XN000022-1990-07-09 — Page 15

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MONDAY, JULY 9, 1990

HE REGRETTED THAT MOST FACTORIES WERE ADOPTING A WAIT AND SEE ATTITUDE, AND THERE WERE ALSO CASES OF PERSISTENT OFFENDERS, WHICH COULD NO LONGER BE TOLERATED.

DR WANG STRESSED THAT THERE WAS NO TIME TO LOSE IN MAKING THE WATER POLLUTION CONTROL (AMENDMENT) BILL INTO

LAW, AND BRINGING IT INTO EFFECT. THIS SHOULD BE DONE WITHOUT FURTHER ADO.

EPCOM ALSO CONSIDERED PROPOSED AMENDMENTS TO THE AIR POLLUTION CONTROL (SMOKE) REGULATIONS, AND RECOMMENDED THAT A MORE STRINGENT STANDARD ON THE EMISSION OF DARK SMOKE SHOULD BE INTRODUCED.

TWO PROGRESS REPORTS ON THE PORT AND AIRPORT DEVELOPMENT STRATEGY AND MARICULTURE WERE ALSO PRESENTED FOR EPCOM'S INFORMATION.

CHILD SUPPLEMENT FOR PA FAMILIES

* *

OVER 20,000 CHILDREN WILL BE SUPPLEMENT WHICH WILL BE INTRODUCED AVAILABILITY OF FUNDS.

BENEFITTED IN 1991,

FROM SUBJECT

A CHILD

TO THE

AT ITS LAST MEETING, MEMBERS OF THE SOCIAL WELFARE ADVISORY COMMITTEE (SWAC) ENDORSED IN PRINCIPLE THAT A CHILD SUPPLEMENT AT ONE QUARTER OF THE PUBLIC ASSISTANCE BASIC RATE SHOULD BE GIVEN ΤΟ DEPENDENT CHILDREN OF FAMILIES WHO ARE ON PUBLIC ASSISTANCE. THESE CHILDREN MUST BR STUDENTS BELOW 18 YEARS OF AGE, AND ARE NOT IN GAINFUL EMPLOYMENT.

SPEAKING AT A SWAC MEETING TODAY (MONDAY), THE ACTING ASSISTANT DIRECTOR OF SOCIAL WELFARE, MR KWOK NAI-SIK, POINTED OUT THAT CHILDREN ON PUBLIC ASSISTANCE AT PRESENT RECEIVED A BASIC RATE OF $515, $505 OR $495 A MONTH DEPENDING ON THE SIZE OF THE FAMILY.

"THESE LEVELS OF PAYMENT ARE INSUFFICIENT FOR THE HEALTHY DEVELOPMENT OF CHILDREN. JUST AS THE ELDERLY AND THE DISABLED, CHILDREN HAVE SPECIAL NEEDS APART FROM THOSE WHICH THE BASIC RATE IS MEANT TO COVER," HE SAID.

SWAC MEMBERS AGREED THAT AT THE PRESENT BASIC RATE, CHILDREN WERE LIKELY TO BE CONFINED TO A RESTRICTED DIET AND DEPRIVED OF SUFFICIENT SOCIAL AND RECREATIONAL STIMULATION.

THEY FELT THAT THESE CHILDREN, ESPECIALLY THOSE RECEIVING PUBLIC ASSISTANCE ON A LONG TERM BASIS SUCH AS CHILDREN OF WIDOWS, THE UNEMPLOYED OR THE SEVERELY-DISABLED, WOULD GO THROUGH CHILDHOOD AND ADOLESCENCE DEPRIVED OF MANY ACTIVITIES ESSENTIAL то NORMAL HEALTHY DEVELOPMENT AND MIGHT GROW UP SOCIALLY DEPRIVED.

/THEY ALSO