XN000022-1976-02-25 — Page 17

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WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 1976

MORE TO BE SPENT ON SOCIAL SERVICES

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THE GOVERNMENT IS TO SPEND MORE MONEY IN THE NEXT FINANCIAL YEAR ON THE PUBLIC ASSISTANCE SCHEMES AS WELL AS THE DISABILITY AND INFIRMITY ALLOWANCE SCHEME.

THERE IS ALSO PROVISION IN THE SOCIAL WELFARE EXPENDITURE FOR 1976-77 TO ALLOW THE INTRODUCTION OF SOME NEW SERVICES INCLUDING THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE CHILD CARE CENTRES ORDINANCE FROM JUNE 1.

ANNOUNCING THIS IN HIS BUDGET SPEECH, THE FINANCIAL SECRETARY THE HON. PHILIP HADDON-CAVE SAID THE EXPENDITURE ON SOCIAL WELFARE WAS ESTIMATED TO BE $422 MILLION IN 1976-77, COMPARED WITH THE REVISED ESTIMATE OF $370 MILLION IN 1975-76.

THE RECURRENT EXPENDITURE FOR THE SOCIAL WELFARE DEPARTMENT AND FOR SOCIAL WELFARE SUBVENTIONS IN 1976-77 AMOUNTS TO $406 MILLION, - NEARLY DOUBLE THE LEVEL OF EXPENDITURE WHICH THE FIVE YEAR PLAN FOR SOCIAL WELFARE DEVELOPMENT (1973-78) ENVISAGED BY 1976-77.

EXPENDITURE, EXCLUDING PUBLIC ASSISTANCE AND DISABILITY AND INFIRMITY ALLOWANCES, IS SOME FIVE PER CENT HIGHER THAN THE FIVE- YEAR PLAN PREDICTED.

+ONE OF THE REASONS FOR THIS IS THE DRAMATIC INCREASE IN SUBVENTIONS FOR SOCIAL WELFARE IN THE LAST FEW YEARS,+ THE FINANCIAL SECRETARY SAID.

HE DESCRIBED THIS GROWTH IN EXPENDITURE AS REMARKABLE AGAINST THE BACKGROUND OF ECONOMIC DIFFICULTIES THAT HONG KONG HAD EXPERIENCED.

MR. HADDON-CAVE NOTED THAT NO LESS THAN $297 MILLION IN THE DRAFT ESTIMATES FOR SOCIAL WELFARE IN 1976-77 WENT TO THE DISABILITY AND INFIRMITY ALLOWANCES AND THE PUBLIC ASSISTANCE SCHEMES.

HE SAID THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE CLAIMING THE DISABILITY AND INFIRMITY ALLOWANCES HAD RISEN TO NEARLY 64,000 LAST NOVEMBER AND THE DRAFT ESTIMATES PROVIDED FOR A FURTHER INCREASE TO 75,000 BY THE END OF 1976-77, COMPARED WITH ROUGHLY 34,000 IMPLIED IN THE FIVE-YEAR SOCIAL WELFARE DEVELOPMENT PLÁN.

+ABOUT 82 PER CENT OF THESE CASES ARE PERSONS OVER THE AGE OF 75, AND, AS THESE CASES REPRESENT ABOUT 80 PER CENT OF THE OVER-75 AGE GROUP, THE SOCIAL WELFARE DEPARTMENT WILL NOT BE FAR OFF THE MAXIMUM NUMBER OF CASES,+ SAID THE FINANCIAL SECRETARY.

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