ENG-1981 — Page 176

9

Social Welfare

福社

新藥

A NEW system, aimed at full implementation by 1984-5, has been devised for the administration of social welfare subventions - the result of recommendations made during 1981 by a working group set-up to redefine the government's role in the provision of social welfare services.

Under the new system, services will be ranked into two categories - Priorities I and II. Services in Priority I will receive a subvention designed to meet the full cost of a specified standard of service. Income raised privately by voluntary agencies, or received from the Community Chest (to which some 75 welfare bodies are affiliated), will not be taken into account in the calculation of government subvention and will be available as a resource to provide higher standards or to develop new services. Those ranked as Priority II will not normally receive full subvention support and agencies will be expected to meet some of their operational costs from their own resources.

Another change in the subsidy arrangements arose from proposals in the 1981 White Paper on Primary School Education and Pre-primary Services. The present system of direct subvention to day care centres for children aged between two and six years will be replaced by a general scheme of financial assistance to low-income families who have children. attending child care centres or kindergartens. The fee assistance scheme will be adminis- tered by the Social Welfare Department.

Among other social welfare highlights during the year were major improvements to the level of benefits payable under the Public Assistance Scheme. The maximum amount of rent allowance payable under the scheme was raised to twice the level of the highest public housing rent for a single person and one and a half times the equivalent rent for households with more than one member. The real value of Public Assistance and Special Needs Allowances was also increased by 25 per cent to reflect the general improvement in the standard of living.

Also announced in 1981 was a new type of social security benefit - a death grant of $3,000 which is intended to provide immediate relief to the dependant survivors under certain conditions. It is non-means tested and payable to those eligible unless a similar or more generous benefit is also payable under the Employment Ordinance, or other statutory and administrative scheme.

In 1981 direct welfare services continued to expand in accordance with policy objectives; in particular those laid down in the 1977 White Paper on Rehabilitation and the 1979 White Paper on Social Welfare Services in the 1980's. Total estimated expenditure on social welfare in 1981-2 financial year is $885.31 million an increase of $279.45 million in recurrent expenditure and $310,000 in capital expenditure over 1980-1. Some $200.44 million in capital and recurrent subventions from the Lotteries Fund are estimated for the 1981-2 financial year. The Community Chest also organises and co-ordinates local

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