XN000022-1973-01-31 — Page 5

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Wednesday, January 31, 1973

SURVEYS ON HANDICAPPED BEING CONSIDERED

The Government is considering two new surveys to obtain

more information about the physically and mentally handicapped to

assist in the forward planning of their welfare and medical facilities.

This was disclosed by the Financial Secretary, the

Hon. C.P. Haddon-Cave, at the Legislative Council today in reply to

a question from Mr. R.H. Lobo.

The first survey is to draw up a register of the disabled

to provide full information about each handicapped person. "The

second is to undertake a series of sample surveys to identify all

handicapped persons and to describe their disabilities in detail," he said.

Mr. Haddon-Cave said that the first survey, now being considered

by the Census and Statistics and Social Welfare Departments, could be

compiled over a period of time and should become fairly accurate in

due course.

The second one, he continued, would be a large and complicated

operation" requiring "very sophisticated sampling techniques" and

"medically trained enumerators" adequately to describe the disabilities

of all handicapped persons.

The Commissioner for Census and Statistics had been in

consultation with the Director of Medical and Health Services on the

possibility of conducting a pilot survey along these lines next year,

he said.

The Financial