XN000022-1984-03-29 — Page 17

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THURSDAY, MARCH 29. 1984

SHE SAID THAT AS FAR AS SHE WAS AWARE, NO ENGLISH SPEAK ING CHILD OVER THE AGE OF SIX WAS NOT ALREADY IN SCHOOL BECAUSE OF INADEQUATE SCHOOL PLACES.

+YET FOR INFORMATION PURPOSES, ANOTHER $13 MILLION IS TO BE SPENT IN 1984/85 IN BOOSTING UP TO 64 PER CENT COMPLETION OF THE APPROVED CAPITAL COMMITMENT OF $75 MILLION TO BUILD NEW SCHOOLS FOR THE ENGLISH SCHOOL FOUNDATION, SHE POINTED OUT.

SHE STRESSED THAT EDUCATIONAL SERVICES WERE THE RESPONSIBILITY OF THE GOVERNMENT.

+POSITIVE NON-INTERVENTION MAY BE RIGHT FOR THE FIELD OF COMMERCE, BUT IS CERTAINLY NOT APPROPRIATE HERE,+ SHE SAID.

+AGAIN FOR COMPARATIVE INTEREST, SOME $28 MILLION OUT OF A TOTAL COMMITMENT OF $49 MILLION (58 PER CENT) WILL HAVE BEEN SPENT BY 1984/85 IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF 85 STAFF QUARTERS FOR THE ENGLISH SCHOOL FOUNDATION BY THE END OF 1985, WHEREAS ONLY A MEASLY SUM OF $6 MILLION IS ALLOCATED THIS YEAR FOR DEVELOPING SCHOOLS FOR THE MENTALLY HANDICAPPED, SHE ADDED.

TURNING TO MEDICAL SERVICES, SHE SAID SHE NEEDED TO BE CONVINCED WHY GOVERNMENT SUBVENTED HOSPITALS SHOULD GET LESS FUNDING THAN GOVERNMENT HOSPITALS OF THE SAME NATURE.

SHE NEXT QUESTIONED WHETHER THE SUM OF $2.1 BILLION TO BE SPENT ON PERSONNEL-RELATED EXPENDITURE FOR CIVIL SERVANTS WERE COST-EFFECTIVE AND WHETHER THERE WAS FAIRNESS TO THOSE WORKING IN THE SUBVENTED SECTOR.

COMMENTING ON INCENTIVES FOR CIVIL SERVANTS, DR IP SAID, + SEE NO REASONS WHY DOUBLE INCREMENTS CANNOT BE OFFERED TO THOSE WHO EXCEL, ON THE RECOMMENDATION OF, SAY THREE SENIOR OFFICES.+

+LIKEWISE, I SEE NO REASON WHY STOPPAGE OF ANNUAL INCREMENT IS NOT DONE MORE OFTEN WHEN FACED WITH AN INEFFICIENT STAFF, ON SIMILAR RECOMMENDATIONS, SHE ADDED.

TURNING TO DENTAL SERVICE FOR THE GENERAL PUBLIC, DR IP SAID, +DENTAL SERVICES NEED NOT BE FREE, IT CAN BE LOW COST.+

+IF SO, WE CAN OFFER A BRIGHT FUTURE FOR OUR NEW DENTAL GRADUATES, A GOOD AND REASONABLE PRICED DENTAL SERVICES FOR THE THEN HEALTHY COMMUNITY, WITHOUT DRAINING OUR RESOURCES,+ SHE OBSERVED.

ON THE SUBJECT OF RATES, SHE SAID, +JUST AS RATE CONCESSIONS ARE OFFERED TO PREMISES WHICH LACK POTABLE WATER SUPPLY, SIMILAR CONCESSIONS COULD BE CONSIDERED FOR PREMISES NOT CONNECTED TO REGIONAL SEWAGE TREATMENT PLANTS AND THEREFORE REQUIRE COSTLY MEANS OF SEWAGE DISPOSAL.

+ THE NON-AVAILABILITY OF AN ACCESS ROAD FROM THE PUBLIC ROAD COULD LIKEWISE BE CONSIDERED FOR RATE CONCESSIONS.+

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