XN000022-1979-01-10 — Page 17

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 10, 1979

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IT HAD BEEN AGREED THAT NURSING ESTABLISHMENTS AND MANNING SCALES SHOULD BE REVIEWED FROM TIME TO TIME, AND SUCH AN EXERCISE WAS RECENTLY COMPLETED IN THE MEDICAL AND HEALTH DEPARTMENT WITH A VIEW TO FORMULATING PROPOSALS FOR ADVICE BY THE MEDICAL DEVELOPMENT ADVISORY COMMITTEE AS SOON AS POSSIBLE.

MR. HO SAID IT WAS ENCOURAGING THAT HONG KONG'S INFANT MORTALITY RATE HAD FALLEN FROM 92 PER 1,000 LIVE BIRTHS IN 1951 TO 13.9 IN 1977.

+AS MISS BENNETT HAS MADE NUMEROUS COMPARISONS WITH THE UNITED KINGDOM, I AM PLEASED TO INFORM HER THAT THIS INFANT MORTALITY RATE COMPARES FAVOURABLY WITH THE LATEST UNITED KINGDOM'S FIGURE AVAILABLE TO US, HE ADDED.

ON THE NEED TO RAPIDLY IMPROVE FACILITIES FOR DISABLED CHILDREN AS SUGGESTED BY MISS BENNETT, MR. HO SAID DURING THIS YEAR THE NUMBER OF SPECIAL SCHOOL PLACES WOULD INCREASE BY 3,700 TO A TOTAL OF 23,500. OF THESE NEW PLACES, 1,420 WOULD REPRESENT A VERY SIGNIFICANT INCREASE OVER THE CURRENT PROVISION OF 2,000 PLACES FOR THIS GROUP.

OF EVEN GREATER SIGNIFICANCE WOULD BE A PROPOSAL TO BE PUT TO THE COUNCIL'S FINANCE COMMITTEE TO EXPAND THE SCOPE OF THE CODE OF AID FOR SPECIAL EDUCATION TO ENABLE A MULTI-DISCIPLINARY RANGE OF SERVICES TO BE AVAILABLE WITHIN THESE SCHOOLS.

THE NUMBER OF PLACES IN ORDINARY CHILD CARE CENTRES RESERVED FOR DISABLED CHILDREN AND HOSPITAL BEDS, AND RESIDENTIAL AND DAY CARE PLACES FOR THE SEVERELY MENTALLY HANDICAPPED WOULD ALSO BE

INCREASED, MR. HO SAID.

TURNING TO THE CARE AND EDUCATION SERVICES FOR CHILDREN IN THE PRE-PRIMARY AGE GROUP, MR. HO SAID IT WAS ESTIMATED THAT OVER 80 PER CENT OF FOUR-YEAR-OLDS AND OVER 95 PER CENT OF FIVE- YEAR-OLDS WERE ATTENDING KINDERGARTENS OR CHILD CARE CENTRES.

THE EDUCATION DEPARTMENT HAD SO FAR PROVIDED ONLY LIMITED ASSISTANCE FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF KINDERGARTENS, MR. HO SAID, BECAUSE ITS PRIORITY HAD BEEN TO EXPAND OTHER SECTORS OF EDUCATION, SUCH AS PRIMARY AND, MORE RECENTLY, SECONDARY EDUCATION.

+HOWEVER, THE NEED TO GIVE GREATER ATTENTION TO THE PRE-SCHOOL CHILD HAS BEEN RECOGNISED FOR SOME TIME AND I AM NOW ABLE TO REPORT THAT THE INTER-DEPARTMENTAL WORKING PARTY APPOINTED BY ME TO REVIEW OUR POLICY IN THIS AREA HAS GOOD PROGRESS AND EXPECTS TO COMPLETE ITS REPORT SHORTLY, SAID MR. HO.

HE ALSO MENTIONED THAT DURING THE CURRENT SESSION THE GOVERNMENT WOULD INTRODUCE LEGISLATION TO EXTEND THE AGE OF COMPULSORY SCHOOLING TO 14 FROM THIS SEPTEMBER AND 15 FROM SEPTEMBER NEXT YEAR.

AT THE SAME TIME IT WOULD ALSO EXTEND THE CURRENT AGE LIMITATIONS ON INDUSTRIAL EMPLOYMENT TO ALL EMPLOYMENT FROM THIS SEPTEMBER WITH A FURTHER EXTENSION IN THE AGE LIMIT FOR ALL EMPLOYMENT TO 15 OR THE COMPLETION OF FROM A YEAR LATER.

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