The following is issued on behalf of the Hong Kong Housing Authority:
 
     The Subsidised Housing Committee of the Hong Kong Housing Authority (HA) today (June 21) approved the estimated public rental housing (PRH) allocation for 2021-22 and was briefed on the actual allocation in 2020-21.
 
     For the year 2020-21, it was originally estimated that 31 400 PRH flats could be allocated but the actual allocation was 23 179 flats (i.e. the number of flats taken up by applicants on or before March 31, 2021), representing a target rate of 73.8 per cent.
 
     "The major reason for the difference was that the completion of some estates which was originally scheduled for 2020-21 was deferred to 2021-22. Moreover, the development of the COVID-19 pandemic has affected the progress of allocation. Nevertheless, as the pandemic began to slow down, we endeavoured to catch up with the progress in a bid to increase the number of allocations as many as possible," the spokesman said.
  
      For 2021-22, it is estimated that a total of about 31 000 PRH flats, comprising about 16 700 new flats and about 14 300 refurbished flats, will be available for allocation to different categories of applicants. Among them, the largest portion will go to PRH applicants with about 22 200 flats (71.6 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 2021-22 is 2 200 flats or 10 per cent of the total number of flats to be allocated to PRH applicants, whichever is less."
 
     Moreover, 290 flats will be reserved for the category of clearance rehousing residents affected by clearance projects planned by different departments, including the Kwu Tung North/Fanling North New Development Areas Project, Public Housing Developments at Kam Tin South, Yuen Long, as well as other squatter clearances by the Government, emergency clearances, unauthorised rooftop structure clearances and so forth. Another 150 flats will be set aside for rehousing residents affected by the Urban Renewal Authority's redevelopment projects scheduled for 2021-22.
 
     A total of 1 800 flats will also be reserved for the HA's clearance programmes, including 1 700 flats for the clearance rehousing of Blocks 9, 10, 11 and 13 at Pak Tin Estate, and 100 flats for the clearance rehousing of Shek Lei Interim Housing.
 
      "With reference to the actual allocation figures in the past, 1 500 flats will be reserved for the category of Compassionate Rehousing (CR) for 2021-22. This figure is not an upper limit and, where resources permit, we will follow the established policy to handle all the demands for CR as recommended by the Social Welfare Department," the spokesman said.
 
     In addition, 4 060 flats will be set aside for various transfer purposes for 2021-22, among which 1 100 flats will be used for the transfer of under-occupation households and around 1 000 flats for the transfer schemes for improving the living environment. The remaining approximately 1 960 flats will be flexibly deployed for other transfer purposes including Special Transfer, Harmonious Families Transfer Scheme, Full Rent Exemption for Elderly Under-occupation Transfer and Management Transfer, etc.  

     "We will reserve 1 000 flats under the Civil Service Public Housing Quota Scheme in 2021-22 as in 2020-21," 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.
 
     Please refer to the attached table on the breakdown of estimated allocations for different categories of applicants in 2021-22.
 

Ends/Monday, June 21, 2021
Issued at HKT 18:01

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