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criteria requires expenditure greater than $20,000,000 such funds will be provided.
Mr. BLAKER asked further what provision has been made for the old and needy, and goes on to say that we should by now be considering a scheme for a form of old age pension for those in need on a selective means tested basis. Indeed we should, and this is already provided for. In default of measures of social insurance, which is to say a scheme for compulsory savings, the Public Assistance Scheme will provide what amounts to non-contributory old age pensions for those in need living below a certain income level.
If I can now turn to provisions for special education, Mr. BLAKER has referred to the needs of children in this category who suffer from various mental and physical handicaps and says "In our hit-and-miss approach to social welfare their needs have not yet been accurately assessed, much less catered for.". Mr. BLAKER'S concern seems to be compounded largely of his own ignorance of the position. The position is this. At present there are 30 special schools including 9 hospital schools. These are run by voluntary organizations and 24 of them are subsidized by Government. In the planning stage are schools for the deaf, the slow-learning, the physically handicapped and the blind. All these schools are being built with financial assistance from Government. There are 24 classes for slow-learning children and 2 classes for partially hearing children in ordinary government primary schools. It is planned to open 2 classes for partially sighted children within this academic year. It is anticipated that by March 1971 there will be 4,000 government and aided places for handicapped children. In addition, it is anticipated that during this academic year over 17,000 children will be dealt with under the diagnostic and remedial services provided by the Special Education Section of the Education Department. These include audiometric and speech screening for primary school children, audiologic testing for children with suspected hearing-impairment, auditory training for pre-school hearing-impaired, speech therapy for the speech-impaired, psychological testing and guidance for children with learning or behaviour problems, and educational assessment of the handicapped.
By March 1971, the first five-year development programme for special education will have been completed. This was aimed at making a start in providing accommodation for children in need of special educational treatment and at establishing the basic foundations for a special education programme. Staff had to be trained and remedial methods and techniques suitable for Chinese children had to be established. In the next five years the Education Department hopes to increase both the accommodation and the range of facilities and to develop those diagnostic, remedial and professional services needed to enable handicapped children to be integrated with ordinary children as much as possible.
Mr. BLAKER goes on to say that there are moreover no apparent plans for the employment of physically and mentally handicapped adults. This again is simply not so. Provisions for the assessment and training of mentally and physically handicapped persons, and for liaison and placement in employment have existed for some considerable time. During last year's debate in this Council, in response to a question from Mr. LOBO, I gave an outline of these provisions. They are moreover fully described in the Social Welfare Department's Annual Report. I therefore do not propose to describe them now.
Sir, I support the motion before this Council. (Applause).
DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC WORKS :-Sir, I find myself in some difficulty. So much has been said concerning activities for which the Public Works Department is at least partly responsible that it is not possible, within the provision of Standing Order 10(9), to deal adequately with them all. So I shall have to be selective. I trust, therefore, that members will forgive me if I do not attempt to reply to all points they have made. As it is I ask your indulgence, Mr. Chairman, if I trespass slightly beyond my allotted time.
Marine Pollution
The first subject I would like to deal with is that of marine pollution raised by Mr. FORSGATE. Such pollution arises from three main sources—the dumping of refuse in the harbour, the release or escape of oil from tankers and the discharge of sewage and trade effluents. The Director of Marine operates a scavenging service in the harbour for the removal of floating refuse and also maintains a unit equipped to deal with oil slicks. I will, therefore, confine my observation to the question of the disposal of sewage and trade effluents which is largely the responsibility of the Public Works Department.
Hong Kong, in common with many other large coastal cities, utilizes the sea for the disposal of its sewage. Prior to 1956, sewage from both sides of the harbour was discharged, untreated, directly at the sea front, but as the Colony developed and the population continued to grow, this practice became inadequate.
The present policy is to eliminate direct discharge of sewage at the seawall and to promote efficient dispersion at sea in the main tidal streams by screening on land and discharging the effluent through diffuser outfalls at a considerable distance from the shore. During the last 15 years plants and outfalls have been built to serve many urban
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develop those diagnostic, remedial and professional services needed to enable handicapped children to be integrated with ordinary children as much as possible.
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