Link has from time to time provided venues in its shopping centres free of charge to community groups for holding various community events such as charity fund-raising, civic education, cultural promotion, health and environmental education activities. The Link has also organised charity activities in partnership with social service and environmental groups and donated the funds so raised to charities. The Government does not have specific information on the shopping centres where The Link allows such activities to take place. However, according to information provided by The Link, in 2006 The Link provided venues free of charge for 2 237 activities organised by non-governmental organisations.
If District Councillors or charitable organisations intend to organise community or charity activities in public housing estates, they may apply to the Housing Department (HD) for use of common areas in public housing estates or shopping centres under the HA, apart from the shopping centres under The Link. Where circumstances and other factors permit, the HD will endeavour to facilitate the conduct of the activities as far as possible.
Ends/Wednesday, June 27, 2007
Issued at HKT 12:01
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