-
Tuesday, October 26, 1971
RAPID EXPANSION OF PUBLIC ASSISTANCE SCHEEME
$5.1 Million Spent On 13,000 Families In Last Six Months
Thirteen thousand families received cash grants totalling
$5.1 million under the Public Assistance Scheme in the last six months
between April and September.
During the same period last year, only $1.7 million was spent.
Also, when the Scheme was expanded this April, there were only eight
field units to attend to applications, and now there are ten. In December,
these will grow to 11, and by January next year to 13.
It is planned that future development of field units will
continue to be on the basis of one field unit for every 1,000 cases.
Giving these figures at a luncheon meeting of the Rotary Club
of Kowloon East today, Mr. Lu Yu-hua, Principal Public Assistance Social
Welfare Officer in charge of Operations, said the Scheme was expanding
so rapidly there was now no doubt in his view the target figure of 15,000
cases by the end of this financial year would be reached.
——
He based his optimism on the fact that new cases for September
exceeded 1,000, and this rate of applications judging from statistics
already to hand for October was showing no signs of falling off.
Mr. Lu assured critics of the Scheme -- who had expressed
fears that Government concern would gradually taper off once the target
figure of 15,000 cases had been reached such a conclusion was untrue.
"The Government's responsibility under the Scheme is unlimited,"
he emphasised.
/Replying