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WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 28, 1979
$680 MILLION EARMARKED FOR SOCIAL WELFARE SERVICES
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THE GOVERNMENT HAS EARMARKED $680 MILLION FOR SOCIAL WELFARE SERVICES IN THE COMING FINANCIAL YEAR, REPRESENTING A THREE-FOLD INCREASE OVER THE LAST FIVE YEARS.
ANNOUNCING THIS IN HIS ANNUAL BUDGET SPEECH IN THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL TODAY (WEDNESDAY), THE FINANCIAL SECRETARY, THE HON. PHILIP HADDON-CAVE, SAID THE SUM ALSO REPRESENTED 5.5 PER CENT OF THE YEAR'S TOTAL EXPENDITURE.
HE SAID THE DRAFT ESTIMATES ANTICIPATED EXPENDITURE OF $405 MILLION ON ALL FORMS OF SOCIAL SECURITY IN 1979-80, INCLUDING THE PUBLIC ASSISTANCE SCHEME, THE OLD AGE ALLOWANCE AND THE DISABILITY ALLOWANCE.
+THIS REPRESENTS AN INCREASE OF NEARLY 500 PER CENT OVER THE FIGURE OF $72 MILLION FIVE YEARS AGO, HE SAID.
A COMPREHENSIVE WHITE PAPER ON SOCIAL WELFARE WOULD BE PUBLISHED SHORTLY AND THE PROPOSALS IN THE WHITE PAPER WOULD ENTAIL AN ADDITIONAL $235 MILLION IN RECURRENT EXPENDITURE BY 1982-83.
+DURING THE SAME FOUR-YEAR PERIOD FOR 1979-80 TO 1982-83. CAPITAL EXPENDITURE, INCLUDING DISBURSEMENTS FROM THE LOTTERIES FUND, WILL TOTAL $88 MILLION AT 1978 PRICES, THE FINANCIAL SECRÉTARY SAID.
+THESE FIGURES DO NOT INCLUDE THE COST OF EXPANDING SERVICES TO THE DISABLED AS OUTLINED IN THE 1977 WHITE PAPER ON REHABILITATION WHICH WILL, IN ADDITION, INVOLVE AN INCREASE OF $298 MILLION IN RECURRENT EXPENDITURE BY 1982-83, HE ADDED.
THE FINANCIAL SECRETARY POINTED OUT THAT A MAJOR PORTION OF INCREASED RECURRENT EXPENDITURE WOULD BE CHANNELLED THROUGH SOCIAL WELFARE SUBVENTIONS, FOR WHICH PURPOSE THE DRAFT ESTIMATES PROVIDED $117 MILLION, REPRESENTING AN INCREASE OF 17 PER CENT COMPARED WITH THE APPROVED PROVISION FOR 1978-79.
+AS IN PREVIOUS YEARS THE BULK OF THIS SUM WILL BE DISBURSED, ON THE ADVICE OF THE SOCIAL WELFARE ADVISORY COMMITTEE, IN THE FORM OF DISCRETIONARY GRANTS TO VOLUNTARY AGENCIES, HE SAID.
THE FINANCIAL SECRETARY ADDED THAT A WORKING PARTY WOULD SHORTLY MAKE RECOMMENDATIONS AS TO HOW THE GOVERNMENT AND THE VOLUNTARY SECTORS MIGHT BEST WORK TOGETHER TO ACHIEVE THE PLANNING TARGETS EMBODIED IN RECENT GREEN AND WHITE PAPERS ON SOCIAL WELFARE SERVICES.
+THESE RECOMMENDATIONS SHOULD PROVIDE A FRAME-WORK FOR THE STRENGTHENING AND IMPROVEMENT OF THE ADMINISTRATION OF SOCIAL WELFARE SUBVENTIONS,+ HE SAID.