The Secretary for Housing, Planning & Lands has been appointed Chairman of the Housing Authority ex officio, effective April 1.

The Chief Executive's Office announced Michael Suen's appointment today, which follows the implementation of the Housing (Amendment) Ordinance 2003 that enables the Chief Executive to appoint a public officer to serve in the post. Previously, only non-official members of the authority were eligible.

The office said appointing Mr Suen as chairman will enable the integration of the authority's operations into the Government's overall policy process.

It added that this would allow Mr Suen to take full responsibility for all aspects of the formulation and implementation of housing policy, in accordance with the accountability system.

The Chief Executive paid a warm tribute to the outgoing Chairman Dr Cheng Hon-kwan for his invaluable contributions during the past 30 months, commending his vision, innovative ideas and professional expertise.

Mr Suen said: "I look forward to working with members of the authority in providing adequate and affordable housing to families in need."