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Policy commitment on welfare programmes on target

The Secretary for Health and Welfare, Mrs Katherine Fok, said today (Thursday) that she was disappointed to hear some misleading remarks made publicly by the Director of the Hong Kong Council of Social Service, Mr Y F Hui, about the Government's progress in meeting policy commitments on social welfare programmes.

target.

These include Mr Hui saying that no new nursing home would be completed on

"This was simply factually wrong," Mrs Fok said.

"Four new nursing homes would be completed on target in 1997 while completion of two had slipped to 1998. The one at Kowloon Bay has been delayed as a result of disruption caused by the opposition of local residents."

She pointed out that the Government's Progress Report had made clear that only four of the 58 welfare commitments were behind schedule.

And the Director of Social Welfare has also explained clearly that those programmes behind schedule are only a matter of delay in completion rather than cancellation of the facilities concerned.

"Indeed, we are on target for some of our most challenging targets.

"For example, we expect by the end of 1997 to have produced another 1,800 residential places for people with a disability including the completion of the huge Aberdeen Rehabilitation Centre providing 1,400 places in one facility. We provided over 1,100 additional places last year.

"We value our partnership with the non-governmental organisation (NGO) sector in working together to meet these targets.

"It is unfortunate that the Council has apparently chosen to belittle those efforts and exaggerate the delays that have occurred. Those who have worked so hard in both the NGO and Government sectors to meet these targets must feel let down by such misleading remarks," Mrs Fok said.

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