23
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 23, 1986
BUT HE AGREED THAT THE SOCIAL WELFARE ADVISORY COMMITTEE SHOULD BE MORE CLOSELY INVOLVED IN DETERMINING BROAD PRIORITIES AND HOW BEST TO ACHIEVE THIS WAS BEING CONSIDERED.
MR CHAMBERS AGREED WITH THE HON HUI YIN-FAT THAT PROBLEMS HAD ARISEN IN THE STANDARD COST SUBVENTION SYSTEM, AND, AFTER THREE YEARS' EXPERIENCE OF IT, THE TIME WAS NOW RIPE TO EXAMINE ITS FUNDAMENTAL PRINCIPLES AND TO CONSIDER WHETHER CHANGES WERE REQUIRED.
A REVIEW WOULD SHORTLY BEGIN AND, MEANWHILE, ON THE ADVICE OF THE SOCIAL WELFARE ADVISORY COMMITTEE, MODIFICATIONS WOULD BE INTRODUCED THIS YEAR TO REMEDY SOME OF THE OPERATIONAL PROBLEMS TO WHICH THE HON ROSANNA TAM HAD DRAWN ATTENTION.
+I AGREE WITH HER THAT IT IS UNDESIRABLE FOR LARGE SURPLUSES
TO BE ACCUMULATED IN AGENCIES' ACCOUNTS,+ HE SAID.
+WE INTEND TO RECOVER THESE SURPLUSES AS SOON AS THEY ARE IDENTIFIED FROM AGENCIES' AUDITED ACCOUNTS AND THIS MONEY WILL THEN BE AVAILABLE FOR REALLOCATION TO OTHER APPROVED SOCIAL WELFARE PROJECTS.+
ON THE USE OF THE LOTTERIES FUND, MR CHAMBERS SAID THE DEMAND ON THE FUND TO MEET THE CAPITAL COSTS OF NEW SOCIAL WELFARE PROJECTS WAS LIKELY TO INCREASE, AND HE DID NOT THINK THAT THERE WAS SCOPE FOR DIVERTING PART OF THE FUND TO SUPPORT AGENCIES' RECURRENT EXPENDITURE.
REFERRING TO THE HON CHAN YING-LUN'S DISAPPOINTMENT WITH THE LACK OF GROWTH IN OUTREACHING SOCIAL WORK, HE SAID RECRUITMENT DIFFICULTIES HAD LED TO THE SERVICE BEING UNDERSTAFFED FOR SEVERAL YEARS, AND FURTHER EXPANSION WOULD BE DIFFICULT AT PRESENT.
CONCERNING THE PROVISION OF SOCIAL CENTRES AND MULTI-SERVICE CENTRES FOR THE ELDERLY, MR CHAMBERS SAID MEASURES NOW BEING TAKEN SHOULD SUBSTANTIALLY REDUCE THE SHORTAGE OF THESE FACILITIES BY 1990, THERE WERE AT PRESENT 100 SOCIAL CENTRES, INCLUDING THOSE WITHIN MULTI-SERVICE CENTRES. SEVEN MORE SOCIAL CENTRES AND TWO MULTI-SERVICE CENTRES WOULD OPEN THIS YEAR AND PLANNING TARGETS WERE 12 SOCIAL CENTRES AND THREE MULTI-SERVICE CENTRES IN EACH SUBSEQUENT YEAR.
HE AGREED WITH THE HON LIU LIT FOR THAT THERE WERE SHORTFALLS IN THE PROVISION OF RESIDENTIAL CARE PLACES FOR THE ELDERLY, PARTICULARLY CARE AND ATTENTION HOMES, BUT PLANS PROVIDED FOR THE ESTIMATED DEMAND TO BE MET ALMOST IN FULL WITHIN THE NEXT FIVE YEARS.
ON THE SUBJECT OF POLLUTION, MR CHAMBERS REFERRED TO MR TAL'S SUGGESTION THAT MORE SHOULD BE DONE IN THE PROVISION OF INFRASTRUCTURE AND SERVICES RATHER THAN LEGISLATION. HE SAID THE EXISTING LEVEL OF INFRASTRUCTURE WAS ALREADY VERY HIGH AND THE TOTAL COMMITMENT UNDER THE PUBLIC WORKS PROGRAMME WAS AROUND $4 000 MILLION, AND ADDED: +CLEARLY WE NEED BOTH PUBLIC-FUNDED INFRASTRUCTURE AND POLLUTION CONTROL LEGISLATION.+
/24