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HIS PRELIMINARY REPORT HAD OUTLINED SOME CONSTRUCTIVE RECOMMENDATIONS ON THE APPROACHES TO BE ADOPTED IN INSTITUTIONAL CORRECTIONAL WORK AND ON THE INTERNAL ORGANISATION, STRUCTURE AND STAFFING REQUIREMENTS OF OUR CORRECTIONAL HOMES. THESE RECOMMENDATIONS WERE BEING STUDIED WITHIN THE SOCIAL WELFARE DEPARTMENT.
ON SOCIAL SECURITY PAYMENTS, HE SAID THE RELATIVE SUMS OF MONEY INVOLVED SHOULD NOT DETRACT FROM THE REAL INCREASES IN PROVISION FOR SOCIAL WORK ACTIVITIES BOTH BY THE DEPARTMENT AND, MORE SIGNIFICANTLY, BY THE VOLUNTARY AGENCIES THROUGH WHOM AN EVER INCREASING SHARE OF THE FUNDS EARMARKED FOR SOCIAL WELFARE SERVICES ARE BEING CHANNELLED.
HE
DEALING WITH THE QUESTION OF SOCIAL WORK TRAINING FUNDS, SAID THE GOVERNMENT BELIEVED THAT THE PLANNING AND FINANCING OF UNIVERSITY AND POLYTECHNIC EDUCATION, INCLUDING SOCIAL WORK EDUCATION, WAS BEST PROVIDED FOR THROUGH THE TRIENNUM BLOCK GRANTS TO THE UNIVERSITIES AND POLYTECHNIC GRANTS COMMITTEE.
THE TOPLEY COMMITTEE WAS NOW REVIEWING THE REQUIREMENTS FOR AND PROVISION OF POST-SECONDARY AND TECHNICAL EDUCATION AND WOULD BE ADVISING ON STUDENT TARGET NUMBERS FOR THE DECADE BEGINNING 1984.
HE HAD APPOINTED A WORKING PARTY UNDER THE CHAIRMANSHIP OF HIS DEPUTY, WITH REPRESENTATIVES FROM BOTH GOVERNMENT AND THE VOLUNTARY SECTOR, TO REVIEW THE PRESENT UTILISATION OF TRAINED SOCIAL WORKERS, TO REFINE THE SUPPLY AND DEMAND FIGURES, AND TO ADVISE ON WAYS AND MEANS OF MEETING THE ESTIMATED SHORTFALL IN MANPOWER, MR HO SAID.
ON THE PROPOSAL FOR A NON-MEANS TESTED UNEMPLOYMENT ALLOWANCE, HE SAID A CURSORY EXAMINATION DISCLOSED THAT THIS PROPOSAL BROUGHT FUNDAMENTAL PROBLEMS. WHILE ASSISTANCE FOR THE SEVERELY DISABLED AND THE ELDERLY COULD BE EASILY DETERMINED, IT WAS NOT THE CASE WITH UNEMPLOYED PEOPLE.
+WE WOULD NEED AN ARMY TO CHECK ON EACH CASE, AND THIS WOULD DESTROY THE SIMPLICITY OF DR HO'S PROPOSAL, + HE SAID
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THE ABSENCE OF THESE SAFEGUARDS WOULD MEAN THAT THIS IS AN ALLOWANCE AVAILABLE ON DEMAND. APART FROM THE LARGE COMMITMENT THIS COULD INVOLVE SUCH A DEVELOPMENT COULD UNDERMINE THE BASIC PROVISIONS OF THE PA SCHEME AS WELL AS THE WORK ETHOS OF OUR WHOLE COMMUNITY.
THE PUBLIC ASSISTANCE SCHEME WAS ALSO APPLICABLE TO THE ABLE-BODIED UNEMPLOYED. THE SAVINGS LIMIT OF $4 500 FOR A SINGLETON AND $3 000 FOR EACH FAMILY MEMBER MEANS THAT NO PERSON NEEDS TO EXHAUST HIS SAVINGS BEFORE HE BECOMES ELIGIBLE FOR HELP.
HE THEREFORE DID NOT BELIEVE THAT IT WAS RIGHT, NOR DID HE FEEL THAT THERE WAS PUBLIC SUPPORT, FOR THE UNEMPLOYED TO BE GIVEN A FLAT RATE NON-CONTRIBUTORY ALLOWANCE WITHOUT REGARD TO HIS MEANS OR THE RESOURCES OF HIS FAMILY MEMBERS.
MR HO FELT PRIORITY SHOULD BE GIVEN TO IMPROVE THE PA SCHEME TO MAKE SURE THAT THOSE DEPENDENT ON IT WOULD BE ABLE TO BUY A BASKET OF GOODS AND SERVICES APPROPRIATE TO TODAY'S HONG KONG.
+THIS LATTER MATTER IS PRESENTLY RECEIVING THE GOVERNMENT'S CAREFUL CONSIDERATION, HE ADDED.