ENG-1988 — Page 204

SOCIAL WELFARE

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which is non-means-tested and non-contributory, is administered by the Criminal Injuries Compensation Board and the Law Enforcement Injuries Compensation Board. Total payments in 1988 amounted to $5.9 million, compared with $5.1 million in 1987.

The Traffic Accident Victims Assistance Scheme provides early financial assistance to the victims of traffic accidents, or in the case of fatal accidents to their dependants, without regard to the means of the family or who was at fault in causing the accident. For a person to be eligible, the traffic accident must be one defined under the Traffic Accident Victims (Assistance Fund) Ordinance (Cap 229) and must have been reported to the police. The application must be lodged within six months of the accident. In case of injury not causing death, evidence of not less than three days' sick leave must be shown. Payments are made for death or personal injury, but not for damage to property. The scheme does not affect the applicant's right to claim legal damages or compensation from other sources. Persons who receive damages or other compensation for the same accident are required to repay the money received from the scheme, but the repayment shall not exceed the amount of damages or compensation. During the year, 6 420 applications were received and 5 670 were approved for assistance with payments amounting to $42.6 million.

Emergency relief is provided to victims of natural or other disasters in the form of immediate material aid, such as hot meals, eating utensils and other essential articles. Grants from the Emergency Relief Fund are also paid to disaster victims or their dependants. During the year, emergency relief was given to 5 480 registered victims on 140 occasions. The Social Welfare Department also provided hot meals to Vietnamese Refugees staying in Hong Kong temporarily.

To prevent abuse of the various schemes, a special team conducts in-depth investigation in cases of suspected fraud or difficulties encountered in repayment. During the year,

the team completed investigation of 380 cases.

Social Security Appeal Board

The Social Security Appeal Board is an independent body which considers appeals from individuals against decisions by the Social Welfare Department concerning public assistance, special needs allowances and traffic accident victims assistance payments. It heard 68 appeals during the year. Of these, nine were related to public assistance, 58 to special needs allowance, and one to traffic accident victims assistance.

Services for Offenders

The Social Welfare Department has several statutory duties in the field of services for offenders. These duties have the objective of giving effect to the directions of the courts on the treatment of offenders through social work methods. The overall aim is to rehabilitate offenders through probation supervision, residential training for young offenders and after-care services.

Probation applies to offenders of all age groups. It allows offenders to remain in the community under the supervision of probation officers and subject to prescribed rules set by the courts. Volunteers from many walks of life participate in the 'Volunteer Scheme for Probationers', which enhances community participation in the rehabilitation of offenders.

Under the Community Service Orders Ordinance, the courts may order offenders of or over 14 years of age who are convicted of an offence punishable by imprisonment to perform unpaid work of benefit to the community for a number of hours not exceeding 240 in a period of 12 months. A two-year pilot scheme on Community Service Orders was implemented from January 1, 1987, in three magistracies - Central, Kwun Tong and Tsuen