I refer to the report “Private home owners paid highest median COV: MND” (Jan 19) and applaud the first ever release of data on the median cash-over-valuation paid by different groups of buyers.
The National Development Minister said he decided to share the breakdown “for completeness”. His statement, though, seems to contradict his decision last year to stop disclosing the median COV data for different flat types because it was misleading.
Should transparency and completeness not be about full disclosure, instead of deciding what statistics to disclose?
From the perspective of both buyers and sellers, is COV data by flat type not more useful than by the type of buyers? Would sellers know which group the buyer comes from? How would buyers know who else may be bidding for the same flat?
While more public housing statistics have been disclosed since the minister took over the portfolio, arguably the most significant statistic is still missing: How many people who have applied for a Build-To-Order flat have yet to get one?
