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Bedspace programme will improve standards

I am writing in response to the letter headlined, 'Government will have to outlaw cage homes' (South China Morning Post, August 26).

Bedspace apartments (BSAs) are private dwellings which provide bedspaces for people who, for economic and personal reasons, live in this type of basic, yet conveniently located, accommodation.

The Government is concerned about the living conditions, particularly safety, in the BSAs.

However, since there is a demand, albeit not large, for this type of low-cost accommodation, we have no intention to outlaw the renting of bedspaces.

Our policy is to ensure, through legislation, that BSAs meet certain fire and building safety standards. The Bedspace Apartments Ordinance was enacted in April 1994. To allow time for BSA operators to carry out upgrading works in their premises in order to meet the required fire and building safety standards, the licensing scheme only came into force on July 2, 1998.

The Government is also taking steps to improve the living conditions of BSA lodgers. Since 1991, the Home Affairs Department has run a singleton hostel programme to provide alternative accommodation for those BSA lodgers who are displaced as a result of the enforcement action against BSAs.

So far, we have converted 38 private premises in the urban area into singleton hostels to provide more than 540 bedspaces for affected lodgers.

In the longer term, we are implementing a programme to construct purpose-built multi-storey singleton hostels.

The first such hostel, located in Shun Ning Road in Shamshuipo, will admit tenants from next month with a capacity of 310 lodgers. Another hostel in High Street, Western District, will be completed in 2001 to provide accommodation for 270 lodgers.

We are also in discussion with various government departments to provide singleton hostels in Smithfield Road (Western), Bailey Street (Kowloon City), West Kowloon Reclamation site, Fuk Tong Road (Kwun Tong) and Fuk Wing Street (Shamshuipo).

Together with a hostel in Shan Tung Street proposed by the Tung Wah Group of Hospitals, our programme will provide alternative accommodation for displaced BSA lodgers in various parts of Hong Kong.

ANGELA LUK for Director of Home Affairs Home Affairs Department

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