Introduce rent control scheme to protect the poor, Legco panel says
Legco panel demands scheme to protect families forced into subdivided flats
A Legislative Council panel yesterday endorsed a motion calling for the creation of a special rent control scheme to relieve the burden faced by needy families living in substandard subdivided flats.
Many panel members were dissatisfied with the government's lack of immediate measures to ease the housing problems of these families, with some proposing making use of military sites to build flats.
Legislators were briefed yesterday on the government's long-term housing strategy report, which calls for the construction of 480,000 residential flats in the next 10 years.
Legislator Kwok Wai-keung of the Federation of Trade Unions dismissed the 10-year plan. "There are many poor families living in subdivided flats. They can't wait for 10 years. They need immediate help," he said.
There is no legal definition of a subdivided flat, but the term is commonly used to describe cases in which one flat is partitioned into two or more self-contained cubicles. Many of the conversions are carried out illegally.
It has been estimated that more than 86,000 households are living in such homes. Rents for 100 sq ft subdivided flats on Cheung Chau can reportedly reach HK$3,000 a month.