Resettlement_Department_Annual_Report_1970-1971 — Page 37

WELFARE SERVICES

62. Premises are made available in estates to welfare organizations recommended by the Education and Social Welfare Departments at a nominal rent of $1 a month. At the end of the year there were 289 primary schools in resettlement estates with an enrolment of 203,906. Details are given at Appendix 10. Fees in private schools run by welfare organizations are limited to a maximum of $90 a year, while in sub- sidized schools the fee is $20 a year. In new estates, separate annex schools are built at a ratio of 1 classroom to each 450 of the population (that is 1 place to 5 persons) and this provision has been found generally sufficient. In November 1970, the 50th estate school in resettlement/ low cost housing, was opened at Lam Tin Estate.

63. In recent years there has been a growing demand for pre-primary places. Special 3-storey 18-classroom kindergartens are being built in the end bays of new blocks, to provide a ratio of 1 classroom to 3,600 persons (i.e. 1 place to 40). However, with only 49 kindergartens in the older estates, the overall provision is still below this ideal (see Appendix 11).

64. A number of welfare bodies have set up low cost or free clinics which pay a nominal rent of $1 a month (see Appendix 12). In addi- tion, a scheme was introduced in September 1967 to replace the mobile clinics which had ceased to be permitted to operate in estates. Private practitioners were, therefore, given priority over welfare agencies in the allocation of ground floor premises in estates reserved for clinics. These clinic premises of 400 square feet are all charged Grade C shop rent, while fees are limited to $3 a visit. The object of the scheme was to provide a ratio of 1 doctor to 6,000 people; however, although 49 low cost clinics have been set up, the enthusiasm of private doctors for the scheme seems to be declining and during the year, 6 larger premises were allocated to welfare agencies in the estate welfare building, at a nominal rent.

65. As can be seen from Appendix 13, some 182 premises have been made available in the estates for nurseries, clubs, libraries and a variety of other welfare services. Most of these are provided by welfare agencies specializing in the work. In the new estates, these welfare activities are centralized into six-storey estate welfare buildings with 2,300 square feet of space on each floor. Services normally provided in the welfare buildings include a medical clinic, children's library, youth club and nursery as well as specialist offices from the Social

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