THE HONG KONG HOUSING AUTHORITY 

Memorandum for the Management and Operations Committee and the Complaints Committee Statistics on Complaints (July to September 1995) 

PURPOSE 

This paper reports on the complaints received and handled by the Housing Department and the Complaints Committee respectively during the quarter from July to September 1995. 

COMPLAINTS RECEIVED BY THE HOUSING DEPARTMENT 

Number of Complaints
2. For the quarter from July to September 1995, the Housing Department received a total of 7,148 complaints, representing a monthly average of2,383 cases. This represents an increase of 9% compared with the monthly average of 2,188 cases in the second quarter of 1995. A------ graph showing the trend in the number of complaint cases received over the past two years is at Table 1 of Annex A. Categories of Complaints

3. 72.2% (5,160 cases) of the complaints received focused on building and environment related matters, mainly on lift, pump, gas and structural related building works etc. The second area that attracted many complaints was tenancy related matters (23.3%), with pets and noise nuisance being the major item. A chart showing distribution of various categories of complaints is at Table 2 of Annex A. These complaints came mainly from public housing tenants (58%),HOS/THA residents (16.1%), and referrals from Urban Council, Regional Council and District Board members (4.5%). A chart showing the source of complaints is at Table 3 of Annex A. Complaints Received by Regions

4. As expected, the four regions of estate management received most(97.1%) of the complaints, with New Territories West Region topping the list this time. A------ distribution of the complaints in the four regions by categories is shown at Table 1 of Annex B.

5. Further breakdowns on the complaints received by districts in the four regions are presented at Table 2 of Annex B. The districts with a larger number of complaints were Tuen Mun East, Hong Kong West and Shatin South. While Tuen Mun East and Shatin South encountered most of the problems in the area of structural repairs and building services issues, Hong Kong West got more complaints in respect of tenancy matters.6. 6.8% (488 cases) of the complaints are outstanding as at the end of the quarter. On average,7.5 days are required to handle a complaint. 

COMPLAINTS REFERRED FROM COMMISSIONER FOR ADMINISTRATIVE COMPLAINTS (COMAC)

7. A breakdown of the 24 complaints referred from COMAC----- during this quarter and the outcome of the investigation are at Annex C. 21 cases are still under COMA C investigation, and three are found not substantiated. 

COMPLAINTS ADDRESSED TO THE COMPLAINTS COMMITTEE

8. The Complaints Committee received a total of 12 cases------ during the period. A synopsis of the cases is at Annex D. Departmental directorate officers also reviewed 13------ complaints during the quarter, apart from COMAC cases. A summary of the cases is at Annex E.

MONITORING OF COMPLAINT CASES

9. In monitoring the complaints handled by the Department, the Complaints and Enquiries Section of the Information and Community Relations Division plans to conduct studies to districts/estates on a selected basis with a view to finding out the causes of the problems and how to improve our services to meet the needs of the tenants and the public.

REQUESTS RECEIVED BY THE HOUSING DEPARTMENT

10. During the period, there was a total of 136,363requests. Most of them were related to building and environment (62.1%), public housing application(18.3%),tenancy matters (9.4%) and housing policies (9.1%). Not surprisingly, the bulk of them came directly from public housing tenants (73 %) and applicants(17.8%). On average,9.9 days are required to handle a request upon receipt.

INFORMATION
11. This paper is issued for Members' information. 

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File Ref. : HD(A)C&E 2/14/1Date : 29 December 1995