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A means-tested old age allowance would, in effect, become the same as a CSSA payment which is means-tested and paid to those in need. As Christine Loh said, the important point is to recognise that there may be elderly persons ineligible to receive sufficient financial support in due course from the new MPF system but who currently are also ineligible for CSSA support. If we can attempt to bridge or at least greatly narrow that gap in our Review of CSSA payments to elderly persons, I believe we shall have addressed most of Members' concerns in this regard.
Services for the Elderly
But we must remember that the Government does much more than provide cash payments to elderly persons in need. We provide a comprehensive range of welfare and health support services for them at no cost or only a token charge. We shall be spending $1.1 billion on direct services for the elderly in 1995/96 - a 20% increase over last year. I have noted that some Members wish us to do even more. Before we expand further, we must analyse carefully the needs of elderly persons. A study on this subject later this year will provide us with useful information on the specific needs of elderly persons for welfare services. As for Elderly Health Centres, I want to repeat our commitment to providing a total of seven health centres for our elderly citizens by 1997. The first one started operation in 1994. Three more will do so in the coming
year.
Children
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Let me turn now to that other very vulnerable age group in our society children. We aim to provide the support needed for children to develop fully and safely especially when parental support, for one reason or another, is inadequate or not available at all. Our services recognize that some parents are often not able to care for their children during the day and we have in hand an ambitious expansion of Child Care Centre places to cope with this. In 1995/96 we shall provide a further 1,400 places in day nurseries, 250 places in day creches and 225 places in occasional day care units for children who may need less than full day care. I can assure Mr Li Wah- ming that we remain on target to meet the Government's commitment to provide in a phased programme a total of 5,600 additional child care places between 1993/94 and 1996/97.