Written Reply to Parliamentary Question on Hawker Stalls Left Empty in Last Three Years by Ms Grace Fu, Minister for Sustainability and the Environment

Written Reply to Parliamentary Question on Hawker Stalls Left Empty in Last Three Years by Ms Grace Fu, Minister for Sustainability and the Environment

Question:

Ms Joan Pereira: To ask the Minister for Sustainability and the Environment (a) in the last three years, how many hawker stalls are left empty each year; (b) on average, how long do these stalls remain vacant; and (c) what plans are there to help hawkers who are made to give up their stalls for various reasons.

Answer:

1 Vacancy rates at hawker centres managed by the National Environment Agency (NEA) or by NEA-appointed operators have remained low over the past three years, at about 2% to 4% each year, which are similar to the vacancy rates prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. Vacant stalls will be put up by NEA or NEA-appointed operators for tender or application and most of them would be occupied within 3 to 6 months.

2 Hawkers may give up their stalls for various reasons such as poor health or poor business. Hawkers who are in arrears may approach NEA for assistance. NEA will carefully review the stallholders' situation and provide relevant support, such as allowing more time to make payments, on a case-by-case basis.