Chief Executive John Lee on Sunday said the government was on track to completing the city's first five-year plan, with September the target month for unveiling the blueprint.

During the second district consultation session for the five-year plan and the annual Policy Address, Lee said the government would consider setting up a specialised body to oversee building renovation works in a bid to ease the burden on residents and ensure that quality is up to par.

Lee attended the session along with his fellow cabinet members.

About 120 participants, including grassroots residents, retirees, professionals, students and ethnic minorities also took part in the two-hour event at a school in Kowloon Tong.

Like the previous forum, a one-hour general Q&A in the school hall was held before small-group discussions with individual ministers took place in classrooms in which the chief executive chimed in from time to time.

During the first hour, a participant surnamed Wong said it is difficult for young people to purchase a flat themselves unless they are supported by “wealthy fathers”.

In response, Lee noted the Northern Metropolis development had allowed the government to consider further enhancing the living environment for residents.

“Home ownership is something many people aspire to. We are constantly working on enriching the housing ladder," he said.

"The Northern Metropolis has given us a chance to consider, that with more space, whether we can build larger homes and improve our communal areas.”

He also highlighted the importance of cultivating a supportive environment for small and medium-sized enterprises.

“I am aware of the challenges, particularly in the application of technology and AI – how to help them upgrade and transform more easily, and how to make it easier for them to expand overseas when we go global. This is something we attach great importance to.”

At one of the small-group discussions, an engineer surnamed Shiu proposed that the government could consider setting up a so-called buildings maintenance authority under the Development Bureau to oversee repair and upkeep works at buildings which are more than 30 years old.

He added that staff could be deployed from various departments to help with this task.

The department should also be in charge of the issuance of occupation permits, Shiu said, so that residents would only have to focus on shouldering the project costs.

The suggestion was welcomed by the chief executive.

“If there is a professional, trustworthy, and independent service that is well-regulated, so that citizens only need to consider whether the cost they all contribute is at a fair price and that they won't be cheated, and have confidence that there are organisations that can help them with this — this is worth exploring,” he said.

“So in this regard, apart from legal reforms and amendments to various ordinances, if we can establish some agency service providers that can give everyone confidence, we will move in that direction.”

Following the event, Lee told reporters that the government had so far received about 13,800 public submissions for the five-year plan and roughly 8,500 submissions for the annual Policy Address since consultations were launched in June.

He said that the submission focuses on areas including people's livelihoods, economic development, technological advancement, as well as the future of the Northern Metropolis.

These views, Lee said, would help the government to determine its priorities and resource allocation.

“Members of the public are very supportive of Hong Kong formulating its first five-year plan. They generally agree that the five-year plan will allow Hong Kong to better grasp the situation and opportunities to make better plans, to seize the opportunities arising from the nation and the international stage."



Edited by Tony Sabine