The Housing Department says it has adopted a reasonable and flexible approach in devising housing arrangements for divorced couples taking individual circumstances into consideration.

In response to media enquiries on the policy on household splitting, the department said the coverage under the Policy on Conditional Tenancy was extended in November 2001 to cover people who fell victim to domestic violence and have petitioned for divorce, including spouses having no offspring and those bringing no dependent children.

Temporary accommodation in a public rental housing estate in the form of a conditional tenancy will be offered to the aggrieved party. Nevertheless, conditional tenancies will only be offered to those with a genuine need upon recommendation by the Social Welfare Department. About 300 cases have been handled since November 2001.

The department will generally favour the grant of the tenancy to the party having the custody of children if an agreement cannot be reached by both parties on the public housing tenancy.

For cases where the divorced couple are granted joint custody of their children, only the party having the legal right to live with the offspring continuously and permanently will be favoured with the tenancy.

The single party not being granted custody of any offspring should leave the flat. In case of difficulties in finding accommodation, he or she may either apply for an interim housing unit in the New Territories or apply for public rental housing through the Single Person Waiting List.

Although request for splitting of tenancy to acquire an additional public rental housing unit is normally not supported to safeguard the rational allocation of public housing resources, exceptions will be granted if circumstances are unique and extenuating.