The Government released today (October 30) the Long Term Housing Strategy Annual Progress Report 2023 (Progress Report).

     According to the established projection methodology of the Long Term Housing Strategy (LTHS), the gross total housing demand projection for the next 10-year period (i.e. 2024-25 to 2033-34) takes into account the housing demand derived from the following four components:

(i)      net increase in the number of households;
(ii)     households displaced by redevelopment;
(iii)    inadequately housed households; and
(iv)    miscellaneous factors.

     Based on the projection framework as mentioned above, and adding a margin for vacancy of private flats, the gross total housing demand for the next 10-year period is 432 000 units, hence the Government set the supply target at 440 000 units.

     "Since the LTHS in 2018, the Government has set the public/private split of new housing supply at 70:30. Balancing various considerations, including the need to increase public housing supply substantially to meet the demand and the community's demand for private housing, the Government will maintain the public/private split of 70:30 for the next 10-year period. According to this ratio, out of the total housing supply target of 440 000 units, the public housing supply target will be 308 000 units and the private housing supply target will be 132 000 units," a spokesman for the Housing Bureau said.

     "At the same time, considering that the demand for all types of public housing has remained strong, the Government will maintain the ratio between Public Rental Housing (PRH)/Green Form Subsidised Home Ownership Scheme (GSH) and other subsidised sale flats (SSFs) for the 10-year period at 70:30. According to this ratio, out of the public housing supply target of 308 000 units, there will be 216 000 units for PRH/GSH and 92 000 units for other SSFs," the spokesman added.

     As announced in the 2023 Policy Address, the Government has identified sufficient land for providing about 410 000 public housing units in the coming 10-year period, an increase of about 50 000 units over the previous 10-year period, which can meet the estimated public housing demand of 308 000 units. Such supply, in terms of housing units, mainly comes from New Development Areas and major development projects, site rezoning, and other projects.

     As for private housing, the Government will continue to adopt a multipronged approach to achieve the private housing supply target of 132 000 units for the next 10-year period. In particular, the Government will get land ready for providing around 80 000 private housing units in the coming five years. As regards the private housing supply in the shorter term, based on the latest projection as at end-September 2023, the supply of first-hand private residential flats for the coming three to four years is about 107 000 units.

     To gradually avert a supply-demand imbalance, the Government announced the LTHS in 2014. According to the "supply-led" and "flexible" strategy of the LTHS, the Government updates the long-term housing demand projection annually and presents a rolling 10-year housing supply target to capture social, economic and market changes over time, and makes timely adjustments where necessary.

     The Progress Report has been uploaded onto the Housing Bureau's website. The link is www.hb.gov.hk/eng/policy/housing/policy/lths/index.html.

     The Immigration Department (ImmD) announced today (October 30) that a newly established Registration of Persons (ROP) – Kwun Tong (Temporary) Office will commence operation on November 1 to cope with the increasing service demand for identity card registration.  
 
     The Kwun Tong (Temporary) Office will be located at Office 1, 2/F, Manulife Financial Centre (for registration service) and Office 1B, 3/F, Manulife Financial Centre, Tower A (for collection service), 223-231 Wai Yip Street, Kwun Tong. Its opening hours will be from 8am to 10pm from Monday to Saturday, and it will be closed on Sunday and public holidays. The Kwun Tong (Temporary) Office will process the following three types of identity card applications: 
 

1. Replacement of new smart identity cards for persons still holding the old form of smart identity card after the completion of the Territory-wide Identity Card Replacement Exercise;
2. Replacement of juvenile or adult identity cards for persons already holding identity cards reaching 11 or 18 years of age; and
3. Replacement of permanent identity cards for persons holding Hong Kong Identity Cards with their eligibility for permanent identity card verified.

 
     Residents can start to make appointment booking at the Kwun Tong (Temporary) Office from October 31 onward. Residents may scan the QR codes (see Annex I) to download the ImmD mobile application or make an appointment for an identity card application at any ROP Office via the Internet (www.gov.hk/icbooking).
 
     Meanwhile, the extension of service hours to 10pm at the four designated ROP Offices, viz. Hong Kong Office, Kowloon Office, Kwun Tong Office and Tuen Mun Office, will continue. Please see Annex II for the details of address and working hours of the ROP Offices. 
 
     Moreover, for more effective deployment of resources and enhancement of efficiency, the scope of services of the ROP Offices will be adjusted from November 1. During the normal service hours, the four designated ROP Offices as mentioned above will focus on handling applications for first registration of identity card, including identity card applications from persons reaching 11 or 18 years of age who have never registered for an identity card and new arrivals. In addition, replacement of identity cards due to loss, destruction, damage or defacement and amendment of registered particulars on identity cards will also be processed. The identity card applications to be processed during the extended service hours will be the same as the Kwun Tong (Temporary) Office.  
 
     The working hours and scope of services of Fo Tan Office and Yuen Long Office will remain unchanged.
 
     For details of the adjusted service scope of ROP Offices, please see Annex III.
 
     Residents who have successfully made appointments for identity card service today or earlier will not be affected by the aforementioned service adjustment. Applicants can still proceed to the relevant ROP Office to apply for identity cards according to the scheduled date and time.
 
     In order to ensure that residents could apply for identity cards in a smooth and orderly manner, residents should arrive at the ROP Office as scheduled for identity card services. ROP Offices will not process applications without appointments. For applicants without an appointment but with an urgent need to replace their identity cards which have been lost, destroyed, damaged or defaced, they may approach the ROP Offices which provide the relevant service at the normal service hours. The staff will offer assistance based on individual circumstances.

     The Leisure and Cultural Services Department (LCSD)'s new intelligent sports and recreation services booking and information system, SmartPLAY, will be officially launched at 7am on November 9 to replace the current Leisure Link Computerised Booking System which will stop operation from November 6 onward. To tie in with the transfer between the old system and the new one, the department will implement transitional arrangements of booking for its natural and artificial turf soccer pitches (turf soccer pitches), as well as non-fee charging recreation and sports facilities.  

     The detailed arrangements are as follows:

Balloting/booking of turf soccer pitches
——————————————–

     For the available sessions of turf soccer pitches on or before November 16, the existing arrangements of online balloting via Leisure Link will remain unchanged. 

     For the sessions of turf soccer pitches from November 17 to 21, online balloting will be suspended. After the implementation of SmartPLAY, available sessions within seven days from the current date will be open for booking from November 11 to 15 on a first-come, first-served basis (i.e. booking for the current date to November 17 can be made on November 11). Regarding the balloting for the available sessions of turf soccer pitches after November 22, users can submit a balloting application for available turf pitches via SmartPLAY's dedicated website and mobile app, or the Smart Self-service Stations at leisure venues within 14 to 20 days before using a facility. For the remaining sessions after balloting, if any, members of the public can make bookings of the available sessions within seven days on a first-come, first-served basis (please refer to Annex I for details). 

Merging of online balloting application for turf soccer pitches and non-fee charging hard-surface ball courts
————————————————————————————————

     At present, balloting applications for booking of non-fee charging recreation and sports facilities are handled by District Leisure Service Offices (DLSOs) in various districts. Users should submit their applications at least one calendar month before use. After the launch of SmartPLAY, most of these applications will be transferred to the new system for handling (Please refer to Annex II for details). Members of the public can book the sessions of non-fee charging hard-surface ball courts (including sports facilities for team games such as basketball courts, volleyball courts, handball courts, cricket grounds, hard-surface 7-a-side soccer pitches, hard-surface 5-a-side soccer pitches, gateball courts, netball courts, a roller hockey court, beach volleyball courts, beach handball courts, etc) after January 1, 2024. 
      
     During the transitional period, balloting applications for sessions in December will be allocated in accordance with the existing mechanism. Members of the public can submit balloting applications on or before October 31, or book the remaining sessions in December in advance in respective DLSOs on a first-come, first-served basis starting from November 20. Since November 1, respective DLSOs will no longer accept balloting applications of above-mentioned non-fee charging recreation and sports facilities. 

     Starting from December 13, the existing arrangements of booking of turf soccer pitches through online balloting will be combined with the balloting application for non-fee charging hard-surface ball courts for processing as a single application. By then, users can submit a balloting application for booking available sessions on the 20th date from the date of application at the soonest, until 11.59pm six days later. Each user can submit a total of three balloting choices in one application, including sessions of fee-charging turf soccer pitches and/or above-mentioned non-fee charging hard-surface ball courts on or after January 1, 2024. Applications submitted can be altered before closing of the application period. Sessions will be allocated by computer balloting on the day following the application deadline. For instance, users who wish to submit a balloting application for booking available sessions of facilities on January 1, 2024, can submit applications from December 13 to 19, 2023. The deadline will be 11.59pm on December 19. Sessions will be allocated by computer ballot on December 20. Members of the public can book the remaining sessions, if any, via SmartPLAY on a first-come, first-served basis within seven days. For booking of turf soccer pitches and non-fee charging hard-surface ball courts, either through balloting or on a first-come, first-served basis, a maximum of one session (90 minutes per session) and two sessions of the same kind of facilities (60 minutes per session) would be allowed respectively on a daily basis.

     Apart from the above-mentioned transitional arrangements, new booking and check-in arrangements of turf soccer pitches will also be adopted. Currently, Leisure Link patrons must fill in the patron numbers of four other users when submitting balloting applications for turf soccer pitches. The hirer and three of the users named in the application must check in and be present during the use of the booked session. To further combat suspected touting activities, the above-mentioned arrangements will be extended to the booking of turf soccer pitches on a first-come, first-served basis after the launch of SmartPLAY on November 9. 

     The LCSD reminds the public that starting from November 9, all people, including the hirer of general facilities as well as the hirer and other users when submitting bookings for turf soccer pitches, must register with the new system and complete an identity authentication process before using the new system to enrol in programmes and book leisure facilities. Existing Leisure Link patrons must also re-register their accounts on the new system. The LCSD has provided 375 new Smart Self-service Stations at around 240 leisure venues (including DLSOs in various districts). Members of the public can submit their registration, and complete identity authentication and account activation procedures at these Smart Self-service Stations. As the registration for SmartPLAY will be suspended from November 6 to 8, members of the public are advised to complete registration and authentication on or before November 5 so that they can use the new system immediately after its implementation on November 9.

     To encourage members of the pubic to register as users as soon as possible and exercise more, all users who have successfully registered as SmartPLAY users by November 5 and have completed authentication (including registered SmartPLAY users) are automatically entitled to enter the lucky draw with an opportunity to win a latest model smartphone or other prizes. Details of the promotional activity can be found on the website: smartplay.lcsd.gov.hk/website/en/news/10015.html.

     For more information on SmartPLAY, please visit the SmartPLAY website (www.smartplay.lcsd.gov.hk), or call the SmartPLAY hotline at 3954 5150.

The following is issued on behalf of the Committee on the Promotion of Civic Education:
 
     The Home and Youth Affairs Bureau, the Committee on the Promotion of Civic Education (CPCE) and the Working Group on Local Community under the Constitution and Basic Law Promotion Steering Committee are launching a new round of the Basic Law Quiz Competition to enhance Hong Kong people's understanding of the relationship between the Constitution and the Basic Law, the Basic Law and its history as well as the Law of the People's Republic of China on Safeguarding National Security in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. The entry round of the Competition opens from today (October 30) for application. Members of the public are welcome to join the Competition.
 
     The Competition comprises the Family Category, Senior Primary School Category, Secondary School Category and Open Category. Participants shall answer 20 quiz questions and submit their applications via the Competition website, or download the application form from the Competition website and submit by post or in person. The deadline of the entry round is December 29.
 
     Participants who have answered all questions in the entry round and successfully submitted their applications will have the opportunity to receive a souvenir by mail while stocks last. Upon closing of the entry round, those with the best performance in each category will be selected by ballot to attend the Quiz Final and Prize Presentation Ceremony tentatively scheduled for April 2024. Attendees may have a chance to compete in question sessions for prizes.
 
     The CPCE is a non-statutory committee that liaises with related government departments and community organisations in promoting civic education outside schools, and encourages all sectors of the community to actively promote civic awareness and assume civic responsibility.
 
     For details, please visit the Competition website at www.cpce.gov.hk/basiclaw2023-24
or call 2880 2885.

　　The Leisure and Cultural Services Department's "Our Music Talents" Series will present a saxophone recital by Chemie Ching in November, in which the distinguished young local saxophonist will collaborate with pianist Cherry Tsang and drummer Nate Wong to perform a number of contemporary classical pieces, demonstrating the rich and expressive character of saxophone in her unique interpretation style.
 
　　The recital programme covers George Gershwin's "Three Preludes", David Mott's "Serge Chaloff in Memoriam", David Lang's "Press Release", Joel Love's "Fledglings", Jacob ter Veldhuis's "Billie", Dennis DeSantis' "+8", and Guillaume Connesson's "A Kind of Trane".
 
　　Ching received her Master of Music degree from the University of North Carolina School of the Arts and her Doctor of Musical Arts degree in saxophone performance from the Michigan State University, after graduating from the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts. The Dasch Quartet, of which she was one of the founding members, won the North American Saxophone Alliance Saxophone Quartet Competition and the ENKOR International Music Competition (Chamber Music Category). Ching was also the baritone saxophonist of the Auteur Saxophone Quartet that won the Coltman Chamber Music Competition. She is currently the Music Director of La Sax, a local saxophone ensemble, and has actively participated in various cultural activities such as art festivals, concerts and musicals.
 
　　"Our Music Talents" Series: Saxophone Recital by Chemie Ching will be staged at 8pm on November 25 (Saturday) at the Theatre of Hong Kong City Hall. Tickets priced at $140 and $180 are now available at URBTIX (www.urbtix.hk). For telephone bookings, please call 3166 1288. Package discounts will be available for ticket purchases with "Our Music Talents" Series and "City Hall Virtuosi" Series programmes. For discount schemes and programme enquiries, please call 2268 7321 or visit www.lcsd.gov.hk/CE/CulturalService/Programme/en/music/programs_1535.html.