Following is the transcript of remarks by the Secretary for Labour and Welfare and Chairperson of the Community Care Fund Task Force under the Commission on Poverty, Dr Law Chi-kwong, on the Modular Social Housing Scheme - Nam Cheong Street after chairing a meeting of the Task Force this afternoon (June 1):

Reporter: The cost of this modular housing is relatively high, so how is the Government going to ensure that it is going to accommodate people in need? And as the suggested funding is now passed, does the Government have any other plans to do so that less people would be waiting for public housing?

Secretary for Labour and Welfare: Let me answer your questions. I can't answer really directly, very specifically, but somehow this modular housing is something - although it is not really new in Hong Kong, for the government bureaux and departments, it is the first time participating in these processes. So, we really need to set up a pilot programme to try out all those things, including the rules and procedures, the guidelines and things like that for this kind of modular housing to be acceptable and secure housing for people in Hong Kong.

     This pilot programme will help the Government to consider whether this kind of modular housing can be built more or in a much larger scale in the future if needed. We are optimistic and therefore we, from the Community Care Fund's point of view, support this pilot programme. Hopefully that would provide information for the future consideration for the Government.

(Please also refer to the Chinese portion of the transcript.)

Ends/Friday, June 1, 2018
Issued at HKT 17:28

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