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WEDNESDAY, MAY 1, 1985
INSTITUTIONAL CARE FOR MENTALLY HANDICAPPED TO BE EXPANDED
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ACTIONS PLANNED BY THE GOVERNMENT TO REDUCE THE SHORTFALL OF INSTITUTIONAL CARE FOR THE MENTALLY HANDICAPPED WERE OUTLINED BY THE SECRETARY FOR EDUCATION AND MANPOWER, THE HON NEIL HENDERSON, TODAY.
IN REPLY TO A QUESTION FROM THE HON KEITH LAM READ OUT BY THE HON CHEUNG YAN-LUNG, MR HENDERSON POINTED OUT THAT VERY ACTIVE CONSIDERATION WAS BEING GIVEN TO A PROGRAMME OF CONVERTING SOME ORDINARY SCHOOLS TO SPECIAL SCHOOLS AND TO USING OTHERS AS TEMPORARY PREMISES WHILE NEW SCHOOLS WERE BEING BUILT.
HE ADDED THAT THE STANDARDISING OF BUILDING PLANS FOR ALL TYPES OF SCHOOLS FOR THE MENTALLY HANDICAPPED TO REDUCE THE TIME TAKEN FOR INDIVIDUAL PLANS TO SECURE APPROVAL AND TO SECURE MORE BOARDING PLACES WAS ALSO UNDER VERY ACTIVE CONSIDERATION.
HE NOTED THAT 5 287 SPECIAL SCHOOL PLACES WERE REQUIRED ACCORDING TO THE UPDATED 1984 REHABILITATION PROGRAMME PLAN AND IN 1985-86 4 290 PLACES WOULD BE AVAILABLE.
+THE PLANNING SHORTFALL IS THEREFORE 997 AND THERE ARE 621 STUDENTS ON EDUCATION DEPARTMENT'S WAITING LIST, HE SAID.
FOR WORK ACTIVITY CENTRE, MR HENDERSON SAID THESE PLACES WOULD BE INCREASED BY AN ANNUAL AVERAGE OF 300 PLACES.
THE DEMAND FIGURES UNDER THE UPDATED 1984 REHABILITATION PROGRAMME PLAN WERE 4 190 PLACES. IN 1985-86, 1 145 PLACES WOULD BE AVAILABLE, GIVING A SHORTFALL OF 3 045, HE SAID.
+SHELTERED WORKSHOP PLACES ARE, TO BE INCREASED BY AN ANNUAL AVERAGE OF 550 PLACES, HE SAID, ADDING THAT AT LEAST 70 PER CENT OF THESE PLACES WERE EARMARKED FOR THE MENTALLY HANDICAPPED.
HE POINTED OUT THAT THE CALCULATION OF DEMAND FOR SHELTERED WORKSHOPS WAS BEING REVIEWED, AND THE CURRENT KNOWN REQUIREMENT FOR MENTALLY HANDICAPPED PERSONS WAS 2 283.
+THERE WILL BE 1 834 SUCH PLACES AVAILABLE IN 1985-86, GIVING A SHORTFALL OF 449,+ HE ADDED.
ON RESIDENTIAL CENTRES, MR HENDERSON SAID THE GOVERNMENT PLANNED TO INCREASE THE NUMBER OF PLACES FOR SEVERELY MENTALLY HANDICAPPED ADULTS BY 100 ANNUALLY, AND MODERATELY MENTALLY HANDICAPPED ADULTS BY 200 ANNUALLY.
A TOTAL OF 3 930 PLACES IN SUCH CENTRES WERE REQUIRED AND 1 591 PLACES WERE AVAILABLE IN 1985-86, WHICH MEANT THAT THE SHORTF ALL WAS 2 339.
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