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Against the above, my replies to the question are as follow:
(a)
(b)
(c)
Under the current system, the amount of subvention on staff cost is based on the level of staff salaries. However, Management Board of NGOS can decide whether or not to use their own sources of funding to pay their staff other terms and conditions, including whether they can enjoy housing benefits. The Administration does not intervene on this
matter.
Government subvention to NGOs in the welfare sector does not include housing allowance to their staff. If Government funds were found to be used by NGOs for such purpose during audit inspection, the NGO concerned will be demanded to reimburse the full sum to the Administration. The Administration does not monitor NGOs' use of their own resources for payment of housing allowance to their staff. There is no requirement for NGOs to report the use of their own resources. We therefore have no information to this part of the question.
The Administration mainly monitors the use subvention by NGOs. Where NGOs raise their own funds, it would be a matter for the Management Boards of NGOs to be accountable to their donors for the appropriate and prudent use of donations, through publishing their annual audited accounts in their report for the information of their donors and the general public. The Administration does not impose a mechanism to monitor NGOs using its own funds to provide housing allowance to employees by NGOs.
Infant mortality rate among best in the world
Following is a question by the Hon Leung Yiu-chung and a reply by the Secretary for Health and Welfare, Mrs Katherine Fok, in the Legislative Council today (Wednesday):
Question:
In her reply to a question raised at the Sitting on 20 November this year concerning cases involving babies lapsing into a "vegetative" state as a result of birth asphyxia, the Secretary for Health and Welfare stated that no such cases were reported by public hospitals in the past three years, and that advice would only be given to the patients by clinicians in public hospitals after the patients concerned had given consent to the delivery method to be adopted. In this connection, is the Government aware of: