HOUSING AND DEVELOPMENT BOARD FLATS (Applicants on waiting list)

[Mr Speaker in the Chair]

The following Question stood in the name of Mr Chng Hee Kok -

Mr Chng Hee Kok: To ask the Minister for National Development what is the number of applicants for Housing and Development Board flats on the waiting list and if there are any plans to change HDB's building programme.

Mr Chew Heng Ching (East Coast): Question No. 1, Sir.

The Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for National Development (Mr Koo Tsai Kee) (for the Minister for National Development): Mr Speaker, Sir, as at 31st August 1998, there were 108,500 applicants on the waiting list under the Registration for Flat System (RFS). Of these, 42% were first-timers and 58% upgraders. Compared with 145,700 applicants in June 1997, the waiting list has dropped by 26%.

HDB reviewed its building programme in August this year. It will build 22,000 flats in non-mature estates in 1999 as the number of new applications has declined in recent months. Together with replacement flats for the Selective En-Bloc Redevelopment Scheme and studio apartments, HDB has planned for a building programme of 28,500 flats for 1999.

HDB will continue to monitor the demand and adjust the building programme accordingly. It will also ensure that applicants are invited to book their flats within a reasonable time period.