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Thursday, October 19, 1972
The proposals cover a balanced social security system, community
development with emphasis on youth and the family, facilities for the dis-
abled, aid to the elderly, rehabilitation of young offenders and probationers,
and effective supporting services in training, planning, research and evalua-
tion.
On social security, the white paper recommends emergency relief to
victims of disasters, a means-teated public assistance scheme to guarantee
an acceptable level of income to those in the community who have the least
money, and in particular, an outright regular monthly payment
that is,
without a means test to assist the "most vulnerable groups" in the community.
With regard to the latter, the white paper proposes that the first
groups to be helped without a means test should be the severely disabled and
those over 75 years of age. Then, if the scheme is successful, it should be
extended to other groups, such as widowed mothers with young children and
the chronically sick.
On community development, the white paper wants facilities extended
so that they become available to the population as a whole.
To this end it recommends a comprehensive network of community
and social centres, and estate welfare buildings and community halls in all
areas in the Colony.
It proposes the appointment of community and youth officers to co-
ordinate community services in each of the 15 urban and rural districts, with
community workers employed by voluntary agencies operating at the street, or
block, level.
/Above all,