LCQ15: Repair and rebuilding of squatter huts

Following is a question by the Hon Lau Kong-wah and a written reply by the Secretary for Development, Mrs Carrie Lam, in the Legislative Council today (July 7):

Question:

Recently, a number of squatter residents have sought my assistance who allege that the Government has failed to resolve the squatter problem over the years, and as most squatter residents cannot afford private housing, nor have they been arranged to move into public rental housing (PRH), it is therefore difficult for them to improve the quality of their accommodation. Such residents have also pointed out that their squatter huts, which are made of tin plates and wood, have become dilapidated and are even on the verge of collapsing subsequent to years of being affected by winds and rain. Hence, they hope that the Lands Department will allow them to carry out repairs using more solid materials such as bricks and concrete, but their applications were rejected. They have indicated that they are perplexed by the inconsistencies between the standards for vetting and approving the repair and rebuilding of squatter huts and those of licensed structures. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:

(a) of the current number of squatter huts and licensed structures in Hong Kong, their distribution in various districts as well as the respective numbers of residents;

(b) of the respective numbers of applications for repair and rebuilding of squatter huts and licensed structures received in the past five years, their outcome, including the number of applications rejected, and the justifications for that;

(c) of the current number of staff members responsible for vetting and approving applications for repairing squatter huts and the time normally required for vetting and approving the applications;

(d) whether there are staff responsible for investigating the conditions of squatter huts; whether it will exercise discretion to allow and assist the residents in repairing squatter huts which are at risk of collapsing;

(e) given that most of the squatter huts have been built for a long time and many of them are dilapidated, whether the Government will consider compassionately the housing needs of the residents, relax the existing policy on maintenance of squatter huts and allow the residents to carry out repairs with more solid materials; if it will, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; and

(f) whether the authorities have plans to resolve the squatter problem comprehensively, conduct registration and statistical survey of squatter occupancy again, draw up a timetable for demolishing squatter huts in Hong Kong and rehouse the residents to PRH; if so, of the details and the estimated time for completing such initiatives?

Reply:

President,

Regarding each part of the question, my reply is as follows:

(a) The table below shows the current number of squatter huts and licensed structures for residential use in Hong Kong according to their distribution in various districts:

Type of temporary

The licences referred to above include Government Land Licences and Modification of Tenancy Permits. The number of licences above is the number of licences that the Lands Department has issued. Some licences may cover more than one temporary structure. On the other hand, the number of squatter huts also includes some licensed structures which bear a squatter survey number at the same time.

The Government has not conducted other statistical survey on squatter occupancy since the Squatter Occupancy Survey conducted in 1984. As such, the Government is unable to provide the current number of residents in squatter huts. Besides, the Government also does not have information on the number of residents in licensed structures.

(b) (i) Applications for repair and rebuilding of squatter huts received in the past five years are as follows:

Major reasons for rejecting the above applications for rebuilding include:

(1) The squatter huts were substantially damaged or destroyed in natural disasters (e.g. fire, flooding, typhoon etc.) and were not suitable for use or occupation, and the relevant departments suggested that the occupants should be permanently evacuated;
(2) The occupants of the squatter huts wished to use permanent materials to rebuild the squatter huts and applied for a short term tenancy/short term waiver to regulate his/her squatter huts. However, the applications could not be accepted because the squatter huts were located in potential development areas/intensive squatter areas; or
(3) The squatter huts were located in non-development clearance areas. Non-development clearance areas normally include areas which need to be cleared due to environmental improvement or safety reasons.

(ii) Applications for rebuilding of licensed structures received in the past five years are as follows:

Major reasons for rejecting the above applications for rebuilding include:

(1) The applications were not submitted by the licensee/land owner; or
(2) The proposed rebuilding area did not tally with the area permitted under the licence and the proposed rebuilding was situated in layout plan.

(c) There are about 320 staff members in the Squatter Control Unit (SCU) under the Lands Department. One of the duties of the SCU is to vet and approve applications for repairing squatter huts. The time normally required for vetting and approving such applications is about 10 working days.

(d) Investigating the conditions of squatter huts is not within the working ambit of the SCU. If a squatter hut is at risk of collapsing, the occupant has to arrange for repair on his/her own. But if the occupant has difficulty in housing because his/her squatter hut is at risk of collapsing, the SCU will refer the relevant case to the Housing Department or the Social Welfare Department so that the relevant department can arrange rehousing for the occupant in temporary shelter, interim housing unit or public housing unit.

(e) The Government conducted a territory-wide Squatter Structure Survey in 1982. The purpose was to freeze the number of squatter huts at that time. Surveyed squatter huts are still unauthorised structures though they are allowed to remain in existence on a temporary basis. In normal circumstances, surveyed squatter huts will be cleared when the areas in which they are located are included in development clearance programmes or environmental improvement programmes, or for safety reasons. As such, the Government does not encourage squatter hut residents to use permanent materials to rebuild or repair squatter huts.

(f) These squatter control measures have effectively helped to contain the proliferation of squatter huts. Considering the housing needs of squatter hut residents, the arrangements outlined above still apply and we have no plan to alter the current policy on squatter clearance and control.

Ends/Wednesday, July 7, 2010
Issued at HKT 14:40

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