Reply: I wish to refer to the reply I made in response to supplementary question to PQ B/38 on 04 February last to the effect that Pas Géométriques is inalienable. As a matter of fact, reserved lands along the sea coast, commonly called the Pas Géométriques and referred to in the Arrêté of General Decaen of 05 May 1807, form part of the domaine public and are, according to section 2(1) of the Pas Géométriques Act, inalienable and imprescriptible. It was during the French Colonisation that the Pas Géométriques were specifically established for defence of the island and public utility and thus being of domaine public. Following the passage of cyclones Alix and Carol in the early 60s, building site leases were granted to low-income families whose houses were destroyed for the construction of a residential unit. These leases were on State land, including Pas Géométriques. Moreover, the ex-Central Housing Authority (CHA) constructed some 19,442 housing units to rehouse cyclone victims. Out of the 19,442 housing units, 897 are located on Pas Géométriques. Since then, it has been the practice for subsequent governments to grant building site leases to low-income earners to enable them to construct a house of their own. To date, some 22,000 building site leases have been granted across the island, out of which some 4,000 are located on Pas Géométriques. Today, it is a matter of pride for me to remind that it was during the period from July 2005 to December 2014 when the Labour Party was in government that those successive amendments were brought to the State Lands Act to enable these building site lessees to purchase the plot of land on which stand their houses for the modest sum of Rs2000. Such measure has enabled 14,678 low-income earners to become land owners. The sale of land to the remaining building site lessees under this measure is still ongoing. At present, some 5,189 applications for purchase of State land are under process at my Ministry. As I mentioned earlier, such measure is, by virtue of existing legislation, not applicable to some 4,897 building site lessees, whose housing units are on Pas Géométriques. To consider amending the present legislation to enable sale of State land on Pas Géométriques would require a major policy decision by government. This will require prior thoughtful and in-depth discussions which go far beyond the remit of my Ministry alone.

163 My Ministry has already started having brainstorming sessions and will be consulting other concerned ministries and departments. It goes without saying that the Attorney General’s Office will have a prominent role in these discussions. LIVERPOOL FOOTBALL ACADEMY – PROJECT COST – OUTCOME