HA 17/98
CC 6/98
RHC 27/98



THE HONG KONG HOUSING AUTHORITY

Memorandum for the Housing Authority, Rental Housing Committee and Complaints Committee

Statistics on Complaints (October to December 1997)



PURPOSE

This paper reports on the complaints received and handled by the Housing Department and the Complaints Committee during the quarter from October to December 1997. 

COMPLAINTS RECEIVED BY THE HOUSING DEPARTMENT

Number of Complaints

2. The Housing Department has received a total of 2,014 complaints in the quarter, with a monthly average of 671 cases. As compared with the monthly average of 978 cases in the third quarter of 1997, there has been a decrease of 31% in the number of complaints received. A chart showing the monthly average number of complaint cases received in the past three years is at Table 1 of Annex A.

3. Members will note from Table 1 of Annex A that subsequent to a relatively large increase in the number of complaints received in the third quarter of 1997, mainly attributed to the poor weather which had exacerbated the building maintenance and environmental problems, the number of complaints received in the quarter under review has resumed to the level of the same quarter last year.


Categories of Complaints

4. The pattern of distribution of complaints by nature largely resembles that of the previous quarters, with the majority (65.2%) of the complaints focusing on building and environment related matters, including cleaning, hygiene and environmental nuisances, building works and building services. Tenancy related matters, being the second major area of complaints, account for 15.6% of the overall total. A chart showing the distribution of complaints by nature is at Table 2 of Annex A. More prominent cases handled during the quarter include reports on building defects caused by soil settlement at On Ning Garden; appeals against termination of licences arising from clearance of Hing Tin Temporary Housing Area; and complaints about pipe leakage and malfunctioning of domestic water heaters caused by water pressure problem at Hiu Lai Court.

5. Most of the complaints (50.2%) are lodged directly by public housing tenants and HOS/PSPS residents, either in writing or through the Department Complaints Hotline. There has also been a noticeable increase in the percentage of complaints referred by Members of the Provisional Municipal Councils and the Provisional District Boards (from 7% and 10% in the second and third quarters of 1997 respectively to 17% in the quarter under review). A chart indicating the source of complaints is at Table 3 of Annex A.


Complaints Received by Regions

6. With the majority of complaints focusing on tenancy and building and environment related matters, it follows that a substantial percentage (92.8%) of the complaints falls under the ambit of estate management. The distribution of complaints in the five regions of estate management is shown at Table 1 of Annex B.

7. Further breakdown of the complaints received by districts in the five regions is presented at Table 2 of Annex B. The districts with comparatively higher number of complaints in the quarter are Tai Po, Ma On Shan and Sheung Kwai Chung.

8. 2.2% (45 cases) of the complaints are outstanding as at the end of the quarter. On average, 5.9 days are required to handle a complaint.


COMPLAINTS REFERRED FROM THE OMBUDSMAN

9. The Ombudsman has referred a total of 67 new cases to the Department. This represents a drop of 29% over the preceding quarter, which follows closely to the percentage decrease in the overall number of complaints received by the Department. Of these, 34 cases not meriting formal investigation have been referred to the Department for direct reply under the Internal Complaints Handling (INCH) Programme. A breakdown by nature of the complaint cases referred under the INCH Programme is shown at Table 1 of Annex C.

10. The rest of the 33 cases are referred to the Department for enquiries and investigation. Out of this number, 19 cases are for formal investigation under section 12(1) of The Ombudsman Ordinance while 14 cases are for enquiries. A breakdown by nature of these 33 complaint cases is shown at Table 2 of Annex C.

11. In addition, The Ombudsman has re-classified 2 complaints previously referred to the Department for enquiries to cases for formal investigation. A synopsis of the cases under formal investigation is provided at Table 3 of Annex C.


COMPLAINTS ADDRESSED TO THE COMPLAINTS COMMITTEE

12. Cases handled by the Complaints Committee and the departmental directorate officers during the period are summarized at Annexes D and E respectively.


INFORMATION

13. This paper is issued for Members?information.

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File Ref : HD(A)C&E 2/14/1 Pt.III
Date : 9 March 1998