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Following is a question by the Hon Tony Tse and a written reply by the Secretary for Transport and Housing, Professor Anthony Cheung Bing-leung, in the Legislative Council today (April 13):
Question:
There are comments that following the emergence of the problem of ageing population in Hong Kong, the housing needs of the elderly have become one of the major issues of public concern, and have expanded the domain of housing development in the future. Nevertheless, only the Hong Kong Housing Authority and the Hong Kong Housing Society have provided housing flats tailor-made for the elderly at present, whilst private developers have not responded actively to the housing needs of the elderly. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1) whether it adopted any measure in the past five years to encourage private developers to provide flats that cater for the needs of the elderly when carrying out their residential development projects; if it did, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; whether it assessed in the past five years the disposition of private developers to provide such flats; if it did, of the outcome; if not, the reasons for that;
(2) whether it studied in the past five years ways to draw on overseas experience and practices so as to fully implement the policy visions of "ageing in place" and "inter-generational harmony"; if it did, of the details; if not, whether it will allocate resources to conduct such a study;
(3) whether it conducted in the past five years any comprehensive review of issues such as the land policy, town planning, land lease conditions, and the provisions regarding the universal design of residential buildings under the Buildings Ordinance (Cap 123), with a view to implementing the policy visions mentioned in (2); if it did, of the outcome and the major recommendations for improvement; if not, the reasons for that and whether it will conduct the relevant review; and
(4) whether it will conduct a review in the near future of the contents, execution and effectiveness of the housing policy for the elderly; if it will, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?
Reply:
President,
With input from the Development Bureau (DEVB) and the Labour and Welfare Bureau, my consolidated reply to the various parts of the question raised by Hon Tony Tse is as follows.
Housing is a livelihood issue which concerns various age groups in the society. At the same time, the Government is also concerned about the welfare of the elderly and has been promoting the policy of "Ageing in place". "Ageing in place as the core, institutional care as back-up" is the Government's fundamental elderly care policy. In line with the policy of "Ageing in place" and to improve the living environment of the elderly, with regard to public housing, the Hong Kong Housing Authority (HA) has adopted the universal design in newly-built public rental housing (PRH) units to cater for the needs of tenants of different age and physical conditions. Tenants can continue to reside in the same unit even in their old age or when their mobility is impaired. For elderly tenants living in old PRH blocks, HA will modify the facilities of their PRH units to cater for their needs. In addition, HA implements a number of schemes such as the Harmonious Families Priority Scheme, Addition Policy for Harmonious Families, Harmonious Families Transfer Scheme and Amalgamation of Tenancies for Harmonious Families to encourage younger households to live with or live nearby their elderly family members with a view to promoting mutual family support and care for the elderly. The Hong Kong Housing Society also puts in place the "Ageing-in-Place" Scheme in its rental estates to improve the living environment and facilities for the elderly residents, enabling them to age in place.
Regarding private housing, section 72 of the Building (Planning) Regulations (Cap 123F) under the Buildings Ordinance (Cap 123) stipulates design requirements on barrier-free access and facilities to ensure that suitable barrier-free access and facilities are provided in buildings. The Buildings Department (BD) under DEVB also issued the Design Manual: Barrier Free Access which provides guidelines on barrier-free access and facilities to supplement the provisions of section 72 of the Building (Planning) Regulations. All newly constructed buildings and any alterations, modifications or additions to existing buildings are required to comply with the latest barrier-free design standards as stated in the prevailing Building (Planning) Regulations and the Design Manual. Chapter 6 of the Design Manual also specifically lists out the design guidelines and considerations for the elderly and elderly with frailty. The barrier-free design requirements, design considerations and recommended design requirements of the Design Manual would enhance greater independence of the elderly, particularly those who are physically frail or with impaired mobility. The implementation of the requirements of the above Design Manual has resulted in greater awareness among property developers on the topic of barrier-free access and the importance of making the built-environment more accessible for the elderly.
The Design Manual was first published in 1984 and was updated from time to time in light of the advancement in building technology and social development. BD set up the Technical Committee on the Design Manual in June 2014 to collect and to listen to the views and suggestions of the building sector and relevant organisations in respect of the practical experience in the use of the Design Manual, advancements in building designs, technologies and construction methods, and the latest relevant overseas regulatory controls and standards. BD will consider the Committee's recommendations on the Design Manual and continue to listen to the views of stakeholders with a view to continuously enhancing the barrier-free design.
In respect of urban planning, the Planning Department is carrying out the "Hong Kong 2030+: Towards a Planning Vision and Strategy Transcending 2030" (Hong Kong 2030+) to update the long-term territorial development strategy. The study will examine various social and economic trends which have far-reaching implications on the long-term development of Hong Kong, and assist in formulating suitable strategies on urban and spatial planning and development to cater for Hong Kong's future needs, including studying how urban planning and building design, etc. can meet the challenges arising from the ageing population. The initial study findings and relevant recommendations of Hong Kong 2030+ will be available later this year and public engagement will be conducted.
Ends/Wednesday, April 13, 2016
Issued at HKT 14:42
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