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On the promotion of the concept of self-help and mutual support among the chronically ill, Mr Patten said eight new Patient and Carers Resources Centres would be set up and an extra two rehabilitation co-ordination teams would be provided next

year.

Mr Patten noted that public hospitals would treat 846,000 in-patients and add an extra 800 beds this year.

General clinics were expected to treat 4.5 million out-patients while specialist clinics expected to treat a further 6.3 million out-patients.

End/Wednesday, October 11, 1995

Decent, affordable houses for the community

The Government is determined to improve the conditions under which 40,000 people live in Temporary Housing Areas (THAS), the Governor, the Rt Hon Christopher Patten, said today (Wednesday).

In his annual Policy Address to the Legislative Council (LegCo), Mr Patten noted that in 1992 there were 55 THAS.

"By 1997, we will have cleared 42 of these. We will have met our earlier pledges in full," he said.

THAS."

"But it is simply not possible to make a pledge to clear all the remaining

Mr Patten said the flow of new arrivals from China and our success in clearing the squatter areas meant that the only alternatives to the retention of some THAs were:

either to allow people to sleep on the streets, which would be totally unacceptable; or

to allow families affected by clearances to jump the queue for rehousing which would be grossly unfair.