CHAIRMAN’S MESSAGE

I feel honoured to be appointed Secretary for Transport and Housing this July and fully realise the great challenge that comes with the job.

Housing is now at the top of the list of livelihood issues

in Hong Kong in the midst of rising property prices and

rents. Under the new Chief Executive, the fourth term

administration has committed to the provision of an

adequate supply of affordable housing for low-income

residents, including assisted home ownership. The

Housing Authority (HA) is tasked to meet this challenge as

it has always done.

The HA operates a rolling public rental housing (PRH)

construction programme that aims to provide on average

of around 15 000 new units per year over the next five

years. I am pleased to report that we were able to meet

our target in 2011/12, an achievement that enabled us to

keep the average waiting time for general PRH applicants

on the Waiting List within our target of around three years.

The current administration, however, recognises the need

to meet the rising demand for PRH. We are now exploring

ways of optimising our existing land resources and utilising

appropriate land released from other uses, so that we

can expand the production of PRH in the near future.

Measures include the conversion of the Chai Wan Factory

Estate and swapping of an open space in Cheung Sha Wan

for PRH developments. Looking at housing strategically

is important. To this end, a Long Term Housing Strategy

review will be relaunched to study the changing housing

needs of different groups in the community and consider

measures to address them.

Rising property prices have meant that many middle-class

families wishing to purchase a home are finding it difficult.

To relieve this situation, the administration has revived the

Home Ownership Scheme (HOS), and the HA has been

tasked with fast-tracking the development of the new HOS

programme. We have looked carefully at ways in which the

flat production process can be streamlined at every stage,

from planning, design, tender and construction right

through the sales of HOS flats at the first batch of sites. To

enable the public to acquire their own homes before the

08

completion of the new HOS flats, the administration has

announced an initiative to allow 5 000 eligible applicants

annually to buy second-hand HOS flats without paying

premium and to expedite the sale of surplus HOS flats.

The HA is now working out the implementation details to

facilitate the application for the schemes.

In recent years, the demographic makeup of Hong Kong

households has shifted noticeably; the population is

ageing, the average family size has become smaller, and

more people (both young and old) now live on their own.

There is public expectation that the HA will respond to

the changing housing needs of these various groups.

Apart from looking into increasing the supply of affordable

housing, we are now exploring ways to better manage the

increasing number of non-elderly single applicants on the

Waiting List.

Today, sustainability has become a major concern for

Hong Kong. The HA has been proactive in rising to this

particular challenge. We have rethought our designs,

enhanced the construction processes and improved our

maintenance and management practices across the board

in order to meet the community’s rising expectations

about sustainability and environmental care. For instance,

both our major new waste management and recycling

programmes, and our enhanced lighting systems and

associated technology, have enabled us to achieve

significant environmental targets. More in-depth coverage

of these initiatives can be found in this Annual Report.

Safety, too, is an issue that has taken on a much higher

profile in recent times. The HA has always placed a great

deal of importance on safety, but in response to new

expectations we are working further to upgrade our safety

practices to new and often industry-leading levels. Our

safety protocols at all our construction sites are rigorous

and comprehensive, helping us to keep our accident

statistics among the lowest of all developers in Hong Kong.

Another change in social attitude is the rising care for

inclusiveness, especially in relation to accessibility. In the

past year we have continued to take steps to enhance

pedestrian connectivity in our PRH estates – particularly

in those built on difficult terrain and incorporating steep

slopes – making them more convenient for people of

different abilities and ages. Some of the most visible results

of these accessibility initiatives can be seen in our

barrier-free works across PRH estates, which have opened

up the lives of many residents by making it easier for them

to access essential facilities. A total of $250 million will

be spent in the coming three years to implement a rolling

programme for lift addition projects within PRH estates to

enhance mobility for the elderly, the disabled and children.

In light of PRH residents’ increasing expectation of HA

service quality, we have, over the past year, lifted our

management and service standards across the board.

We have launched the Responsive In-flat Maintenance

Service (RIMS) which gives residents access to fast, free

repairs when required; we have expanded our feedback

channels; we also continue to adopt a proactive staff

training approach, so as to ensure all front-line staff are

well equipped to handle the many and diverse requests

from residents. Separately, we have devoted our efforts to

improving the living environment for our PRH residents,

for instance through extensive planting and greening

programmes, provision of new communal venues and

organising community activities.

In striving for continuous improvement, we are also

encouraged by external recognition through the

promulgation of awards and commendations. In 2011/12,

I am delighted that our efforts have once again been

recognised by a number of awards. Rather than listing

them one by one here, I would like to cite just a few,

particularly the Grand Award from the Asia Pacific

Business Excellence Standard Academy, the Asia Pacific

Federation of Project Management Award 2011, and the

09

CHAIRMAN’S MESSAGE

Project Management Team of the Year award which was

accompanied by another two Merit awards at the Royal

Institution of Chartered Surveyors Hong Kong Property

Awards. I would also want to say how proud we all have

been when the Lighthouse Club and Construction Industry

Council presented the Golden Helmet Award to our Deputy

Director of Housing (Development and Construction),

Ms Ada Fung, in recognition of her outstanding work in the

field of safety.

My thanks go out to the many individuals and groups who

worked hard for us over the past year. This is no mere

formality. Every member of the HA has played his or her

essential part in enabling us to turn the year’s challenges

into success stories. Their work has been outstanding and

I deeply appreciate their efforts.

I must express my special appreciation to Ms Eva Cheng,

our former Chairman and inspirational leader. Under

her committed leadership, the HA successfully met the

never-ceasing challenges of providing affordable housing

for those in need, keeping the average waiting time for

General Applicants within our target, and ensuring decent,

green and sustainable living conditions for PRH residents.

I would also like to acknowledge those members who have

retired over the past year; they are Mr Eddie Ng

Hak-kim, Dr Andrew Chan Ping-chiu, Mr Joseph Fan

Wai-kuen, Mr Augustine Wong Ho-ming, Dr Andy Lam

Siu-wing, Professor Rebecca Chiu Lai-har, Mr Kwok

Lit-tung, Mr Simon Ip Shing-hing, Mr David Sun Tak-kei,

Mr Joseph Kwan Kwok-lok, Mr Daniel Lai and

Mr Andy Li Wai-kwan. New members, bringing fresh ideas

and energies, have included Dr Lau Kwok-yu, Mr Stanley

Wong Yuen-fai, Mrs Cheung Ang Siew-mei, Mr Raymond

Chan Yuk-ming, Mr Horace Cheung Kwok-kwan,

Mr Wallace Hong Wing-kwong, Ms Serena Lau Sze-wan,

Mr Francis Mok Gar-lon, Professor Ng Mee-kam,

Mr Thomas Pang Cheung-wai, Ms Susanna Shen

Shuk-ching, Ms Cleresa Wong Pie-yue and Ms Christine

Yip Kee-ching.

The HA Committees and Sub-committees play an

extremely important role in enabling the HA to accomplish

its many plans and tasks, and I would like to record my

particular gratitude to their dedicated Chairmen. They

are Mr Joseph Fan Wai-kuen, Chairman of the Building

Committee; Dr Andrew Chan Ping-chiu, Chairman of the

Commercial Properties Committee; Professor Raymond So

Wai-man, Chairman of the Finance Committee and Funds

Management Sub-committee; Ms Angela Lee Wai-yin,

Chairman of the Tender Committee, and Mr Eddie Ng

Hak-kim, Chairman of the Audit Sub-committee.

I would like to conclude my message by thanking the

staff and management of the Housing Department, the

executive arm of the HA. They have put in another year

of excellent service and dedication. Their work has been

essential to the HA successfully meeting challenges,

both old and new, ensuring that the HA remains a vital

and relevant part of Hong Kong’s unique social fabric.

I am confident that our professionalism and expertise,

coupled with years of accumulated experience, will stand

us in good stead and enable us to rise to challenges

successfully.

Professor Anthony Cheung Bing-leungChairman

10