Reply:
36 -
The reply is as follows:
(a) A $50 million Financial Assistance Scheme was introduced in June 1995 to assist self-financing non-profit-making residential care homes and private residential care homes for the elderly to comply with new statutory provisions regarding safety precautions, and design and structural requirements set under the Residential Care Homes (Elderly Persons) Ordinance and Regulation enacted in April this year.
One application for funds has been received so far but has not yet been approved pending the provision of more information. We expect that more applications will be submitted soon. The delay in receiving applications is understandable since it takes time for home operators to understand the new statutory requirements, assess the improvement works needed to meet them and obtain quotations from contractors before applying.
The scope and eligibility criteria for the Scheme are explained in the "Application for Grants from the Financial Assistance Scheme Explanatory Notes" which has been distributed to operators of all residential care homes for the elderly. A copy of the explanatory notes is attached.
(b) Inspections of residential care homes, which started in April 1995, identified some homes with serious safety problems e.g. unauthorised building works, inadequate emergency exit provision and absence of access for emergency vehicles. Subject to our inspectors' advice, these homes have either been modified to meet the standards required or have been reprovisioned elsewhere. Although four homes closed down, the operators managed to arrange for the transfer of the 45 residents affected to other homes with the agreement of the residents concerned and/or their families. As a result, little assistance, other than consultation and advice, has been required from Social Welfare Department.
(c) Though little assistance has so far been required in rehousing elderly residents due to the closure of homes, the Social Welfare Department has developed contingency plans to deal with possible displacement problems. Displaced elderly residents could be admitted to subvented homes or take up "bought places" in private homes. Most private homes for the elderly do not run at full capacity so it is expected that vacant places could be found for this purpose.
End/Wednesday, October 25, 1995