XN000022-1986-03-27 — Page 22

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THURSDAY, MARCH 27, 1966

MR HU SAID RENT INCREASES FOR DOMESTIC PUBLIC HOUSING UNITS MUST BE CARRIED OUT GRADUALLY, REASONABLY AND WITHIN THE MEANS OF TENANTS.

HE ALSO ADVOCATED A REDUCTION IN THE SUBSIDY FOR THOSE WHO COULD AFFORD TO PAY, AND FOR UNITS TO BE SOLD TO EXISTING TENANTS.

MR HU NOTED THAT, FOR TENANTS BUYING THEIR OWN UNITS, THERE COULD BE MANY PROBLEMS RELATING TO THIS PROPOSAL AND HE SUGGESTED THAT CONSIDERATION BE GIVEN TO SELLING THOSE BLOCKS WHICH HAD BEEN DEVELOPED OR PERHAPS REDEVELOPED WITH ACCEPTABLE ENVIRONMENTA AND LIVING CONDITIONS PROVIDED THAT MANAGEMENT PROBLEMS COULD BE RESOLVED.

+THERE CAN BE MANY OTHER ALTERNATIVES WORTH CONSIDERING AND A COMBINATION OF VARIOUS OPTIONS WHICH I HAVE JUST MENTIONED, CAN ACHIEVE THE GOAL, HE SAID, ADDING THAT HE FULLY ENDORSED

+ THE FINANCIAL SECRETARY'S REMARKS THAT HE KNEW OF NO COMPARABLE HOUSING PROGRAMME ANYWHERE ELSE IN THE WORLD.

TURNING TO SOCIAL WELFARE SERVICES, MR HU COMMENTED THAT ALTHOUGH SOCIAL WELFLARE SUBVENTIONS HAD BEEN BUDGETTED TO INCREASE BY 13.6 PER CENT, FROM $421 MILLION TO $478 MILLION, IT SEEMED THAT THE AMOUNT STILL FELL SHORT OF WHAT WOULD BE REQUIRED TO MEET THE PLANNED PROVISIONS IN THE FIVE YEAR PLAN.

HE ASKED THE GOVERNMENT TO ADOPT A MORE POSITIVE SUBVENTION POLICY AND TO INITIATE ACTION WHENEVER NECESSARY TO IMPLEMENT THE PLANNED PROVISION OF FACILITIES FOR VARIOUS SERVICES.

MR HU NOTED THAT IN THE SUBVENTED WELFARE SECTOR, SOME AGENCIES IN CATEGORY 11 WERE PROVIDING IMPORTANT AND NECESSARY SERVICES BUT MIGHT BE ONLY RECEIVING LUMP SUM GRANTS WHICH APPEARED TO BE DETERMINED ARBITRARILY OR TOTALLY AT THE GOVERNMENT'S DISCRETION.

+ IT IS SUGGESTED THAT THE DIRECTOR OF SOCIAL WELFARE, IN CONSULTATION WITH THE SOCIAL WELFARE ADVISORY COMMITTEE, SHOULD THOROUGHLY REVIEW THE PRESENT SYSTEM OF SUBVENTION TO SEE IF IT IS ADEQUATELY MEETING THE FINANCIAL NEED OF THE AGENCIES, PARTICULARLY THOSE PROVIDING CATEGORY ! SERVICES, HE SAID.

ON STAFFING OF THE SOCIAL WELFARE DEPARTMENT, MR HU SAID HE HOPED THAT THE GOVERNMENT WOULD IMMEDIATELY DISCONTINUE THE UNDESIRABLE PRACTICE OF RECRUITING UNIVERSITY GRADUATES WITHOUT FORMAL SOCIAL WORK TRAINING INTO THE RANK OF ASSISTANT SOCIAL WORK OFFICER AS THERE WAS A SHORTAGE OF SOCIAL WORK POSTS TO ACCOMMODATE SOCIAL WORK GRADUATES FROM UNIVERSITIES LOCALLY AND OVERSEAS.

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