3. A Quality Organisation

	Housing Authority
3.1.	The Housing Authority (HA) is an independent statutory body which was set up in 1973 to carry out the public housing programme. The public housing programme has been one of the key factors contributing to Hong Kong's social stability and economic prosperity. To date, we have provided -

		670 000 units of affordable rental housing to some 620 000 households, representing 37% of the total population.
		subsidized ownership housing to 256 000 households which helps to increase the home ownership rate to 52%, of which one quarter is our contribution.

3.2.	The housing scene in Hong Kong has evolved quickly as our society continues to progress. Some immediate issues include -

		The continual growth in population has resulted in a strong demand for public housing. We will expand our housing construction programme steadily to cater for those in need.
		Greater affluence in the society will bring about growing aspirations for home ownership as well as higher quality of housing in both the public and private sectors.
		Our customers are becoming more aware of their rights and have higher expectations of our service delivery.
		Needs and preferences of our customers can vary greatly and we need to provide them with a wider range of products and services to suit their individual needs.
		We must nurture a close partnership with the private sector, encouraging its involvement in the design and construction provision of public housing as well as other associated services.
		The profile and establishment of the Department have expanded rapidly in the past two decades. We need to review our operations to achieve optimal cost-effectiveness and efficiency.

3.3.	In 1997, in order to better meet the challenges ahead, the terms of reference of HA and its Standing Committees have been revised and the work of the Department aligned more tightly with them.
	Organisation and Standing Committees of the Housing Authority

	Housing Department
3.4.	The policies set by HA and its Standing Committees are implemented by its executive arm - the Housing Department with a team of about 15 000 staff. To achieve our goals and deliver our service with better quality, the Department has been reorganised along core business lines since April 1997.
3.5.	The Department is now structured into four core business branches and two cross-business supporting services branches. Each of the four core business is headed by a Business Director. The four Business Directors are responsible and accountable for the development and daily operation of their respective business, setting of service goals and performance standards and resource allocation within their branches. They report through a newly formed Executive Board to the corresponding Standing Committees of HA. The Board performs an internal co-ordinating role in setting overall strategy, clearing policies and targets, and monitoring performance. Two cross-business supporting branches - Corporate Services and Finance and Accounting, provide high level advice on major policy areas and key cross-business strategic issues.
	Organisation and Strength of the Housing Department^{Note 2}
3.6.	As part of the business planning process, a strategic plan will be drawn up by the Strategic Planning Committee at the beginning of each financial year to outline the organisational goals and the resources required to achieve these goals. Based on the strategic plan, each core business branch and supporting services branch will draw up its own annual business plan setting out the key programmes, new initiatives, service improvements and operating budget. A corporate plan, summarizing the key strategies and activities of HA, will be prepared and published for public information.

		Inclusive of 117 staff working in the Director's Office and the Corporate Strategy Unit
		The figures on number of staff might not tally with those attributed to each core business due to the existence of cross-business services.

HA Corporate Planning Cycle

Month	Step	Involvement by HA and Standing Committees
April	Issue timetable
May - June	Formulate guidelines for budgetary and resource planning Identify key priorities Finalise strategic plan	FC and HRC SPC SPC
July - October	Resource allocation Draw up business plans and annual budgets	HOC, RHC, CPC and BC
October - November	Mid-cycle performance review	HOC, RHC, CPC and BC
November - January	Prepare corporate plan Consolidate annual budgets and financial forecasts	SPC FC and HA
March	Publicise corporate plan	SPC and HA

3.7.

Against the background of an expanding construction programme and rising community aspirations, HA recognises the need to steer the Department towards greater operational effectiveness and value for money. To this end, a Management Enhancement Programme (MEP) has been designed and implemented since January 1997. This programme comprises a number of initiatives aimed to improve the quality of our services, create a customer-focused corporate culture and maximize the potential of our staff as well as their contribution. Under MEP, the Department has set the vision, mission and core values as below -

Vision

To be the community's pride as a professional team striving for continuous improvement in the provision of public housing and related services.

Mission

		To provide affordable housing and quality management, maintenance and other housing related services to meet the needs of our customers in a proactive, progressive and caring manner.
		To ensure cost-effective and rational use of public resources in service delivery and allocation of housing assistance in an open and equitable manner.
		To engender a competent, dedicated and performance-oriented team under an inspiring, dynamic and forward-looking leadership.

Core Values

The '3Cs'
Caring Customer-focused Committed.

Logo : The '3Cs'