Currently, the overall occupancy rate of public markets and CFMs managed by FEHD is approximately 89.1%, representing an increase of 12.2 percentage points from 76.9% in 2008. These measures include carrying out enhancement projects to upgrade their facilities, keeping the markets clean to provide customers with a pleasant environment, and holding promotional activities from time to time to attract patronage. FEHD is committed to enhancing the operating environment and competitiveness of its markets and CFMs through the implementation of various measures. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council: (a) of the vacancy rates of various FEHD markets in Tsuen Wan, Tuen Mun, Yuen Long and Kwai Tsing districts from 2008 to the first half of this year set out in Annex (b) of the respective numbers of stalls leased out by three-year tenancies, STTs and tenancy extension through the pilot scheme in the past two years and (c) of the existing number of tenants who have rented stalls for more than three years but not through the pilot scheme whether the authorities will implement any concessionary measures for such tenants if they will, of the details if not, the reasons for that? Reply: President, At present, the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD) is responsible for managing 77 public markets which mainly provide fresh food and other dry and wet goods, as well as 25 free-standing cooked food markets (CFMs), providing a total of some 14 450 stalls. However, FEHD has not offered rent concessions to long-term market stall tenants who are required to pay rents higher than those payable by short-term tenants, resulting in two sets of rental standards applicable to the same market. The tenancy agreements for the third term covered 30 months. The tenants might extend the tenancies later by paying the open market rents of the stalls as assessed by the Rating and Valuation Department or the STT rents, whichever were higher. The STTs, which covered three months commencing on November 1, 2010, were renewable for another three months. The tenancies of the stalls leased out during the first round of open auctions covered three years, and stalls which had not been leased out were leased out in the form of STTs during the second round of open auctions. Under the pilot scheme, market stalls which had been vacant for more than eight months were let through open auctions and their upset prices were fixed at 60% of the open market rents. Following is a question by the Dr Hon Kwok Ka-ki and a written reply by the Secretary for Food and Health, Dr Ko Wing-man, in the Legislative Council today (December 19): Question: In October 2010, the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD) launched a pilot scheme to let market stalls on short-term tenancies (STTs) for its public markets (the pilot scheme).
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