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Following is a question by the Hon Chan Hak-kan and a written reply by the Secretary for Home Affairs, Mr Tsang Tak-sing, in the Legislative Council today (January 30):
Question:
In a paper submitted to this Council, the Home Affairs Bureau (HAB) stated that "[t]he Government plans to support non-governmental organisations (NGOs) with the full capital costs of building youth hostels. The concept of Youth Hostel Scheme (the Scheme) is for meeting the aspirations of some working youths in having their own living space and giving these youths an opportunity to accumulate savings to meet their aspirations". The paper has also pointed out that the Government will start with the two more-mature projects on a pilot basis and review the results. Earlier, the Secretary for Home Affairs has indicated that the Scheme aims to supply around 3 000 hostel units and, in order to ensure rotation of use of hostel units, the total tenancy period will be set at not exceeding five years and the upper age limit of applicants at 35. However, some young people have expressed to me their concerns that given the stringent eligibility criteria and complicated formalities of the aforesaid hostels, the Scheme may not be able to relieve their pressure from housing problems. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(a) of the NGOs that have indicated to the authorities their interest in building youth hostels so far; the details of the two more-mature projects mentioned above, including the names of the NGOs, the locations of the sites for building youth hostels and the respective estimated numbers of hostel units that may be provided; the expected date for accepting applications for the first batch of hostel units and the expected date for occupation;
(b) whether, according to the current ideas of the authorities, young people on the Waiting List for public rental housing (PRH) may apply for admission to youth hostels; whether the authorities will consider allowing young people who have moved into youth hostels and are on PRH Waiting List to continue to stay after expiry of the tenancy periods until they have been allocated PRH flats; if they will not, of the reasons for that;
(c) for those people whose tenancy periods for youth hostels have expired or who have exceeded the age limit of 35 but cannot afford to rent or purchase private residential units, what measures the authorities will take to help them, and whether the authorities will consider providing a certain degree of flexibility on the tenancy period;
(d) as the authorities have planned to allow young married couples to apply for admission to youth hostels, of the ratio of hostel units for singletons to those for married couples in their plans, and whether such ratio will be adjusted from time to time in response to the circumstances; of the measures to be taken by the authorities to deal with special circumstances of young married couples getting divorce or having children after moving into the hostels;
(e) whether the authorities will adjust upward the present target of building 3 000 hostel units when the demand for youth hostels exceeds the supply; if they will, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; and
(f) given that the membership of the Long Term Housing Strategy Steering Committee (SC) does not include any representative from HAB, how the authorities ensure that SC will give due consideration for the housing needs of youths when discussing housing policies; whether the authorities have considered including the Scheme on the agenda of SC; if they have, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?
Reply:
President,
(a) Many non-Governmental organisations (NGOs) have expressed their interest towards the Youth Hostel Scheme (YHS) after it was launched. We plan to start with the two relatively more mature projects on a pilot basis, namely the Tung Wah Group of Hospitals (TWGHs)' project in Sheung Wan and the Hong Kong Federation of Youth Groups (HKFYG)' project in Tai Po. It is initially estimated that TWGHs' project would provide around 200 hostel units. HKFYG's proposed project site is relatively small and we are still studying the potential number of units to be provided. It is estimated that the hostels would be completed in four years at the soonest and the NGOs concerned would begin to accept applications in accordance with the completion progress of the projects.
(b) We are working with relevant departments to study and explore the details of the YHS, and would consult the Housing Authority on those details which touch on the interface with subsidised housing. We will announce such details to the public in due course.
(c) The YHS aims to meet the aspirations of youths aged 18 to 30 by giving them a realistic alternative to having their own living spaces for a period of time and providing them with an opportunity to accumulate savings for future development. However, the youth hostels are not meant to provide a permanent accommodation, and the young tenants would ultimately need to make their own plans and arrangement to solve their long-term housing needs. At the same time, setting various eligibility criteria such as age limit and tenancy period will ensure efficient turnover of units and enable more youths to benefit. As such, we consider that a total tenancy of no more than five years is considered reasonable.
(d) The Government will set out the basic eligibility criteria for tenants under the YHS such as rental, tenancy period, age limit, income and assets limits, operation mode etc., to let NGOs operate the hostels in accordance with their objectives and other considerations. NGOs can provide both single and double rooms at the hostels and the Government will not set a strict proportion for the two kinds of rooms to be provided. The NGOs will enter into tenancy agreements with individual tenants, which will specify the identity and number of tenants in the respective units. If the situation changes after the tenants move in such that the lease provisions are no longer complied with, it is expected that the NGO concerned would give the tenants a reasonable period of time to find new accommodation.
(e) The Government would start with the two relatively more mature projects on a pilot basis and review the results. We would also continue to liaise with other NGOs to study their proposals. We will closely monitor the supply and demand for the projects.
(f) The Long Term Housing Strategy Steering Committee will examine the housing needs of specific groups in the community (including young people), consider their relative priorities and recommend measures to meet their housing needs. HAB will provide the information of YHS to the inter-departmental Working Group under the Steering Committee for their reference and discussion.
Ends/Wednesday, January 30, 2013
Issued at HKT 11:05
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