HOUSING AND DEVELOPMENT (AMENDMENT) BILL

Order for Second Reading read.

6.50 p.m.

The Minister for Law and National Development (Mr E. W. Barker): Mr Speaker, Sir, I beg to move, "That the Bill be now read a Second time."

Section 2 of this Bill seeks to amend subsection (2) of section 4 of the Housing and Development Ordinance which at present requires the Chairman or the Deputy Chairman of the Board, in addition to another person authorised by the Board, to sign every deed, document and any instrument requiring the seal of the Board. The effect of the amendment is to simplify the procedure for the final execution of documents to allow the Board's seal to be affixed in the presence of the Chairman or the Deputy Chairman or any member of the Board and an authorised officer of the Board, thereby relieving the Chairman and the Deputy Chairman of this tedious legal obligation. This amendment is necessary in view of the considerable increase in the number of documents to be sealed by the Housing and Development Board since the introduction of the home ownership scheme for the people. Members of the House are no doubt aware that more and more citizens are coming forward to purchase Housing and Development Board flats, especially with the recent raising of the family income limit. As at 30th September, 1971, 36,470 units of flats have been sold by the Board.

Clauses 3 to 9 of the Bill deal with minor amendments to various sections of Part IV of the Ordinance, such as deleting the words "living accommodation" and substituting therefor the word "building"; and inserting immediately after the word "flat" the words ", house or other building". These amendments are necessary in order to make the provisions of the Ordinance apply to buildings other than those meant for residential purposes.

Sir, I beg to move.

Question put, and agreed to.

Bill accordingly read a Second time and committed to a Committee of the whole 1-louse.

The House immediately resolved itself into a Committee on the Bill.-[Mr Barker].

Bill considered in Committee; reported without amendment; read a Third time and passed.