Minutes of the 2 Meeting of Tai Po District Council in 2019 Date: 7
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Minutes of the 2nd Meeting of Tai Po District Council in 2019 Date: 7 March 2019 (Thursday) Time: 9:31 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Venue: Conference Room, Tai Po District Council Present Time of Arrival Time of Withdrawal Chairman Mr. CHEUNG Hok-ming, GBM, GBS, JP Beginning of the meeting End of the meeting Vice-chairman Ms. WONG Pik-kiu, BBS, MH, JP Beginning of the meeting End of the meeting Members Mr. AU Chun-wah Beginning of the meeting End of the meeting Mr. CHAN Cho-leung, MH Beginning of the meeting End of the meeting Mr. CHAN Siu-kuen, MH, JP Beginning of the meeting End of the meeting Mr. CHENG Chun-ping, JP Beginning of the meeting End of the meeting Mr. CHENG Chun-wo Beginning of the meeting End of the meeting Mr. CHOW Yuen-wai Beginning of the meeting End of the meeting Mr. KWAN Wing-yip Beginning of the meeting End of the meeting Dr. LAU Chee-sing Beginning of the meeting End of the meeting Mr. LAU Yung-wai Beginning of the meeting End of the meeting Mr. LI Kwok-ying, BBS, MH, JP Beginning of the meeting End of the meeting Mr. LI Wah-kwong, Rex Beginning of the meeting End of the meeting Mr. LI Yiu-ban, BBS, MH, JP Beginning of the meeting End of the meeting Mr. LO Hiu-fung Beginning of the meeting End of the meeting Mr. TAM Wing-fun, Eric, MH Beginning of the meeting End of the meeting Mr. TANG Ming-tai, Patrick Beginning of the meeting End of the meeting Mr. WOO Kin-man, Clement Beginning of the meeting End of the meeting Mr. YAM Kai-bong, Francis Beginning of the meeting End of the meeting Mr. YAM Man-chuen Beginning of the meeting End of the meeting Mr. YU Chi-wing, Ken Beginning of the meeting End of the meeting - 2 - Secretary Mr. LEE Yu-sau, Terence Beginning of the meeting End of the meeting Senior Executive Officer (District Council), Tai Po District Office, Home Affairs Department In Attendance Ms. CHAN Hau-man, Eunice, JP District Officer (Tai Po), Home Affairs Department Ms. LEE Kai-ying, Iris Assistant District Officer (Tai Po), Home Affairs Department Miss LEUNG Wing-yin, Tiffany Assistant District Officer-designate (Tai Po), Home Affairs Department Mr. LEE Kwok-chung District Commander (Tai Po), Hong Kong Police Force Mr. YAM Mun-ho District Social Welfare Officer/ Tai Po and North, Social Welfare Department Ms. CHU Ha-fan, Jessica District Planning Officer/Sha Tin, Tai Po and North, Planning Department Ms. LEUNG Miu-yin, Karen District Lands Officer/Tai Po, Lands Department Mr. CHAN Wing-yiu, Ronald Administrative Assistant (Lands), District Lands Office/Tai Po, Lands Department Mr. HO Fuk-on, Arthur Senior Engineer, Civil Engineering and Development Department Mr. CHAN Kai-lam, Allan Chief Manager (Tai Po, North & Shatin Region), Housing Department Miss MA Flora Senior Transport Officer/Tai Po, Transport Department Ms. WONG Mei-yin Chief School Development Officer (Tai Po), Education Bureau Mr. LAI Siu-kwong District Environmental Hygiene Superintendent (Tai Po), Food and Environmental Hygiene Department Ms. HEUNG Ching-yee, Alice Chief Leisure Manager(New Territories East), Leisure and Cultural Services Department Ms. LIU Pui-wah, Stella District Leisure Manager(Tai Po), Leisure and Cultural Services Department Ms. LEE Ching-yee, Patty Senior Liaison Officer(1), Tai Po District Office, Home Affairs Department Ms. WONG Yu-hang, Anita Senior Liaison Officer(2), Tai Po District Office, Home Affairs Department Ms. LEE Ho-yee, Trazy Executive Officer I (District Council), Tai Po District Office, Home Affairs Department - 3 - Announcements The Chairman welcomed Members and departmental representatives to the meeting and made the following announcements: (i) He welcomed Miss Tiffany LEUNG, Assistant District Officer-designate (Tai Po), to this meeting. (ii) Ms. YUEN Miu-chun, Christine, Chief Transport Officer/NT East, Transport Department (“TD”) and Mr. CHUNG Wing-hong, John, Chief Engineer of Civil Engineering and Development Department (“CEDD”) were unable to attend this meeting owing to other commitments, on whose behalf Miss Flora MA, Senior Transport Officer/Tai Po of TD and Mr. Arthur HO, Senior Engineer of CEDD attended this meeting respectively. I. Meeting with the Permanent Secretary for Transport and Housing (Housing) 2. The Chairman welcomed Mr. YING Yiu-hong, Stanley, Permanent Secretary for Transport & Housing (Housing) of Transport and Housing Bureau (“THB”) / Director of Housing Department (“HD”) to this meeting, accompanied by Ms. LAM Yuk-ching, Connie, Head of HD’s Central Support Unit, to whom the Chairman also extended his welcome. 3. Mr. Stanley YING advised that the Government had promulgated in December 2014 the Long Term Housing Strategy (“LTHS”) to formulate long-term strategies in relation to various areas of Hong Kong housing policy, such as supply-led, enhancing the housing ladder, making rational use of existing resources and stabilising the residential property market. He continued to brief Members as follows: Supply-led (i) During the two years between the commencement of study and promulgation of LTHS, the society as a whole had reached a consensus on housing issues of Hong Kong and understood that housing issues were caused not only by external factors, but also by local ones, among which the demand and supply imbalance accumulated over the years had a major part to play. The long-term solution was to increase housing supply to reduce the gap between supply and demand. (ii) With the efforts the Government had made over the past few years, supply of public housing in Hong Kong had increased. In 2014, the Government’s forecast - 4 - production in the coming 5 years was approximately 80 000 units, whereas in 2018, forecast production in the coming 5 years exceeded 100 000 units. (iii) Under the supply-led principle, the Government would update the long-term housing demand projections annually and present a rolling ten-year housing supply target. According to the latest projections released in end of 2018, the rolling ten-year housing supply target from 2019/20 onwards was 450 000 units, in other words, 315 000 public housing units and 135 000 private housing units as per the 70:30 public-private flat ratio. The Government would spare no effort in achieving the housing supply target. Enhancing the housing ladder (iv) In 2014 when the Government had not yet resumed the sale of Home Ownership Scheme (“HOS”) flats, housing ladder at that time was relatively simple, with public rental housing (“PRH”) as the first rung and private housing the second rung. The Government hoped to expand the housing ladder and incorporated additional rungs to facilitate the turnover of PRH flats such that members of the public could move up the housing ladder in accordance with their affordability and needs. (v) In addition to continue providing PRH units to serve as a “safety net”, the Government also introduced the “Green Form Subsidised Home Ownership Pilot Scheme” (“GSH”) to offer Green Formers subsidised sales flats (“SSFs”) at higher discount rates. (vi) Since the resumption of sales of HOS flats in 2014, a certain proportion (approximately 50%) of units would be set aside for Green Formers (“GF”) to apply at each sale exercise, while any remaining quota from the GF queue would be re-allocated to the White Formers (“WF”) queue such that members of the public could meet their home ownership aspirations via HOS flats. (vii) Second-hand HOS flats with premium not yet paid had all along been available for sale only to GFs. Under the “Interim Scheme to Extend the HOS Secondary Market to White Form Buyers” (“Interim Scheme”), WFs could also buy HOS flats with premium not yet paid. The Government had already endorsed regularising the Interim Scheme as the White Form Secondary Market Scheme (“WSM”). Hence, WFs could now choose between new HOS flats and HOS flats with premium not yet paid. (viii) Besides, the Government had in end of last year launched the“Starter Homes” (“SH”) Pilot Project for the first time, implemented by the Urban Renewal Authority (“URA”), to offer 450 units on Ma Tau Wai Road for sale as SH. The - 5 - Government would review the effectiveness of the Pilot Project so as to formulate the future development direction of SH Scheme. (ix) Since the resumption of sales of HOS flats, some 13 000 HOS units (including those SSFs of Hong Kong Housing Society) had been sold so far, and three Interim Schemes and WSM had been conducted in total, among which two “Interim Schemes” had been pilot projects and “WSM”, after being regularised, was launched once, offering a total of 10 000 quotas. GSH had put up some 3 400 units in total for sale while SH offered 450 units for sale. Hong Kong Housing Authority (“HA”) had decided earlier to launch a new round of GSH to offer some 3 700 units. The above figures reflected the efforts the Government had devoted to enhance the housing ladder. Rational use of existing housing resources (x) Under LTHS, apart from increasing housing supply, rational use of existing housing resources would need to be considered too. For instance, the Government enabled via WSM HOS flat owners unwilling to pay the premium to sell their flats with premium unpaid to GFs or WFs, so as to make rational use of HOS resources. (xi) Hong Kong Housing Society (“HKHS”) had launched a trial “Letting Scheme for Subsidised Sale Developments with Premium Unpaid” (“Letting Scheme”) to facilitate owners of HOS flat owners to let individual bedroom(s) of their flats. HKHS currently reviewed the said Letting Scheme. Upon completion of the review and enhancement of the Letting Scheme, HA would consider joining the Scheme such that owners of HOS flats might also take part in the Letting Scheme.