Page 230 of 241
438
HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
THE DIRECTOR OF SOCIAL WELFARE replied as follows:
I am informed that there are 24 non-profit making day nurseries with 3,227 places and two non-profit making creches with 120 places in resettlement estates, but I regret that I have no knowledge as to the number and capacity of private profit making nurseries. As regards the second part of the question, as I have explained in this Council before, there is an overall policy for the extension of non-profit making nurseries with subsidized places, but there is no separate policy for the special provision of such nurseries in and for resettlement estates alone.
MR. CHEONG-LEEN:--What is the estimated number of nursery places needed in resettlement estates under the overall policy?
DIRECTOR OF SOCIAL WELFARE:-It would, of course, be impossible to answer that question, Sir, without a definition of need but I think I understand what Mr. Hilton CHEONG-LEEN is getting at. It depends to a great extent what you think of as the appropriate role for a day nursery and indeed for a non-profit-making day nursery. One could take the step, which has been taken in one or two places elsewhere, of regarding the provision of day-nursery places as a complete social service which is required in many respects for the whole of the community. If one was judging need on those grounds, then that would, without doubt, easily be a hundred-fold of the present provision and it would take many, many years to achieve. But that is not the aim of subvention. The aim of subvention is simply to see that there are an adequate number of free or cheap day-nursery places for the very poor, and by and large the criteria of taking advantage of such places was very similar to the very low criteria for public assistance, a little bit higher but not a great deal. All I can say in relation to Mr. Hilton CHEONG-LEEN's question is that it has so far been possible to find such free places for this very low poor section of the community and there are still vacancies in these non-profit-making day nurseries.
MR. CHEONG-LEEN:-Could the Director of Social Welfare be good enough to send me a copy of the overall policy which has been referred to in his reply?
DIRECTOR OF SOCIAL WELFARE:-Yes, Sir, and indeed to any other Member of this Council.
MR. LO TAK-SHING:-Could the Director of Social Welfare clarify out of the number of places referred to in the answer, 3,227 and 120 respectively, how many are free places?
DIRECTOR OF SOCIAL WELFARE:-It would depend precisely on the circumstances. They could all be free, but in fact they are not. The fees do differ from $10 a month to $20 a month or even $30 a month at the present time. Free places are available for those families who require free places.
(3) MR. HILTON CHEONG-LEEN asked the following question:-
How many vacant primary school places are there in Government and non-Government schools located within resettlement estates?
MR. HENRY H. L. HU, CHAIRMAN OF THE RESETTLEMENT MANAGEMENT SELECT COMMITTEE, replied as follows:
According to Resettlement Department statistics, on 31st December, 1970 there were 241,129 places in about 300 primary schools in the 23 resettlement estates. 196,025 students enrolled in these schools and the number of vacant primary school places was 45,104.
All these schools are run by voluntary or welfare agencies within the premises of the resettlement estates. There are no government primary schools within resettlement estates.
MR. CHEONG-LEEN:-What are the reasons that account for the fact that there are 45,104 vacant primary school places which means 25% of the total number of primary school places in resettlement estates?
MR. HENRY HU:-I have a breakdown of the figures. The 45,104 places are the result of calculations of about 40 resettlement estate schools. There is no analysis of the reasons why there are so many vacant places.
MR. CHEONG-LEEN:-Could the Commissioner for Resettlement be good enough to let me have a reply in writing at his convenience?
COMMISSIONER FOR RESETTLEMENT:-I am not so sure I shall be able to do this because the reasons why they are vacant may be due to the parents and other reasons beyond my capacity.
MR. HU:-I can answer Mr. CHEONG-LEEN's question. If there is any reason it is only guess work because there are great variations of figures. I will give Mr. CHEONG-LEEN an example. Roof top schools are not usually popular. The ground-floor schools are more popular and the top-floor schools are often more popular than roof top schools.
Page 231 of 241
241