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WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 2, 1983
POLICY ON ELDERLY SOCIAL CENTRES EXPLAINED
****
NINE SOCIAL CENTRES AND THREE MULTI-SERVICE CENTRES FOR THE ELDERLY ARE PLANNED FOR THE NEXT FINANCIAL YEAR AND ALL HAVE ALREADY BEEN TAKEN UP BY VOLUNTARY AGENCIES, THE DIRECTOR OF SOCIAL WELFARE, MR SELWYN ALLEYNE, SAID IN THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL TODAY (WEDNESDAY).
HE WAS REPLYING TO A QUESTION BY DR THE HON HARRY FANG, WHO SOUGHT AN EXPLANATION OF THE GOVERNMENT'S POLICY ON SUBVENTION FOR SUCH CENTRES.
MR ALLEYNE SAID HE WOULD CONSIDER ANY APPROACH MADE BY AN AGENCY IN FINANCIAL NEED. ONLY TWO APPEALS HAD BEEN RECEIVED THIS YEAR, OUT OF 30 VOLUNTARY AGENCIES RUNNING 70 SOCIAL CENTRES, INCLUDING THOSE ESTABLISHED WITHIN MULTI-SERVICE CENTRES.
+THESE TWO APPEALS HAVE BEEN SATISFACTORILY RESOLVED,+ HE
ADDED.
MR ALLEYNE EXPLAINED THAT UNDER THE REVISED SUBVENTION SYSTEM, SOCIAL WELFARE SERVICES WOULD BE CLASSIFIED AS CATEGORY I OR CATEGORY 11.
CATEGORY I SERVICES WOULD BE THOSE FOR WHICH A STANDARD COST COULD BE ESTABLISHED AND WHICH MET ONE OF THE FOLLOWING GUIDELINES.
* SERVICES PRESCRIBED BY LAW WHICH CLEARLY CONTRIBUTE
TO MEETING A STATUTORY REQUIREMENT:
* SERVICES WHICH ENSURE THAT A FUNDAMENTAL HUMAN NEED IS
MET; OR
* SERVICES WHICH ARE REQUIRED TO ALLEVIATE GENERALLY
RECOGNISED SOCIAL PROBLEMS.
CATEGORY I SERVICES WOULD RECEIVE SUBVENTION AT 100 PER CENT OF THE STANDARD COST ESTABLISHED.
CATEGORY 11 SERVICES WOULD RECEIVE A SUBVENTION COVERING ONLY PART OF THE STANDARD COST OR, IF STANDARD COSTS COULD NOT BE ESTABLISHED, A LUMP-SUM GRANT.
+THE PROPORTION OF THE STANDARD COST TO BE SUBVENTED, OR THE LUMP-SUM GRANTS WOULD BE DETERMINED ON THE MERITS OF EACH CASE,+ MR ALLEYNE SAID.
HE SAID THAT SOCIAL CENTRES FOR THE ELDERLY, WHICH PROVIDE SOCIAL AND RECREATIONAL ACTIVITIES, AND MULTI-SERVICE CENTRES FOR THE ELDERLY, WHICH PROVIDE A FULL RANGE OF SERVICES SUCH AS HOME HELP, COUNSELLING, LAUNDRY AND SOCIAL ACTIVITIES, HAD BEEN PLACED IN CATEGORY II.
+AS I