Transcript of remarks by SHYA
*****************************

      Following is the transcript of remarks by the Secretary for Home and Youth Affairs, Miss Alice Mak, after attending a radio programme to elaborate on initiatives in "The Chief Executive's 2022 Policy Address" this morning (October 26)
 
Reporter: Is there a timeline on the Youth Hostel Scheme, like when will the application start? Are there any criteria for the applications? Some said that maybe 3 000 quotas are not enough, so will there be any other schemes or will this Scheme be extended as well?
 
Secretary for Home and Youth Affairs: We will introduce a new Youth Hostel Scheme in the coming five years. Our target is to subsidise NGOs (non-governmental organisations) to rent suitable hotels or guesthouses to provide 3 000 places in youth hostels. We hope that we will gain the support from the hotel and guesthouse (industry). If the plan is feasible, we do want to see if there is any room for extension. For those youth tenants in youth hostels, they can rent a place at about 60 per cent of the market rent. We will also introduce a new initiative that all youth tenants will provide certain community services to our community, because our young people have the abilities to serve the community. So we want to introduce such a new initiative under the new Youth Hostel Scheme.
 
(Please also refer to the Chinese portion of the transcript.)

Ends/Wednesday, October 26, 2022
Issued at HKT 10:13

NNNN