XN000022-1990-03-14 — Page 11

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 14, 1990

"TO PUT THESE FIGURES IN PERSPECTIVE,

THERE WERE MORE THAN

15,000 APPLICATIONS FOR LEGAL AID IN EACH OF THESE YEARS.

"IN OTHER WORDS, ABOUT 20 PER CENT OF APPLICATIONS HAVE BEEN REJECTED FOR THIS REASON, HE SAID.

H

SHOULD

ON A SUGGESTION BY MR TAM YIU-CHUNG THAT THE GOVERNMENT CONSIDER EXEMPTING CERTAIN CATEGORIES OF APPLICANT FROM THE MEANS TEST, SIR DAVID SAID IT WOULD BE INVIDIOUS TO CREATE A SPECIAL OF APPLICANT.

HE SAID IF THE SYSTEM SHOULD APPLY EQUALLY TO ALL.

CLASS

WAS TO BE FAIR, THEN MEANS TESTING

WHERE A GROUP

"INEVITABLY, IN CASES SUCH AS THOSE MENTIONED, OF WORKERS APPLIES FOR LEGAL AID IN ORDER TO RESPOND TO AN APPEAL AGAINST A DECISION OF THE LABOUR TRIBUNAL, SOME WILL SATISFY THE MEANS TEST AND OTHERS WILL NOT.

'IN SUCH CIRCUMSTANCES, THOSE WHO ARE NOT ELIGIBLE AID WILL NEVERTHELESS BENEFIT FROM A COURT DECISION IN THOSE WHO WERE PROVIDED WITH ASSISTANCE," SIR DAVID SAID.

FOR LEGAL FAVOUR OF

0

POLICY ON REHOUSING OF SQUATTERS REMAINS UNCHANGED

* *

THE SECRETARY FOR HOME AFFAIRS, THE HON PETER TSAO, TOLD THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL TODAY (WEDNESDAY) THAT THE GOVERNMENT'S LONG ESTABLISHED POLICY OF OFFERING REHOUSING TO SQUATTERS WHO HAVE BEEN RENDERED HOMELESS BY NATURAL DISASTERS OR CLEARANCE OPERATIONS WILL REMAIN UNCHANGED.

REPLYING TO A QUESTION FROM THE HON LEUNG WAI-TUNG, MR TSAO SAID THE INCOME LEVEL OF THESE SQUATTERS WAS NOT A CONSIDERATION IN THEIR REHOUSING.

BY THE FACT THAT DECREASED FROM 473,000

"THE SUCCESS OF THE POLICY IS DEMONSTRATED THE SQUATTER POPULATION IN THE TERRITORY HAS PERSONS IN 1984-85 TO 292,000 PERSONS TODAY.

"WE ARE, IN FACT, IN SIGHT OF CLEARING ALL URBAN SQUATTER ARLAS BY THE MID-1990'S. THERE IS NO INTENTION TO CHANGE THE POLICY AT THIS JUNCTURE," MR TSAO SAID.

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