XN000022-1994-10-10 — Page 2

1-

MONDAY, OCTOBER 10, 1994

TRANSCRIPT OF THE GOVERNOR'S PUBLIC MEETING

FOLLOWING IS A TRANSCRIPT OF THE GOVERNOR THE

CHRISTOPHER PATTEN'S PUBLIC MEETING

AT

THE

RT

HON

CULTURAL CENTRE TODAY

(MONDAY):

QUESTION:

WE

BE

OF

MR PATTEN, THANK YOU VERY MUCH. THIS IS THE THIRD YEAR WHEN YOU GIVE THE FIRST CHANCE TO THE DISABLED. YOU HAVE BEEN TRYING THE PAST TWO YEARS TO SOLVE OUR PROBLEMS IN RELATION TO TRANSPORT AND EMPLOYMENT. EVEN THOUGH THOSE ARE VERY DIFFICULT QUESTIONS YOU HAVE MADE VERY GOOD START. I WOULD LIKE TO ASK A QUESTION THIS YEAR. I HOPE THAT YOU WILL TRY AND GIVE US MORE TAX CONCESSIONS BECAUSE WE DO HAVE EXTRA EXPENSES BECAUSE WHEN WE TALK ABOUT WHEEL CHAIR IT'S $7,000 OR EVEN $10,000. AND ALSO WITH PROSTHETICS, IT IS ALSO EXTREMELY EXPENSIVE. SO MR GOVERNOR, THESE ARE NECESSITIES. FOR INSTANCE, NEED MEDICATION AND WE NEED MEDICAL EQUIPMENT. AND SO, COULD THESE MADE INTO DEDUCTIBLE ITEMS, THAT IS, TAX DEDUCTIBLE ITEMS?

AND, COURSE, NOT EVERY DISABLED PERSON CAN WORK AND, OF COURSE, IF THEY ARE ABLE TO WORK THEN OF COURSE, THEN THEY CAN GET TAX ALLOWANCES. BUT IF THEY HAVE TO STAY AT HOME AND THEY CAN'T REALLY GO OUT TO WORK, SO

IT BE DONE IN THE WAY OF SINGLE PARENTS. COULD

IN OTHER WORDS,

YOU GIVE MORE ALLOWANCES TO THOSE FAMILIES SO THAT THEY ARE MORE ABLE TO TAKE CARE OF THE DISABLED MEMBERS OF THEIR FAMILY. NOW, IN FACT, IN SINGAPORE SOMETHING SIMILAR HAS BEEN DONE. HONG KONG IS AN AFFLUENT SOCIETY AND HONG KONG IS ALSO A CARING AND NOT A HEARTLESS SOCIETY AND I AM SURE YOU ARE VERY WILLING TO HELP THE ELDERLY, THE FRAIL AND SO I WOULD LIKE TO ASK THIS OF YOU, THANK YOU.

GOVERNOR:

WITH

CAN I SAY A GENERAL THING ABOUT DISABLED MEMBERS OF OUR COMMUNITY AND THEN ANSWER YOUR QUESTION ABOUT TAX ALLOWANCES SPECIFICALLY. THERE ARE, I THINK IT'S JUST OVER 280,000 PEOPLE IN HONG KONG

SOME FORM OF DISABILITY 286,000 - AND IT IS, I BELIEVE, EXTREMELY IMPORTANT THAT WE GIVE THOSE MEMBERS OF THE COMMUNITY WHO ARE DISABLED THE OPPORTUNITY OF PLAYING A FULL PART IN

AND OUR COMMUNITY

то OF DEVELOPING THEIR OWN ABILITIES

THE FULL THAT'S NOT ONLY THE HUMANE AND COMPASSIONATE WAY A COMMUNITY LIKE THIS WE BEHAVE BUT CANDIDLY, IT'S ALSO IN OUR ECONOMIC INTEREST. SHOULD ARE SHORT OF SKILLS; WE KNOW THAT THERE ARE SHORTAGES IN OUR LABOUR MARKET AND THEREFORE WE CAN'T AFFORD JUST TO THROW ON ONE SIDE ALL THE SKILLS AND ABILITIES OF THOSE WHO HAVE SOME FORM OF DISABILITY. SO IN THE LAST COUPLE OF YEARS, WITH THE HELP OF THE MEMBERS OF THE DISABLED COMMUNITY, WE'VE ORGANISED SEMINARS ON BOTH THE TRANSPORT NEEDS OF THE DISABLED AND ON THE EMPLOYMENT AND TRAINING NEEDS OF THE DISABLED. I THINK AS A RESULT OF THAT WE'VE STARTED TO MAKE CONSIDERABLE PROGRESS IN BOTH THOSE IMPORTANT AREAS. WE'LL BE PUBLISHING A WHITE PAPER

OF

END DURING

ON

THE

AND

AS

THE

AND

REHABILITATION, PARTICULARLY ON THE NEEDS OF THE DISABLED BEFORE

THIS YEAR WHICH WILL FOLLOW UP THE 1992 GREEN PAPER. THE COURSE OF NEXT YEAR WE'LL BE PRODUCING A DOCUMENT OF DISCUSSIONS RESULT

BETWEEN NON-GOVERNMENTAL ORGANISATIONS GOVERNMENT ABOUT EMPLOYMENT AND TRAINING.

/SO WE