supporting services in the fields of training, planning, research, evalua- tion and statistics.
4. The Five-Year Plan for Social Welfare Development in Hong Kong will cover the years 1973 to 1978, and is expected to entail expenditure of some $803 million. The major proportion of this ex- penditure will fall on the Government. The Plan will be reviewed annually and extended forward a further year at the same time, thus providing a constant five year projection. Overseeing the development will be the Social Welfare Planning Committee working under the aegis of the Social Welfare Advisory Committee.
5. The year also saw a further step forward in the field of social security with te announcement of the introduction of the Disability and Infirmity Allowance Scheme. This will go beyond the Public Assistance Scheme by providing for the next most vulnerable groups in the community who are regarded as being the least able to support themselves, namely the severely disabled and the elderly infirm. The Scheme, effective from 1st April 1973, provides for non-contributory flat-rate allowances to be paid out of public funds to those who are regarded as disabled or infirm within the meaning of the Scheme.
6. To cope with the expansion of rehabilitation services, the Rehabilitation Section of the Family Services Division became a separate Division under the administration of a Senior Principal Social Welfare Officer.
7. The coming years will create a heavy demand for trained social workers. Whilst the two universities will continue to be able to pro- duce professionally trained staff at the graduate level, facilities to meet the needs for mid-level social workers are not adequate. Therefore, Government has decided to establish an Institute for Social Work Training. The Institute will use the existing facilities at the Lady Trench Training Centre with suitable modifications and additions, and should begin with an in-take of 35 to 50 students expanding in the next four years to up to 100 students.
8. In recording the achievements of the year under review, the opportunity should be taken to pay tribute to two persons to whom a large part of the credit for these achievements is due. The first is Mr. G. T. Rowe, C.B.E., Director of Social Welfare from September 1968 to his retirement in November 1972; Mr. Rows was instrumental in drawing up the White Paper. The second is the late Mrs. Mary WONG
2