There is no plan to restart the property investment residency scheme that was suspended three years ago, the Chief Executive, Mr Chui Sai On, said today. Mr Chui stated this at a press conference at Government Headquarters after delivering his Policy Address at the Legislative Assembly, the first since he assumed office last December. Mr Chui said the Government would also move to repossess land lots sold but were not built on by developers in contravention of contracts or related regulations, through a legal, orderly and transparent manner. Speaking on the property market, he said the Government would hold open tenders for land, and would make the necessary revisions to legislations and regulations to promote construction of smaller-size housing units which would be more affordable to the general public.
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Mr Chui also disclosed that a consultative commission on public housing would be formed next month, to be chaired by the Secretary for Transport and Public Works, Mr Lau Si Io. He re-iterated that 19,000 public housing units would be completed by the end of 2012, as scheduled. Speaking on measures to bridge the disparity between the rich and the poor, Mr Chui said in the long-term the Government would allocate more resources for education, push forward construction of infrastructure works and foster regional co-operation. On Macao-Taiwan relation, he said the Government would establish a formal communication mechanism with Taiwan to promote co-operation. The Chief-of-Office of the Office of the Chief Executive, Mr Alexis Tam Chon Weng, will be responsible for this. As for constitutional development, Mr Chui said the Government would listen to the people. Tomorrow Mr Chui will attend a plenary meeting of the Legislative Assembly to answer questions raised by legislators.
