The Housing Authority will set aside more than 60% of its 38,000 planned public rental housing flats for waiting list eligible applicants in 2004-05, an 8.7% increase on last year. It will also maintain the average waiting time at three years.

The authority's Subsidised Housing Committee approved today the provision of 38,300 public rental housing flats for eligible families, of which 23,700 flats will go to waiting list applicants.

Compared to last year's planned allocation of 36,600 rental flats, it represents an increase of 1,700 flats or 4.6%.

Committee chairman Ng Shui-lai said the authority is confident it can maintain the average waiting time of waiting list applicants at three years.

2,900 surplus HOS flats included

The 38,300 flats include 2,900 surplus Home Ownership Scheme apartments transferred for rental allocation. The flats comprise 22,000 new and 16,300 vacated ones.

To cater to re-housing needs affected by squatter clearance, Urban Renewal Authority projects and interim housing trawling exercises, 2,400 flats have been allocated to the clearance category.

Under the Comprehensive Redevelopment Programme for 2004-05, 1,600 rental flats are expected to be taken up by affected families from the Shek Kip Mei Estate Phase 3 redevelopment and the Shek Kip Mei Estate Phases 5 and 6 and Wong Chuk Hang Estate pre-redevelopment thinning-out exercises.

Some 7,000 flats have been allocated for overcrowding relief and transfer needs, which is the same as last year's planned allocation.