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تقامت
1/7/= Mus. Heart
Social Welfare Review
waspoke
Din
When I wrote to you on 11th May I
proposed to let you have an opportunity for commenting on the Ex. Co. paper before it was circulated.
It
The
2.
I attach a draft Ex. Co. paper which is to be circulated by August 17th at the latest. deals, as you will see, with social security. implications of the programme of social security development, if it is approved, for other social welfare services will be dealt with in the Green Paper when it goes to Ex. Co. later for approval. If you have any comments on the paper, we shall need to have them by 11 August at the latest. Advance warning by telegram would be helpful.' Please remember
this is an Ex. Co. paper not a draft speech!
3.
+
The paper is of course self explanatory but it might be helpful if I placed it in its Hong Kong context. Hong Kong developed social security very quickly in the early part of this decade. The recession held us back: but we continued to maintain the real value of the various benefits, which I doubt any other country in the region (except perhaps Japan) managed to do. Now that there has been an economic recovery, we are able to plan for a further programme of social security development.
4.
There are three specific areas of areas_of development proposed in the Ex. Co. paper. The improvements in the public assistance scheme are substantial and will be well received, but do not break any really new ground. Similarly, the extension of the disability and infirmity (now renamed old age) allowance scheme to cover those incapable of working
J.A.B. Stewart Esq., OBE