TNAG-0572-FCO40-705-Monitoring-of-progress-made-on-planning-paper-on-Hong-Kong-1976 — Page 49

CONFIDENTIAL

WE ARE CONDUCTING A MAJOR REVIEW OF OUR SOCIAL WELFARE PROGRAMMES. THEY FALL INTO THREE MAIN CATEGORIES. FIRST THERE ARE CASH PAYMENTS, BASED ON NEED, CALLED PUBLIC ASSISTANCE. THESE ARE INTENDED TO ENSURE THAT IN ALL REASONABLE CIRCUMSTANCES INCOMES

ARE MAINTAINED ABOVE THE SUBSISTANCE LEVEL, SECOND THERE ARE OTHER

CASH PAYMENTS CALLED DISABILITY AND INFIRMITY ALLOWANCES. THESE

ARE NOT BASED ON NEED BUT ON PROVED CONDITIONS OF DISABILITY OR

AGE, AND ARE INTENDED TO PROVIDE A SMALL PENSION TO HELP THE

DI SABLED AND ELDERLY TO LIVE IN THE COMMUNITY AND REDUCE THE

BURDEN ON THEIR FAMILIES. THESE CASH PAYMENTS TAKE UP 70% OF

EXPENDITURE ON SOCIAL WELFARE. THERE IS ALSO A THIRD CATEGORY OF

PROGRAMMES WHICH RELATE NOT TO PAYMENTS BUT TO SERVICES. ON THESE

YOUR GOVERNMENT IS PREPARING COSTED PROGRAMME PLANS COVERING THE

MAJOR FIELDS OF SERVICES TO THE HANDICAPPED, THE ELDERLY, AND YOUTH.

THAT ON SERVICES TO THE HANDICAPPED, THAT IS TO SAY ON

REHABILITATION SERVICES IS BEING PUBLISHED NEXT WEEK AS A GREEN

PAPER. THAT ON SERVICES TO THE ELDERLY SHOULD BE READY EARLY NEXT

YEAR: WHILE THAT ON SERVICES TO YOUTH WILL PROBABLY NOT BE READY

BEFORE THE LATE SPRING OR EARLY SUMMER.

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TO SOME EXTENT WHAT IS DONE BY SERVICES BEARS ON WHAT SHOULD

BE DONE BY PAYMENTS, AND VICE VERSA, SO IT IS ONLY WHEN WE HAVE THESE PLANS THAT WE WILL BE ABLE TO UNDERTAKE A COMPREHENSIVE REVIEW OF WHAT NEEDS DOING TO COMPLETE THE SAFETY NET FOR OUR

SOCIETY AND MAKE SURE IT HAS NO HOLES. CURRENT ARRANGEMENTS FOR

PAYMENTS ARE AN ENORMOUS ADVANCE ON THE DRY RATIONS OF SIX YEARS

AGO, BUT NOW THAT THE ADMINISTRATIVE MACHINERY HAS BEEN RUN IN

WE SHOULD LOOK CLOSELY AT HOW WELL IT REALLY WORKS: AT WHETHER

THE LEVELS OF PAYMENTS AND CRITERIA FOR ELIGIBILITY ARE RIGHT:

AT WHETHER THEY COVER PROPERLY THE VULNERABLE GROUPS THE COMMUNITY

WISHES TO HELP, AND IF NOT WHAT ADJUSTMENTS WOULD BE WITHIN OUR

MEANS. WE INTEND TO COMBINE THE CONCLUSIONS OF THE REVIEWS OF

PAYMENTS AND OF SERVICES IN AN AMENDED AND MORE COMPREHENSIVE

AND SPECIFIC SOCIAL WELFARE PROGRAMME, WHICH I HOPE WILL BE READY BY ABOUT THE END OF NEXT CALENDAR YEAR, AND SUBJECT TO THE VIEWS

OF HON MEMBERS, BEGIN TO BE IMPLEMENTED IN THE FOLLOWING FINANCIAL

YEAR''.

3. SOCIAL (C): I HAVE NOTHING DEFINITE TO SAY AT THIS STAGE ON

IMPROVEMENT OF HOUSING STANDARDS, IT IS A COMPLEX AS WELL AS A

CONTINUING PROCESS AND THERE IS ONLY A PASSING REFERENCE TO THE

NEED TO IMPROVE STANDARDS AS AND WHEN POSSIBLE. MAIN EMPHASIS IS

ON IMPROVED HOUSING TARGETS AND ON SCHEME FOR HOME OWNERSHIP

/(I) PASSAGE ON

2 CONFIDENTIAL