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MONDAY, DECEMBER 16, 1991
SWAC VIEWS WILL BE SOUGHT ON WELFARE POLICIES CHANGES
THE SOCIAL WELFARE ADVISORY COMMITTEE (SWAC) WILL BE CONSULTED ON ANY SPECIFIC SAVINGS MEASURES THAT MIGHT INVOLVE REVISIONS TO THE POLICIES IMPLICIT IN THE "WHITE PAPER ON SOCIAL WELFARE INTO THE 1990'S AND BEYOND"
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BRIEFING THE COMMITTEE AT ITS MEETING TODAY (MONDAY), MR M.D. CARTLAND, DIRECTOR OF SOCIAL WELFARE, SAID: "FOR THE TIME BEING, HOWEVER, THE POSITION REGARDING 1993/94 AND 1994/95 REMAINS RELATIVELY FLUID AND THE ADVICE OF SWAC WILL BE SOUGHT NEARER THE TIME AS TO THE PRIORITIES IN DETERMINING THE PRECISE AREAS IN WHICH FURTHER SAVINGS MIGHT BE IDENTIFIED FOR THOSE TWO YEARS.
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AT THE BEGINNING OF THE MEETING, A GROUP OF NON-GOVERNMENT ORGANISATIONS' REPRESENTATIVES ADDRESSED MEMBERS ON THEIR CONCERNS ON THE PROPOSED SOCIAL WELFARE EXPENDITURE SAVINGS MEASURES BETWEEN 1992/93 AND 1994/95.
MR CARTLAND EXPLAINED
AT THE MEETING THAT HAD THERE BEEN POLICY CHANGES INVOLVED IT WOULD HAD BEEN NECESSARY TO CONSULT SWAC AND INDEED, THIS WOULD BE DONE FOR SOME OF THE ITEMS BEING CONSIDERED FOR SUBSEQUENT YEARS.
REDUCE THE ASSISTANCE ADVICE OF
TO CITING AN EXAMPLE, MR CARTLAND SAID A PROPOSAL GOVERNMENT CONTRIBUTION TO THE TRAFFIC ACCIDENT VICTIMS SCHEME HAD POLICY IMPLICATIONS AND WOULD BE SUBJECT TO THE SWAC AND THE APPROVAL OF THE EXECUTIVE COUNCIL, BOTH OF WHICH WOULD BE SOUGHT IN DUE COURSE.
AFTER A LENGTHY DISCUSSION, MEMBERS GENERALLY AGREED THAT SWAC
THE SAVING WAS NOT ASKING TO EXEMPT FROM
EXERCISE BUT AS FAR AS POSSIBLE, THERE SHOULD NOT BE CUT IN THE SERVICES.
THEY RECOMMENDED THAT THE GOVERNMENT AND NON-GOVERNMENT ORGANISATIONS SHOULD GET TOGETHER TO IDENTIFY SAVINGS TAKING INTO WHAT THE SOCIAL WELFARE DEPARTMENT (SWD) PROPOSED AS THE BASE.
MEMBERS ALL HELD THE VIEW THAT THE GOVERNMENT SHOULD TAKE A
SOCIAL WELFARE SERIOUS VIEW OF PROVISION OF
SERVICE AND THAT THE ADMINISTRATION SHOULD TAKE INTO CONSIDERATION INTERESTS OF THE WHO RECEIVE THESE SERVICES.
PEOPLE
ALSO PROPOSED
SWAC MEMBERS
THAT THE GOVERNMENT SHOULD BE WELFARE WHITE ALERTED TO THE POSSIBILITY OF IMPLEMENTING THE
AND PAPER PROPOSALS,
THAT THE GOVERNMENT SHOULD TAKE
INTO SWAC CONFIDENCE FOR ANY POLICIES CHANGES IN FUTURE.
VALUE FOR
PROFESSOR WOULD SUPPORT SWD MONEY
ΤΟ AND TRY
SPEAKING TO MEDIA REPRESENTATIVES AFTER THE MEETING, NELSON CHOW, SWAC CHAIRMAN, POINTED OUT THAT SWAC AND GOVERNMENT AS A WHOLE IN EXPLAIN TO THE PUBLIC ON THIS ISSUE.
FINDING
/ON THE