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Following is a question by the Hon Li Kwok-ying and a written reply by the Secretary for Housing, Planning and Lands, Mr Michael Suen, in the Legislative Council today (May 16):
Question:
The flat selection process is under way for the Home Ownership Scheme ("HOS") flats offered for sale by the Housing Authority under Phase 1 of 2007. I have recently received complaints alleging that one-person households affected by clearance programmes are placed, in the order of flat selection, after all Green Form households and some White Form households. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council whether:
(a) it has reviewed if the above-mentioned arrangement is unfair to these people; if it has, of the results of the review; if it has not, the reasons for that; and
(b) it has reviewed the quota of HOS flats allotted to various categories of applicants and the arrangements for flat selection; if it has, of the results of the review; if it has not, the reasons for that?
Reply:
Madam President,
The Subsidised Housing Committee of the Housing Authority (HA) approved in November 2006 the sales arrangements for the Sale of Surplus Home Ownership Scheme (HOS) Flats - 2007 Phase 1. The quota allocation ratio of Green Form (GF) to White Form (WF) applicants has been set at 80:20. The order of priority for flat selection has also been formulated. To ensure that priority is given to the most needy in the allocation of resources, for both GF and WF applications, family households are allowed to select flats before one-person households, and families or single persons affected by the HA's clearance programmes are allowed to select flats before other families or single persons respectively. The order of priority for flat selection by category of applicants is as follows :
GF applicants
Public housing families affected by HA's clearance programmes
Families applying under the "Priority Scheme for Families with Elderly Members"
Families not applying under the "Priority Scheme for Families with Elderly Members"
Single persons affected by HA's clearance programmes
Single persons
WF applicants
Nuclear families (i.e. families formed by couples or parents and children) applying under "Priority Scheme for Families with Elderly Members"
Nuclear families not applying under the "Priority Scheme for Families with Elderly Members"
Non-nuclear families
Single persons
If there are any remaining GF allocation quotas after selection of flats have been arranged for all GF applicants, they will be allocated to WF applicants, and vice versa.
Under the existing flat selection arrangements, single persons affected by the HA's clearance programmes are given priority in flat selection over other single persons. As those affected by clearance programmes are applying under the GF category and the quota for GF applicants accounts for 80% of the flats offered for sale, single persons affected by clearance programmes would select flats before most of the WF family households.
The existing quota allocation ratio and flat selection arrangements are in line with our policy of allocating the limited and precious housing resources to the most needy, and have balanced the needs of different categories of applicants. Single persons affected by the HA's clearance programmes are not treated unfairly. The above quota allocation ratio and flat selection arrangements will be maintained in the sale of other surplus HOS flats.
Ends/Wednesday, May 16, 2007
Issued at HKT 11:56
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