LegCo Panel on Housing Subcommittee on Long Term Housing Strategy Review

Chapter 4 -- Maximizing the contribution of the private sector

1. To conduct a financial analysis, by reference to a particular project, on the profits to be generated for developers should the new concept of joint ventures be applied.

2. To advise the Administration’s position on the proposal of encouraging owners of old private buildings to repair and renovate their buildings as an alternative of redevelopment.

Chapter 6 -- Providing public rental housing for those in genuine need

3. To consider making a further pledge to reduce the average waiting time for public rental housing (PRH).

4. To provide the median rent-to-income ratios of all PRH households according to the results of the 1996 Population By-census.

Legislative Council Secretariat
2 May 1997

Concerns raised by members at the meeting on 22 April 1997 on Chapter 5 on Encouraging Wider Home Ownership and which require follow-up actions by the Administration

1. In relation to the pledge in para. 5.12 to build 175,000 flats for sale during the period April 1995 to March 2001, to provide a breakdown of the number of such flats already produced and to be produced during this period.

2. In connection with the Home Ownership Schemes, to consider increasing the cash allowance for one and two-person households under the Comprehensive Redevelopment Programme so that they could take up other forms of accommodation, thus alleviating the pressure on demand for public rental housing (PRH) flats.

3. In connection with the Sandwich Class Housing Schemes (SCH), to advise:

    - the basis upon which the demand of 30,000 SCH flats has been arrived at;

    - the prevailing income level of SCH flat owners; and

    - the criteria adopted by the Hong Kong Housing Society in setting prices for flats under the SCH, Flats for Sale and Urban Improvement Schemes.

4. In relation to para. 5.23 on the sale of rental flats to tenants, to provide:

    - the weighting of such factors as replacement cost, depreciation and the relative value in determining the sale price of flats to be sold under the scheme;

    - the anticipated sale price of flats in a number of selected PRH estates of different types and years of completion; and

    - a breakdown of fees including management, maintenance, crown rent and rates payable for an average PRH flat.

5. To encourage the Mortgage Corporation to promote mortgage loans to owners of older buildings by relaxing mortgage restrictions on these buildings.

Legislative Council Secretariat
24 April 1997

Concerns raised by members at the meeting on 24 April 1997 which require follow-up actions by the Administration

Land supply

1. To enable members to assess the trend of lands which have been left vacant, to provide a breakdown of vacant development lands (VDL) including all additions and deletions as well as lands for residential and public housing purposes over the past three years.

2. To advise the percentage of VDL which have been left vacant while awaiting infrastructural facilities.

3. To advise if there is a maximum time frame within which VDL are to be converted into serviced land and the mechanism in place to ensure timely development of VDL.

4. To provide a breakdown of the 107 hectares VDL under Temporary Use (TOU) in Annex A of the Administration’s information paper which have been leased for Temporary Housing Areas (THAs) over the past five years; to advise the proportion of VDL which have been used for THA for more than seven years; and to consider allocating VDL which have been used for THA for more than seven years to the Housing Authority for development of interim housing.

Housing Demand Model

5. To consider using the medium to high options, as opposed to the hybrid option, in projecting housing demand in order to take into account changing socio-economic situations.

6. To update data in the model and to consider increasing the safety margin for flat production requirement.

General

7. To provide details of the $8 billion allocated under Head 711 of the Capital Works Reserve Fund for housing.

Legislative Council Secretariat
28 April 1997

Last Updated on 20 August 1998