TNAG-0735-FCO40-939-Policy-objective-for-the-developing-of-Hong-Kong-in-the-1980-1978 — Page 40

Speech by the Hon. Thomas C.Y. Lee, CBE, JP, Director of Social Welfare at the Legislative Council Meeting on 16.11.78

Regionalization

Sir, I am grateful to Dr. HO Kam-fai for his support of the forthcoming regionalization of the Social Welfare Department as of improving administrative and operational effieiency, and I welcome the opportunity to set his mind at rest with regard to its possible. implications on the voluntary welfare sector.

With

The first point that I would like to make is that regionaliza- tion is only one aspect of a general restructuring of the Social Welfare

Department. The operational arm of the Department is now divided into

six centralized divisions covering the various fields of service. effect from April 1st 1979, responsibility for day-to-day operation in

all these fields will be decentralized to 11 District Social Welfare

Officers, who will be responsible to four Regional Officers. This will increase administrative efficiency, as most decisions on operational

matters will be taken at district level rather than in Headquarters, and

it will allow better concentration and co-ordination of services.

ultimate aim is to enable clients to receive a comprehensive service in a welfare office under one roof. However, the Departmental Headquarters

will retain the responsibility for the planning and development of new

services, for the administration of subventions and for training, as well

as for a few services, which must continue to be administered centrally.

To enable these duties to be carried out satisfactorily in view of the

rapid increases in the size of the Department and in the scope of its

services, the Headquarters has been strengthened in the areas of planning,

development and the administration of subventions.

The

I have gone into some detail with regard to the general

restructuring of the Department in order to make it clear to Dr. Ho that

regionalization will not have the detrimental effects that he fears

on the relationship between Government and voluntary agencies. The two

particular points on which he expressed concern were that the voluntary

agencies will be subjected to a subordinate, dependent position by the

new functions of the Regional Officers and that the planning units within

each agency will have to move from the agency's headquarters to its branch

offices, thus leading to a loss of central control. As I have explained,

the Department's regionalization proposals only affect its operational side.