§ Mr. Newensasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on 617W the policy of the Hong Kong Government on provision of accommodation for homeless families.
§ Mr. LuardHomeless families are offered temporary housing in licensed areas where house water supply, electricity, recreation areas and proper management are all provided. Where such accommodation is not immediately available, homeless families are temporarily housed, as an emergency arrangement, in transit centres before being offered places in licensed areas. A family is usually offered a public housing flat after about four years in a licensed area. The Hong Kong Government have a long-term housing programme designed to minimise the future use of licensed areas, but in the meantime these areas are an indispensable means of accommodating homeless families.
§ Mr. Newensasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the provisions made for the rehousing of people due to be evicted from the rooftops of 271–281 Sai Yeung Choi Street, Hong Kong, as the result of demolition.
§ Mr. LuardThe people to be evicted from the roofstops of 271–281 Sai Yeung Choi Street have been offered temporary accommodation in a transit centre comprising former Army barrack buildings at Shamshuipo, until accommodation in licensed areas becomes available. Licensed area accommodation is not available at present because it was necessary recently to rehouse 1,500 people who had become homeless as a result of large-scale fires. The owner of the premises at Yeung Choi Street has, however, agreed to defer clearance at least until after the Chinesse New Year—18th February—in order to reduce the interval between clearance and the time when licensed area accommodation will be available for the families. This should be possible in April.
§ Mr. Parryasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when the hon. Member for Liverpool, Scotland Exchange can expect a reply to representations he made personally to the Hong Kong Government on Tuesday 7th September 1976 relating to matters in the New Territories and to which a reply was promised but not received to date.
618W
§ Mr. LuardI understand that my hon. Friend is referring to matters which he raised with the Secretary for the New Territories when he visited Hong Kong last year. The Hong Kong Government have been under the impression that the meeting that my hon. Friend had with the Governor of Hong Kong on 16th September 1976 had disposed of the matters which had arisen during his visit. The Secretary for the New Territories will now be writing to my hon. Friend about the matters he had raised with him then.
§ Mr. Parryasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if the dispute in Tuen Mun has been settled in the New Territories, Hong Kong, concerning land compulsorily purchased, details of which were given personally to the Secretary to the New Territories on 7th September 1976 by the hon. Member for Liverpool, Scotland Exchange; what was the original offer of compensation; and what was the final settlement.
§ Mr. LuardAll outstanding issues concerning acquisiton of land at Tuen Mun have been resolved. The only case referred to the Land Tribunal for arbitration was that of Mr. Wong Hok-Yee, in which the original offer was $HK55,000, and the Land Tribunal award was $HK67,400.
§ Mr. Parryasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if the problem of sewage disposal in Yuen Long in the New Territories has been resolved, details of which were given personally to the Secretary of the New Territories on 7th September 1976 and to which no reply has been received to date.
§ Mr. LuardConstruction of the Yuen Long sewage treatment works is in progress. It is hoped that the plant will be commissioned at the end of this year.
§ Mr. Parryasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if the dispute over the acquisition of land in the Sha Tin Market in the New Territories, Hong Kong, has been settled, details of which were given to the Secretary for the New Territories personally by the hon. Member for Liverpool, Scotland Exchange on 7th September 1976 619W and to which no reply has been received to date.
§ Mr. LuardThe Hong Kong Government offered the Crown lessee a land exchange entitlement or cash for the resumption of the land at Sha Tin market, but this offer was not accepted. The land was held in agricultural status, and the owner was offered an equivalent of £54,000 an acre. The land has reverted to the Crown under the Crown Land Resumption Ordinance. The owner may still accept the cash offer, or may make a claim before the Land Tribunal. The tenants who were operating the shops and market stalls on the land have, with one exception, accepted the ex gratia compensation offered to them. In the one outstanding case the amount of compensation has now been agreed, and arrangements are being made for payment.
§ Mr. Parryasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much was paid for the acquisition of land in Sha Tin Market in the New Territories, Hong Kong, by the Government; and how the Government intend to dispose of this land.
§ Mr. LuardAs I have said in answer to another of my hon. Friend's Questions today, the owner of the land in question was offered the equivalent of £54,000 an acre, but did not accept. This offer still stands, or the owner may make a claim before the Land Tribunal. The land in question has been acquired for the construction of part of the main trunk road through Sha Tin.
§ Mr. Parryasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is the average waiting time hon. Members can expect before a reply is received to written queries to Hong Kong Government Departments.
§ Mr. LuardHong Kong Government Departments make every effort to answer written queries with the minimum amount of delay. This will normally be about two weeks from the receipt of a letter. If the information is not readily available an interim reply is sent. As I have explained in answer to another of my hon. Friend's Questions today, there was a misunderstanding about the written inquiries that he made of Hong Kong620W Government Departments during his visit to Hong Kong.