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32. In September, 1965, Government announced the setting up of a planning
and research unit in the Social Welfare Department, to be responsible for
preparing a 5-year plan for the extension of social welfare services.
Between December 1965 and January 1966 Lady Gertrude Williams, who is
Professor Emeritus of Social Economics at the University of London,
fulfilled an invitation from the Hong Kong Government, financed by the
Gulbenkian Foundation, to advise on the matter of a possible survey of
social welfare services in Hong Kong. While Lady Williams' report,
spoke highly of all that had been done in Hong Kong in the past, both
by Government and by the Voluntary Agencies, in tackling the immense and
urgent tasks of social welfare, she saw the need for further research and
analysis, rather than for any comprehensive survey, as the proper step
towards further improvement and development in the social services.
Her recommendations advocated therefore the creation of a Research Unit
as part of some existing department of Government and supported by a
high level local Advisory Council, to initiate further enquiries into
and the examination of social problems. She suggested that the
Research Unit should report direct to the Financial Secretary.
Social Security
33. An inter-departmental working party to consider certain aspects of
social security was set up in February 1966 and it issued its report in
April 1967. Its main suggestions were as follows:
(a) the introduction of a comprehensive social insurance
scheme providing benefit in case of sickness, old age and survivorship, employment, injury, maternity, invalidity and unemployment.
(b) the setting up of a full time Commission to draw up
proposals and a research unit to feed the Commission.
(c) consideration of minimum wage legislation.
(a)
review of expenditure on social services which is perhaps extravagant and misdirected in some respects.
The (very voluminous) Report is under study by the Hong Kong Government
and in London.
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E. Water Supplies
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