XN000022-1985-11-28 — Page 27

+

25

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 28, 1985

TURNING TO HOUSING POLICY, MR POON SAID HE HOPED THAT GOVERNMENT WOULD FROM TIME TO TIME REVIEW THE PROGRESS OF SQUATTER CLEARANCE

IN ORDER TO ACHIEVE ITS TARGET AS EARLY AS POSSIBLE.

+FURTHERMORE, AS SQUATTER CLEARANCE TAKES TIME TO COMPLETE, GOVERNMENT SHOULD CONTINUE TO IMPLEMENT ITS SQUATTER AREA

IMPROVEMENT PROJECTS AND TO IDENTIFY EFFECTIVE WAYS TO SOLVE PROBLEMS ARISING FROM ILLEGAL USE OF ELECTRICITY AND WATER AND UNDESIRABLE ENVIRONMENTS,+ HE SAID.

MR POON ALSO DREW THE GOVERNMENT'S ATTENTION TO THE RECENT RAPID RISE IN PROPERTY VALUES.

+THE FACT THAT PEOPLE REGAINING CONFIDENCE AND A DRASTIC DROP OF PRICES IN THE PAST CAN ONLY FORM PART OF THE REASONS FOR THE UP-SURGE OF PRICES FOR PROPERTIES, SPECULATION IS THE OBVIOUS CAUSE FOR SUCH PHENOMENON, + HE SAID.

HE SAID IF SPECULATION SHOULD PERSIST, PRICES OF PROPERTIES WOULD CONTINUE TO RISE RAPIDLY AND PEOPLE EARNING AN INCOME THAT FELL WITHIN THE MIDDLE BRACKET GROUP WOULD SUFFER HEAVY BLOWS WHEN THEY PURCHASED THEIR OWN PROPERTY.

ADDRESS COVERAGE ON SOCIAL SERVICES LIMITED ****

A LEGISLATIVE COUNCILLOR TODAY (THURSDAY) EXPRESSED CONCERN OVER THE LIMITED COVERAGE ON SOCIAL SERVICES, IN PARTICULAR SOCIAL WELFARE PROGRAMMES, IN THE GOVERNOR'S ADDRESS.

SPEAKING ON THE SECOND DAY OF THE POLICY DEBATE IN THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL, THE HON HUI YIN-FAT CRITICISED GOVERNMENT PLANS AS +LOPS IDED+ AS THEY PLACED EMPHASIS ON ECONOMIC GROWTH AT THE EXPENSE OF SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT.

HE SAID FINANCIAL STRINGENCY CAUSED BY ECONOMIC AND POLITICAL UNCERTAINTY ACCOUNTED FOR GOVERNMENT'S RESERVED ATTITUDE TOWARDS SOCIAL PROGRAMMES, RESULTING IN A SLOW-DOWN IN DEVELOPMENT OF SOCIAL WELFARE SERVICES.

MR HUI POINTED OUT THAT SOCIAL WELFARE IMPROVED THE SOCIAL FUNCTIONING OF THE DEPRIVED, THE DEVIANT, THE POOR AND THE UNEMPLOYED IN OUR MIDST.

+ IT ALSO INCREASES THE EFFICIENCY, SKILLS AND PRODUCTIVITY OF OUR TOTAL WORK FORCE WHICH FORMS THE BACKBONE OF HONG KONG'S ROBUST ECONOMY.

/+TO GIVE