Some 31 000 public rental housing units estimated to be available for allocation in 2020-21
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The Subsidised Housing Committee of the Hong Kong Housing Authority (HA) today (June 22) approved the estimated public rental housing (PRH) allocation for 2020-21 and was briefed on the actual allocation in 2019-20.
For the year 2019-20, it was originally estimated that 24 100 PRH flats could be allocated but the actual allocation was 17 500 flats (i.e. the number of housing offers accepted and flats taken up by applicants on or before March 31, 2020), achieving a target rate of 72.6 per cent.
"The major reason for the difference in the number of flats allocated was that the Government had to use Chun Yeung Estate (4 846 flats) in Fo Tan as a quarantine centre in response to the rapid and critical development of coronavirus disease 2019. In addition, Fai Ming Estate (952 flats) in Fanling was maliciously and seriously damaged. Furthermore, the completion date of Block 1 of Hoi Tat Estate (852 flats) in West Kowloon was later than the original estimated date and the flats were still not ready for intake by the end of March 2020," a spokesman for the HA said.
For 2020-21, it is estimated that a total of about 31 400 PRH flats, comprising about 14 900 new flats and about 16 500 refurbished flats, will be available for allocation to different categories of applicants. Among them, the largest portion will go to PRH applicants with about 22 000 flats (70.1 per cent) to be allocated to them.
"This estimation is not an upper limit. We will endeavour to allocate more than predicted to PRH applicants within the year if possible, such as in the event that any new PRH estate is completed ahead of schedule. We will also closely monitor the actual allocation figures of other categories to ensure any surplus of demanded flats could be allocated to PRH applicants before the close of the year," the spokesman said.
"The annual allocation quota for non-elderly one-person applicants under the Quota and Points System (QPS) is set at 10 per cent of the total number of flats to be allocated to PRH applicants with an upper limit of 2 200 flats. According to this principle, the allocation quota for QPS applicants in 2020-21 is 2 200 flats. However, if the actual supply of flats turns out to be less than our estimation, we will keep the number of flats allocated to QPS applicants to not more than 10 per cent of the total number of flats to be allocated to PRH applicants."
Moreover, a total of 420 flats will be reserved for the category of clearance rehousing residents affected by clearance projects planned by government departments and organisations concerned, including the development projects in Hung Shui Kiu and Kwu Tung North/Fanling North New Development Area and clearance and resumption projects in Siu Lam, Tuen Mun, as well as the Government's squatter clearances, emergency clearances, unauthorised rooftop structure clearances and so forth, and also for rehousing residents affected by the Urban Renewal Authority's redevelopment projects scheduled for 2020-21.
A total of 2 400 flats (including some of the flats in Pak Tin Estate Phases 7 and 8 and Wui Chi House of Tung Wui Estate) will also be reserved for the clearance of Blocks 9, 10, 11 and 13 at Pak Tin Estate and Mei Tung House and Mei Po House at Mei Tung Estate.
"In 2020-21, it is estimated that a quota of 2 000 flats will be reserved for the category of Compassionate Rehousing (CR). This figure is not an upper limit and where resources permit, we will follow the established policy to handle all demands for CR as recommended by the Social Welfare Department," the spokesman said.
In addition, 3 580 flats will be set aside for various transfer purposes, including transfer of under-occupation households, full rent exemption for elderly under-occupation transfer, Territory-wide Overcrowding Relief Exercise, the Living Space Improvement Transfer Scheme, the Harmonious Families Transfer Exercise, the conversion programme of Housing for Senior Citizens, and special transfer of individual tenants on medical and/or social grounds.
"We will reserve 1 000 flats under the Civil Service Public Housing Quota Scheme in 2020-21 as in 2019-20," the spokesman said.
"We will closely monitor any changes in the circumstances and will remain flexible in the allocation of PRH flats to ensure optimisation of resources," he added.
For the estimated numbers of PRH flats to be allocated to different categories of applicants in 2020-21, please refer to the attached table.
Ends/Monday, June 22, 2020
Issued at HKT 19:05
Issued at HKT 19:05
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