TNAG-0330-FCO40-366-Visit-of-Parliamentary-Under-Secretary-of-State--Anthony-Roy-1972 — Page 110

an expanded housing authority will have all the

powers and functions now divided between the Housing

Board, the Urban Council, the Commissioner for

Resettlement and the present Housing Authority. A

unified Housing Department will be associated with this

new Authority. The Governor stated that it was

apparent that in the past the housing programme as a

whole had suffered from the absence of unified control

and administration.

SOCIAL WELFARE

hve

3. The Government has prepared a draft White Paper

on social welfare which was tabled in the Legislative

Council on 18 October. The Faper contains comprehensive

proposals for a 5-year plan covering four main areas of

development:

(i)

Assistance to those who through causes out

of their control have not adequate means of support.

This includes the Public Assistance Scheme under which

at present over 13,500 people are receiving cash

allowances.

(ii)

Assistance in cash to vulnerable groups like

the disabled or the elderly infirm.

(iii) Provision of facilities for the disabled

with comprehensive services to meet their needs in the

field of training, employment and housing.

(iv) Comprehensive proposals for extending the

existing limited network of community and social

centres operated by the Social Welfare Department to

cover the whole of Hong Kong.

if

MIL

If approved the total cost in the period 1973-78

will be approximately ($725 million, of which the major

proportion will be borne by the Government.

DIB. 19 OCT. HKK 18/15

NOTHING TO BE WRITTEN IN THIS MARGIN