The Housing Authority has endorsed the setting of an annual quota for non-elderly one-person applicants for public rental housing and establish a points system to accord priority to older appliers.

The quota and points system will deal with the rise in young people applying for housing. Of the 32,300 newly-registered applicants in 2004-05, some 14,400, or 45%, were one-person applicants, compared to 21% in 1998-99. The average age of one-person applicants fell from 55 to 42. The share of newly registered applicants aged below 35 also jumped from 12% to 42%.

Under the system, points will be assigned to the applicants based on their age at the time of application and whether they are public housing tenants. Zero points will be given to applicants aged 18, three points to those aged 19, and six points to those aged 20.

The annual allocation quota for non-elderly one-person applicants will be set at 1,000 to 2,000 flats, or at 10% of the total number public housing units available to waiting list applicants that year.

The average waiting time for applicants aged 40 or above is expected to be kept at around three years but the waiting time for young applicants will inevitably be longer.

The Housing Department will review the effectiveness of the scheme after one year.