*********************************************************
Following is a transcript of remarks by the Secretary for Transport and Housing, Professor Anthony Cheung Bing-leung, in a media stand-up session after chairing the fifth meeting of the Long Term Housing Strategy Steering Committee this afternoon (March 28):
Secretary for Transport and Housing: In this afternoon's Long Term Housing Strategy Steering Committee meeting, members have discussed three items. First, how to improve and rationalise the use of public housing resources and the paper which was discussed by members was based on the outcome of previous discussions on relevant topics including the Quota and Points System, the "well-off tenants" policies, under-occupation, so and so forth. In particular, members have considered the need to enhance the waiting period of those non-elderly single persons on the Waiting List who are of the age 35 and above. The second item has dealt with the supply of land for housing, and members have received a presentation from the Development Bureau. And the final item which actually took up more time at the meeting has to deal with a presentation by an independent research organisation on a survey of subdivided units. This survey is divided into two stages. Today, it is a preliminary report on stage one which is based on a sample across the territory of 225 buildings involving the survey of 542 tenants. And based on that stage one survey, the research organisation is able to tell us what the characteristics of those households or tenants are and the general condition of those subdivided units they are living in. In the coming two months, the research organisation will go into stage two of the survey. In stage two survey, a total of 1 700 buildings will be covered. And we hope that based on the second stage survey, the research organisation will be able to make a good estimate of the total number of people living in subdivided units and what their living conditions are like. The information from this survey should be able to assist the Long Term Housing Strategy Steering Committee to consider suitable strategy to cope with the needs of those in inadequate housing.
(Please also refer to the Chinese portion of the transcript.)
Ends/Thursday, March 28, 2013
Issued at HKT 22:56
NNNN
