→
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 4, 1986
ON ASSISTANCE PROVIDED FOR VICTIMS OF NATURAL OR OTHER DISASTERS, MR JACOBS SAID THAT LAST YEAR ONLY $2 MILLION WAS PAID OUT UNDER THIS HEADING, COMPARED TO THE $20 MILLION PAID OUT WHEN HONG KONG SUFFERED SEVERE DAMAGE FROM TYPHOON ELLEN IN 1983.
+ THE CRIMINAL AND LAW ENFORCEMENT INJURIES COMPENSATION SCHEME WAS OF HELP TO 690 PEOPLE LAST YEAR WHO RECEIVED IN TOTAL $4.8 MILLION AND 5 200 CASES WERE PROCESSED UNDER THE TRAFFIC ACCIDENT (VICTIMS ASSISTANCE) SCHEME, UNDER WHICH SOME $34.5 MILLION WAS PAID, HE SAID.
HOWEVER, HE ADDED THAT A SURPLUS HAD BEEN BUILT UP IN THE FUND FOR THE LATTER SCHEME AND THIS HAD HELPED THE ADMINISTRATION PUT TOGETHER A SUPPLEMENTARY SCHEME UNDER WHICH ASSISTANCE WAS GIVEN TO OVER 400 VICTIMS OF TRAFFIC ACCIDENTS WHO, THROUGH THE INSOLVENCY OF A NUMBER OF INSURANCE COMPANIES, HAD BEEN PREVIOUSLY UNABLE TO OBTAIN THEIR COMPENSATION.
ALTOGETHER CASH ASSISTANCE LAST YEAR UNDER THE VARIOUS SCHEMES TOTALLED $1.6 BILLION, REPRESENTING 29 PER CENT OF THE AMOUNT OF SALARIES TAX COLLECTED, MR JACOBS SAID.
REFERRING TO CRITICISM THAT PAYMENT RATES UNDER THE VARIOUS SCHEMES WERE TOO LOW, MR JACOBS SAID WHILE HE DID NOT PRETEND THAT THE RATES WERE OVER-GENEROUS, HE BELIEVED THEY WERE REALISTIC AND ALSO WITHIN THE GOVERNMENT'S MEANS.
+AND MOST IMPORTANT, WE KEEP THEM UNDER REGULAR REVIEW AND ADJUST THEM FROM TIME TO TIME SO AS TO MAINTAIN THEIR REAL PURCHASING VALUE.+
ON THE OTHER COMPONENT OF WELFARE SERVICES ON WHICH OVER $708 MILLION WAS SPENT LAST YEAR, MR JACOBS SAID WHAT HE HAD IN MIND WAS REHABILITATION, FAMILY WELFARE, SERVICES TO YOUTH, THE ELDERLY AS WELL AS TO YOUNG OFFENDERS AND COMMUNITY BUILDING,
THESE SERVICES WERE PLANNED ON THE BASIS OF A ROLL-FORWARD FIVE-YEAR PLAN FOR SOCIAL WELFARE DEVELOPMENT.
+NATURALLY THE POLICY OBJECTIVES AND FURTHER DEVELOPMENT ARE SUBJECT TO EVOLUTION AND CHANGE,
+WE NEED TO MEASURE THE EXTENT TO WHICH CERTAIN POLICY OBJECTIVES HAVE BEEN ACHIEVED, AND SO THIS CONSTANT ATTENTION TO THE FIVE-YEAR PLAN IS OF VITAL IMPORTANCE, HE SAID.
MR JACOBS POINTED OUT THAT IN PREPARING ESTIMATES FOR EXPENDITURE, PROVISION MUST BE MADE FOR THE CONTINUED OPERATION OF EXISTING SERVICES.
THIS YEAR