WEDNESDAY, APRIL 16, 1980
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THE GOVERNMENT IS NOW TRYING TO IDENTIFY THESE AREAS, WORKING THROUGH THE NEW DEPARTMENTAL ESTABLISHMENT COMMITTEES AND IT WOULD THEN HAVE TO WORK OUT SOLUTIONS APPROPRIATE TO EACH CASE, MR ROWLANDS SAID.
MR ROWLANDS ALSO NOTED THAT THE CIVIL SERVICE HAD MADE A SPECIAL EFFORT TO EMPLOY THE DISABLED AND FOR SOME TIME THE CIVIL SERVICE HAD BEEN GIVING DISABLED PERSONS A DEGREE OF PREFERENCE FOR JOBS OVER OTHER APPLICANTS.
+RECENTLY, WE HAVE GONE ONE STEP FURTHER AND AUTHORISED THE APPOINTMENT OF DISABLED PERSONS EVEN WHEN THEY ARE UNABLE TO PERFORM ALL THE DUTIES OF A PARTICULAR RANK, MR ROWLANDS SAID.
ALTOGETHER THE CIVIL SERVICE NOW EMPLOYS 660 REGISTERED DISABLED PERSONS IN ADDITION TO MANY OTHERS WITH MINOR DISABILITIES.
PUBLIC HOUSING PROGRAMME RECEIVES TOP PRIORITY
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GOVERNMENT'S COMMITMENT TO HOUSING IS EVIDENCED BY THE FACT THAT THE PUBLIC HOUSING PROGRAMME RECEIVES MORE THAN ANY OTHER PROGRAMME IN TERMS OF LAND AND MONEY, THE SECRETARY FOR HOUSING, THE HON ALAN SCOTT SAID TODAY.
REPLYING TO POINTS RAISED BY HIS UNOFFICIAL COLLEAGUES AT THE RESUMED BUDGET DEBATE, MR SCOTT SAID THE 10-YEAR PROGRAMME WHICH BEGAN IN 1973 HAD NO TERMINAL DATE: RATHER, THE GOVERNMENT WAS COMMITTED TO A GIVEN RATE OF PRODUCTION FOR A FOUR-YEAR PERIOD, WHICH WAS ROLLED FORWARD ANNUALLY.
HE SAID, +WE MUST LOOK EVEN FURTHER FORWARD, AND DURING RECENT MONTHS I HAVE BEEN LEADING A GROUP STUDYING THE DEMAND FOR HOUSING IN THE PUBLIC AND THE PRIVATE SECTORS, THE PUBLIC HOUSING PROGRAMME AND ESTIMATED PRIVATE SECTOR PRODUCTIÓN.+
+THE FINDINGS OF THIS GROUP WILL BE CORRELATED WITH LAND AND OTHER RELEVANT POLICY AREAS TO PRODUCE A REVIEW OF HOUSING WITH POLICY RECOMMENDATIONS TO THE END OF THIS DECADE AND, MORE TENTATIVELY, BEYOND IT.✦
ON ALLOCATION OF PUBLIC HOUSING, MR SCOTT SAID 24 500 NEW APPLICATIONS WERE RECEIVED IN 1979-80. DURING THE YEAR 10 000 FLATS WERE ALLOCATED TO APPLICANTS COMING UP TO THE TOP OF THE WAITING LIST BUT 6 000 OTHER FAMILIES FROM THE LIST WERE ALSO REHOUSED THROUGH BEING IN OTHER CATEGORIES, AND 9 000 APPLICATIONS WERE FOUND INELIGIBLE ON INVESTIGATION.
+FOR THE FIRST TIME IN MANY YEARS, THEREFORE, THE NUMBER OF FAMILIES ON THE WAITING LIST WAS ACTUALLY, EVEN IF MARGINALLY, REDUCED. THIS IS A STEP FORWARD, AND A MOVEMENT WHICH WE SHALL ACCELERATE, MR SCOTT SAID.
/+THE AVERAUS