XN000022-1988-02-20 — Page 4

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 1988

THERE WAS

THE

DANGER

MR LAU SAID THAT DUE TO THE LONG WAITING TIME AND INSUFFICIENT PLACES IN BOTH DAY AND RESIDENTIAL FACILITIES, OF THESE STUDENTS RETAINING VALUABLE SPECIAL SCHOOL PLACES BECAUSE POST-SCHOOL PLACEMENTS WERE NOT FORTHCOMING.

"FURTHERMORE, WHAT THEY HAD LEARNT IN THE MIGHT BE LOST DURING THE WAITING TIME AT HOME, THUS OPPORTUNITY IN FUTURE PLACEMENT," HE ADDED.

SPECIAL SCHOOLS AFFECTING THEIR

THE HOME-BASED TRAINING PROGRAMMES WILL BE PROVIDED ΤΟ APPLICANTS ON WAITING LISTS.

"WE ARE CONSIDERING SETTING UP FOUR TEAMS AND EACH CLIENT WILL BE PROVIDED WITH A NUMBER OF PER WEEK UNTIL SUCH TIME WHEN A PLACEMENT AWAITED LAU SAID.

OF TRAINING STAFF HOURS OF TRAINING 15 AVAILABLE,' MR

DISCUSSIONS WERE BEING HELD WITH VOLUNTARY AGENCIES

DETAILS OF THE SCHEME, HE ADDED.

CONCERNING

MR LAU SAID THAT THIS WAS A STOP-GAP MEASURE AND HE BELIEVED THAT SUCH PROGRAMMES WOULD NO LONGER RE REQUIRED IN TWO TO THREE YEARS' TIME WHEN MORE FACILITIES BECAME AVAILABLE TO MEET IDENTIFIED NEEDS.

+

ON FINANCIAL ASPECTS, A HIGHER DISABILITY ALLOWANCE, AT 31, 120 PER MONTH, WILL BE PAYABLE FROM APRIL 1 THIS YEAR TO DISABLED PEOPLE AGED 60 AND OVER AND WHO ARE NOT RECEIVING CONSTANT CARE GOVERNMENT OR SUBVENTED INSTITUTION.

IN A

THIS IS TO ENCOURAGE FAMILIES TO CONTINUE TO LOOK AFTER THEIR SEVERELY DISABLED MEMBERS BUT, AT THE SAME TIME. ΤΟ PROVIDE THEM WITH SOME RELIEF.

THIS HIGHER DISABILITY ALLOWANCE

WILL BE EXTENDED TO COVER AGE GROUPS BY PHASES IN THE COMING YEARS, WITH IMPLEMENTATION SET AT 1990-91.

OTHER

FULL

DB CANDIDATES FORUMS IN CENTRAL AND WESTERN

RESIDENTS IN CENTRAL AND WESTERN DISTRICT ARE INVITED ΤΟ ATTEND DISTRICT BOARD CANDIDATES FORUMS OVER THE NEXT TWO WEEKS.

THE DISTRICT OFFICER, MR LAM KAM-KWONG, TODAY (SATURDAY) ENCOURAGED RESIDENTS TO ATTEND THESE FORUMS WHICH WOULD GIVE THEM A CHANCE TO BEETER UNDERSTAND THE CANDIDATES' PLATFORMS 50 THAT THEY COULD VOTE FOR SOMEONE WHO COULD BEST REPRESENT THEIR INTERESTS.

/MR LAM