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MONDAY, DECEMBER 8, 1980
IN THE AREA OF DAY CARE CENTRES, MR ALLEYNE SAID AN EVALUATION WAS BEING CARRIED OUT OF THE TWO EXPERIMENTAL CENTRES SET UP LAST YEAR.
HE SAID IT WAS PROPOSED THAT THE SERVICE SHOULD BE EXPANDED IF THE RESULTS OF THE EVALUATION WERE SATISFACTORY, AND ALREADY FOUR PREMISES HAD BEEN PROVISIONALLY EARMARKED FOR ADDITIONAL CENTRES.
ON SOCIAL CENTRES, HE SAID IT WAS PROPOSED TO AIM AT PROVIDING FEWER BUT LARGER AND BETTER STAFFED CENTRES, AS EXPERIENCE HAD SHOWN THE PRESENT POLICY WAS NOT VERY SATISFACTORY.
THIS MEANS INCREASING THE SIZE OF EACH CENTRE FROM 97 SQUARE METRES TO 169 SQUARE METRES WITH THE PROVISION OF ONE EXTRA SOCIAL WORKER, WHILE REDUCING THE PLANNING RATIO TO ONE FOR EVERY 30 000 POPULATION, HE SAID.
MR ALLEYNE ALSO MENTIONED THE INTRODUCTION BY THE HOUSING AUTHORITY OF A SEPARATE QUOTA FOR ELDERLY APPLICANTS ON THE WAITING LIST FOR PUBLIC HOUSING.
THIS HAS BEEN SET AT AN INITIAL ANNUAL LEVEL OF 300 UNITS PROVIDING ACCOMMODATION FOR ABOUT 900 OLD PEOPLE, AND THE HOUSING AUTHORITY HAS AGREED TO KEEP THE SIZE OF THE QUOTA UNDER REVIEW IN THE LIGHT OF THE SIZE OF THE WAITING LIST, HE SAID.
THE HOUSING AUTHORITY HAS ALSO APPROVED IN PRINCIPLE AN EXTENDED PROGRAMME FOR PROVIDING HOSTEL ACCOMMODATION IN PUBLIC HOUSING, AND IN FUTURE A HOSTEL WITH ABOUT 150 PLACES WILL BE PROVIDED IN EACH ESTATE THAT HAS 3 000 OR MORE HOUSING UNITS, HE ADDED.
HE SAID IT WAS PROBABLE THAT ABOUT AN EXTRA 5 000 HOSTEL PLACES WOULD BE PROVIDED BETWEEN NOW AND 1989, IN ADDITION TO THE 1 625 THAT WOULD BE IN EXISTENCE BY MARCH 1981.
THE DIRECTOR POINTED OUT THAT THE REVIEW OF THE PROGRAMME PLAN HAD BEEN A MOST VALUABLE EXERCISE, AND HAD PROVIDED AN OPPORTUNITY FOR STAFF FROM VARIOUS GOVERNMENT DEPARTMENTS AND THE VOLUNTARY SECTOR TO WORK TOGETHER TO REVIEW THE ADEQUACY OF THE SERVICES BEING PROVIDED, AND OF THOSE UNDER PLANNING, AND TO RETHINK THE PHILOSOPHY BEHIND THESE SERVICES.
THE OVERALL CONCLUSION, HE SAID, HAS BEEN THAT THE POLICIES LAID DOWN IN THE WHITE PAPER ARE ON THE RIGHT LINES WITH ONLY MINOR ADJUSTMENTS, AND THERE HAVE BEEN NO DISAGREEMENTS OF ANY SIGNIFICANCE WHICH BEAR WITNESS TO THE HEALTH AND STRENGTH OF THE RELATIONS BETWEEN THE GOVERNMENT AND THE VOLUNTARY SECTOR.
HE SAID IT WAS INTENDED THAT THE NEXT REVIEW OF THE PROGRAMME PLAN SHOULD TAKE PLACE IN 1982 WHEN HOPEFULLY MORE INFORMATION WOULD BE AVAILABLE FROM THE 1981 CENSUS AND FROM A RESEARCH PROJECT BEING CARRIED OUT BY THE UNIVERSITY OF HONG KONG.
THE RECOMMENDATIONS OF THE 1980 REVIEW WILL BE MONITORED BY A NEW STANDING COMMITTEE, WHICH WILL BE REPRESENTED BY GOVERNMENT DEPARTMENTS AND VOLUNTARY AGENCIES UNDER THE CHAIRMANSHIP OF A REPRESENTATIVE OF THE SOCIAL SERVICES BRANCH OF THE GOVERNMENT SECRETARIAT, HE SAID.
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