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Following is a question by the Hon Lee Wing-tat and a written reply by the Secretary for Transport and Housing, Ms Eva Cheng, JP in the Legislative Council today (January 27):
Question¡G
Regarding the Government's measures to assist low-income persons in meeting their housing needs, will the Government inform this Council:
(a) about singletons applying for public rental housing ("PRH"), of the average waiting time and the number of those awaiting at present, as well as the number of those who were allocated PRH flats in each of the past three years, with a breakdown by age groups (i.e. 18 to 30, 31 to 45, 46 to 59, and 60 years old or above) of the applicants;
(b) of the number of elderly singletons in each of the past three years who rejected the Housing for Senior Citizens ("HSC") Types II and III units allocated to them; whether the authorities allow elderly singletons to state their preference when applying for PRH, including whether they will consider such types of units, so as to expedite the allocation of suitable units to applicants; and whether they will consider converting the 460 HSC Types II and III units which are vacant at present into self-contained flats;
(c) of the number of cases in each of the past three years in which the persons concerned were allocated PRH flats through "compassionate rehousing";
(d) of the current occupancy rate of the singleton hostels of the Home Affairs Department; whether occupants are required to move out after three years of occupancy; if so, whether it knows the types of housing to which they will generally move; of the highest, lowest and average rent currently paid by the occupants; the percentage of occupants who have already applied for PRH, and the average time for which they have been waiting;
(e) given that the Housing Department has earlier visited and through non-government organizations contacted occupants of all licensed private bedspace apartments, of the number of occupants of such bedspaces and partitioned cubicles; whether it has looked into the current occupancy rate of bedspace apartments, the highest, lowest and average rent paid by the occupants; their average income; among them, of the number of those who have already applied for PRH; and the average time for which they have been waiting; and
(f) whether the authorities have assessed the need to set a minimum standard regarding the area of bedspaces and partitioned cubicles in licensed bedspace apartments, so as to safeguard the environmental hygiene and safety of the occupants inside the apartments?
Reply¡G
President,
Having incorporated the input of the Home Affairs Department (HAD), my reply to the six-part question is as follows:
(a) As at the end of December 2009, the numbers of one-person applicants in the 18-30, 31-45, 46-59 and 60 or above age groups on the Waiting List (WL) were 21,300, 17,400, 11,000 and 5,700 respectively.
As at the end of December 2009, the average waiting time for public rental housing (PRH) for elderly one-person applicants was 1.1 years. For non-elderly one-person applicants, their relative priorities for PRH allocation are determined by the points they receive under the Quota and Points System (QPS). The average waiting time of non-elderly one-person applicants allocated PRH under the QPS is 1.8 years.
Eligible WL applicants may also apply for the Express Flat Allocation Scheme (EFAS) for earlier rehousing. As the allocation for 2009/10 is in progress, we provide the number of one-person WL applicants by age group who were allocated PRH in 2006/07 to 2008/09 (including one-person WL applicants allocated PRH through the EFAS)(Please refer to the Table):
(b) There were about 340, 670 and 530 elderly one-person applicants in 2006/07, 2007/08 and 2008/09 respectively who did not accept the Housing for Senior Citizens (HSC) after they were allocated with HSC Types II and III units.
The Housing Department (HD) would arrange for the elderly applicants who had been allocated HSC to visit the units so that they could see for themselves the actual living environment. After making such site visits, some elderly applicants indicated their satisfaction with and accepted the HSC Types II and III units offered. If elderly applicants indicated after the visits that they did not wish to accept HSC units, the HD would not offer such types of units to them again.
As HSC Types II and III units are located mainly in the Urban and Extended Urban Districts and are provided with 24-hour warden service, they are to a certain degree attractive to applicants. The overall average vacancy rate is below 5%. The Hong Kong Housing Authority has gradually included HSC blocks with a higher vacancy rate, mainly HSC Type I units, in the on-going conversion programme with a view to converting them to normal flats for letting in the long run.
(c) Eligible one-person applicants with pressing housing needs may apply for compassionate rehousing through recommendations by the Social Welfare Department for advance allocation of PRH flats. For the past three years, over 600 one-person applicants were allocated PRH flats through compassionate rehousing each year.
(d) Currently, a total of 580 bedspaces, with monthly charges ranging from $700 to $1,260 per person, are provided in the two singleton hostels run by the HAD under the Singleton Hostel Programme (the Programme). As at December 2009, the occupancy rate of the hostels was around 85%.
Before the end of the occupancy period, hostel lodgers may apply for extension to meet individual needs. According to the information provided voluntarily by lodgers, about 30% of those leaving the two hostels in 2009 moved to PRH flats.
The HD does not require one-person PRH applicants to provide information on the types of their accommodation and therefore has no information on the PRH waiting time for lodgers of HAD's singleton hostels.
(e) HD staff had visited and contacted through non-government organisations all the licensed bedspace apartments. During the visits, PRH application forms together with notes on application were distributed to the occupants. Since the purpose of the visits was to provide information to those who had not yet submitted PRH applications, instead of conducting an inquiry and a survey, the HD has no data on the occupants' PRH applications, their income and the rent they pay.
Nevertheless, according to the Office of the Licensing Authority under the HAD, as at December 2009, the number of occupants of licensed bedspace apartments (including the two hostels under the Programme) was about 790 and the occupancy rate was around 79%.
(f) To safeguard the safety of the occupants of bedspace apartments, the Bedspace Apartments Ordinance enacted in 1994 provides that any flat in which there are 12 or more bedspaces used as sleeping accommodation for individuals under rental agreements must obtain licences before commencing operation, so as to ensure building and fire safety, and that sanitation of the apartments conform to the standards stipulated therein. The HAD carries out periodic inspections to make sure that bedspace apartments comply with the licensing requirements.
Ends/Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Issued at HKT 12:15
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