4.
Concerning
Dr Yeung Sum (through interpreter): Thank you Mr President. rehabilitation services the crux of the matter is to enable these disabled persons to reintegrate into society. A few days ago we met with tens of elderly people together with their children and when they go to these training centres they sometimes have to go to Kowloon, Yuen Long and Tuen Mun because these centres are usually sparsely distributed and they have to take their children to school and back from school. And because these people are disabled they have to take them to and from school and they are usually of the lower income group, and they request you or your officials to study the following and that is, whether for the disabled they can enjoy half-fare just like the elderly people? This is a new request and that is, for transport they want to enjoy half- fare. I think it's just a matter of saying yes or no. Could you accept this proposal and you can discuss with your government officials as to whether this proposal is feasible? Because this could certainly help the disabled to reintegrate into society because very often when they go to school or join any public functions, if they do not get any subsidy in public transport this is certainly a hindrance for them to integrate into society. I wonder if you could do so.
Governor: Interestingly, while I've had two summits on the disabled and transport, I don't think that particular issue has been raised at them though other questions have been raised regarding both the cost of transport and the availability of public transport which meets the requirements and needs of the disabled. But we can consider that issue at the next summit we have. On the whole, I think the problems relating to public transport and the disabled are more to do with some of the issues of physical access to both trains and buses than they are to do with cost and my own instincts are always if there is a problem of financial need or cost, to try to deal with it through basic welfare benefits rather than to introduce specific schemes which may not always be fair because not everybody will have an equal need of the service which is being subvented. So I am not very much in favour of that progress though I am strongly in favour of us doing more to make public transport easier for the disabled or for those looking after the disabled to use.
Dr Yeung Sum (through interpreter): Mr Governor, I hope that you can continue studying this proposal and another more direct means to do it, I think you can increase the supply of REHAB BUS. Actually, in the Social Welfare Department this is easier to be done.
Governor: We have, as I think the Honourable Member knows, increased the provision of REHAB Bus which is a terrific service which does help the disabled in our community. It is one of the steps that I think we should take. We've already done a good deal, I think we can do more. I think that it is important for us to give a greater priority to the disabled in every aspect of our lives and the community's lives. We've been looking at the issue of the disabled in employment as well as the disabled and transport. This Council will of course be considering over the coming weeks the question of discrimination against the disabled and I hope will put in place a legal infrastructure to deal with that particular issue. So there is a good deal that we can do to make sure that Hong Kong is as fair a place for the disabled as possible.