A new living-space improvement transfer scheme invites those living in public rental households with less than seven square metres per person to apply for a larger flat, the Housing Department has announced.

Deputy Director of Housing (Allocation & Commercial) Fung Ho-tong said today the scheme complements the existing territory-wide overcrowding relief exercise, held two or three times a year, for which only 'overcrowded families' - living in flats with less than 5.5 square metres per person - can apply.

Mr Fung stressed the existing benchmark for overcrowding relief will be maintained, while the relief exercises will be accorded priority over other transfer schemes.

He said applicants under the new scheme will be subject to the same set of eligibility criteria and flat selection priority in the order of living density, family size and length of tenancy as with relief-exercise applicants.

40,000 households eligible

More than 40,000 households are eligible to apply for transfers under the two schemes.

Mr Fung said eligible applicants with more than 10 years of residence can choose to move to any district.

He pointed out a lot of overcrowded families living in the New Territories are unable to select a flat of their choice because the supply of vacant flats is unevenly distributed geographically.

There has been no public rental housing production in New Territories east districts for some time, and eight of 14 existing estates have been sold under the tenants purchase scheme.

5,800 overcrowded families

Mr Fung said the number of overcrowded families has fallen from 19,988 households, or 3.4%, in September 2000 to 5,784 households, or 0.9%, last September.