+
Reply:
(b)
(c)
whether consideration has been given to introducing 24-hour child care services in these centres; and
of the measures adopted to prevent the recurrence of such incidents?
Before answering the specific points raised, I should like to stress that we consider that the primary responsibility for providing adequate care to children must lie with their parents or legal guardians. While, therefore, we too are very concerned by tragic incidents arising from children being left alone at home, our priority is to educate parents of the dangers and unacceptability of this practice.
(a)
Nevertheless, in order to assist those parents who cannot look after their children during the day, we have child care facilities in the form of day creches for babies and day nurseries for those between 2 and 6 years of age. Occasional child care services are also provided in some of these centres for children whose carers are unable to take care of them for brief periods during the day and extended hours' services are available to cater to the special needs of working parents or single parent families. In addition, after-school care provides half-day care, lunch, homework tuition, guidance and play activities for primary pupils who come from families with social and financial needs and who lack adequate adult care and supervision outside school hours. To help low income families who cannot afford the fees charged by child care centres, there is a comprehensive fee assistance scheme.
The distribution of day nursery, day creche, occasional child care and after-school care places in various districts is shown in Annex I tabled for Members' information.
Because our planning ratio is on a territory-wide basis, we do not have planning targets on a district by district basis. Based on our territory- wide planning ratio of 100 aided day nursery places for every 20 000 of the general population, the estimated total target requirement for aided day nursery places is currently 30 137 places as against a provision of 24 229 places or around 80% of the target.
The enrolment rates in aided day nurseries and day crèches and the utilization rates of the occasional and after school care services are provided in Annex II which I am also tabling.
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