XN000022-1982-02-11 — Page 5

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 11, 1982

$48 M PAID OUT TO TRAFFIC ACCIDENT VICTIMS

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THE SOCIAL WELFARE DEPARTMENT HAS PAID OUT OVER $48 MILLION UNDER THE TRAFFIC ACCIDENT VICTIMS ASSISTANCE (TAVA) SCHEME SINCE ITS IMPLEMENTATION IN MAY, 1979.

OF A TOTAL OF 13 752 APPLICATIONS RECEIVED, PAYMENTS HAVE BEEN AUTHORISED FOR 11 703 CASES.

THE HEAD OF THE DEPARTMENT'S TAVA SECTION, MR SIU KING-CHIU, SAID TODAY (THURSDAY) ANOTHER $512 000 IN AUTHORISED PAYMENTS WAS NOW AWAITING COLLECTION.

HE SAID 996 PAYMENTS WERE MADE TO CASES INVOLVING DEATH AND 10 444 PAYMENTS TO CASES INVOLVING INJURIES. SINCE JANUARY 6, THE SEVEN-DAY SICK LEAVE RULE FOR INJURY CASES HAS BEEN LOWERED TO A THREE-DAY REQUIREMENT.

PAYMENTS FOR DEATH GRANTS AMOUNTED TO NEARLY $8.3 MILLION, WHILE INJURY PAYMENTS TOTALLED $39.7 MILLION, OF WHICH $10.8 MILLION WAS PAID AS FURTHER GRANTS TO THOSE WHO SUBSEQUENTLY REQUIRED EXTENDED SICK LEAVE, HE SAID.

MR SIU SAID THE HIGHEST PAYMENT SO FAR WAS $32 900 IN ONE FATAL CASE, WHILE OTHER PAYMENTS RANGED FROM $800 TO $26 100.

+AT PRESENT, 380 APPLICATIONS ARE BEING PROCESSED AND THE APPLICANTS SHOULD BE ABLE TO RECEIVE PAYMENTS SHORTLY, HE SAID.

THE TAVA SCHEME, WHICH IS NON-MEANS-TESTED, PROVIDES QUICK CASH RELIEF FOR TRAFFIC ACCIDENT VICTIMS OR THEIR DEPENDENTS REGARDLESS OF WHO WAS AT FAULT IN CAUSING THE ACCIDENT.

UNDER THE SCHEME, TRAFFIC ACCIDENTS MUST HAVE BEEN REPORTED TO THE POLICE. PEOPLE INVOLVED CAN APPLY WITHIN SIX MONTHS OF THE ACCIDENT AT THE DEPARTMENT'S TAVA SECTION AT THE WORLD TRADE CENTRE, 14TH FLOOR, 280 GLOUCESTER ROAD.

ENQUIRIES CAN BE MADE BY CALLING 5-779421 AND 5-7903650.

TRAFFIC ARRANGEMENT IN OLD PEAK ROAD

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A SECTION OF OLD PEAK ROAD BETWEEN HORNSEY ROAD AND ROBINSON ROAD WILL BE RE-ROUTED ONE WAY SOUTHBOUND FROM 10 AM ON MONDAY (FEBRUARY 15) FOR WATER MAINS WORK TO BE CARRIED OUT.

UNDER THIS ARRANGEMENT, NORTHBOUND VEHICLES ALONG OLD PEAK ROAD WILL BE DIVERTED VIA HORNSEY ROAD, GLENEALY AND ROBINSON ROAD.

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