Following is a question by the Hon Stephen Wong and a written reply by the Secretary for Transport and Housing, Mr Frank Chan Fan, in the Legislative Council today (May 4):
Question:
Regarding the implementation of public housing development projects (projects), will the Government inform this Council:
(1) of the following information on those projects for which the Government commenced feasibility studies in each of the past four financial years and the current financial year: project location, estimated number of units to be supplied, and findings of the study (i.e. whether implementation of the project was recommended and the reasons for that) or the expected completion date for the study (set out in a table);
(2) of the following information on those projects for which the Government commenced site investigation and design work in each of the past four financial years and the current financial year: project location, estimated number of units to be supplied, latest progress, and the expected completion date for such work (set out in a table);
(3) of the following information on those projects for which the Government commenced site formation and infrastructure works in each of the past four financial years and the current financial year: project location, estimated number of units to be supplied, latest progress, and the expected completion date of such works (set out in a table);
(4) of the details of those projects mentioned in (1) which are recommended for implementation after conducting feasibility studies, but have been put on hold or have had no further development plans (set out in the table below); and
| Project location | Estimated number of units to be supplied | Completion date of feasibility study | Completion date of site investigation and design work (if applicable) |
Completion date of site formation and infrastructure works (if applicable) |
Up-to-date number of months for which the project has been put on hold or has had no further development plan, and the reasons for that |
(5) whether it will consider establishing an online platform for the projects to facilitate monitoring by the public, as well as setting clear key performance indicators for relevant government departments and statutory organizations and stipulating that they should be held accountable for unreasonable delays?
Reply:
President,
Having consulted the Development Bureau (DEVB), our consolidated reply to the question raised by the Hon Stephen Wong is as follows.
The Government is responsible for conducting feasibility studies, investigation and design, as well as site formation and infrastructure works for public housing development projects. These projects include items funded by Head 705 and Head 707 of the Capital Works Reserve Fund (CWRF) under DEVB for civil engineering works and large scale new development works, and items funded by Head 711 of CWRF under Transport and Housing Bureau (THB) for small scale site formation and infrastructure works related to public housing. Formed lands for public housing are mainly handed over to the Hong Kong Housing Authority (HA) (Note 1) and the Hong Kong Housing Society (HKHS) (Note 2) for development.
Relevant information of the feasibility studies, investigation and design works, and construction works for infrastructure funded by Head 705 and Head 707 of CWRF to support public housing developments conducted by Civil Engineering and Development Department (CEDD) from 2018 to 2022 is set out at Annexes 1, 2 and 3 respectively. As regards the feasibility studies in Annex 1, no project has been put on hold or is without further progress.
Relevant information of the feasibility studies, investigation and design works, and construction works for infrastructure funded by Head 711 of CWRF to support public housing developments conducted by CEDD from 2018 to 2022 is set out at Annexes 4, 5 and 6 respectively. Regarding the feasibility studies in Annex 4, no related project has been put on hold or is without further progress.
The Government has all along been sparing no effort in identifying land for housing development. DEVB and its departments have stepped up efforts related to land supply, with a view to completing the necessary processes and handing over the sites for development in time.
In terms of information publication, THB and HA will upload the updated five-year public housing production forecast onto the websites of THB and HA on a quarterly basis. THB also reports the coming five-year public housing construction programme to the Legislative Council (LegCo) Panel on Housing on an annual basis. Relevant papers are available on LegCo's website.
HA and HKHS will continue to monitor the progress of the various projects and take corresponding mitigation measures, which include urging constructors to increase manpower, expediting progress, stepping up site inspections, convening site meetings, carrying out site supervision and on-site examination, etc. These measures help address the challenges encountered during the construction stage in an effective and speedy manner, with a view to facilitating the early completion of the projects according to the schedule.
Note 1: As a financially autonomous public body, HA funds its public housing programmes with its own resources.
Note 2: As an independent, financially autonomous, self-financing and not-for-profit organisation, HKHS funds its public housing projects with its own resources.
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