'Procedures to be streamlined to boost land supply'
Financial Secretary Paul Chan said on Sunday that the government will streamline procedures to boost the supply of land and housing, adding that top officials will intervene to clear any hurdles in a timely manner. On a radio programme, Chan said land and housing supply should be sped up by, for example, cutting back government bureaucracy. He said a high-level steering committee led by him will oversee amendments to various pieces of legislation to shorten the time required for statutory procedures, avoid the overlapping of work by different departments and straighten out unclear and out-of-date arrangements.  He added that in the past, some housing developments were slowed down by delays in the construction of transport facilities. Chan said, therefore, the government will adopt an infrastructure-led approach when developing new sites in future.  He also cited a key speech on July 1 by President Xi Jinping, who said the central government fully supports the SAR to take forward reforms and break down anachronistic barriers.  The financial secretary said it's inevitable that the process of developing land and housing might affect some vested interests, adding that the government will do its best to prioritise the public interest. "The SAR government has to think outside of the box. Hong Kong has all along been talking about the so-called 'big market, small government' policy and positive non-interventionism, but the world is no longer the same," he said. "In the regional competition, other governments are playing a proactive role. We should reflect on what we can do to actively assist Hong Kong's development." Meanwhile on his official blog, Chan said a steering committee and a task force headed by him and his deputy respectively will meet this week, adding that they are working at full steam to tackle the SAR's land and housing issues.