4.
You referred, Sir, to proposals for housing the
Police and Mr Cheong-leen touched on this. The provision of housing for all junior Police officers is now accepted policy, partly in public housing estates and partly in departmental quarters, though inevitably this policy will take time to implement. Further, a scheme for allocating housing in public estates for junior officers in all disciplined services, who are approaching retirement, has been announced. The first allocation will take
place next year and will enable the officers to retain this accommodation after retirement.
5.
Two Members, Mr Cheong-leen and Dr Ho
referred to the corrective and treatment programmes operated by the Prisons Department. The easing of the pressure on accommodation in almost all institutions is welcome, not only in itself, but also because it allows more attention to be given to rehabilitation, In this context the plan to expand and increase
the output of prison industries is important. It enables the best use to be made of the labour available, and also provides training which will assist prisoners to reintegrate into society on discharge as Dr Ho reminded us.
6.
In these rehabilitation programmes the Prisons after- care service has an important role, Every inmate of a drug addiction centre, a detention or a training centre is allocated to an aftercare officer on admission. This association continues and develops during the custodial period. Inmates are released, once a job is found, or, if young enough, a place at school aftercare then continues for the period prescribed.
/7. We