ENG-1991 — Page 206

SOCIAL WELFARE

To replenish the Traffic Accident Victims Assistance Fund, the annual levies on vehicles and driving licences were increased by 60 per cent from $30 to $48 and from $10 to $16 respectively with effect from April 1.

During the year, 5660 applications were received and 5 135 were approved for assistance, with payments amounting to $55.5 million compared with $52.0 million in 1990.

Emergency relief is provided to victims of natural or other disasters in the form of 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 to relieve hardship arising from personal injury or death.

The payment rates under the Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme, the Traffic Accident Victims Assistance Scheme and the Emergency Relief Fund are revised regularly in line with the increase in the average manufacturing workers' wages and with inflation. In April, the rate of burial grant was increased and the maximum eligibility period for payment of injury grant and interim maintenance grant was extended from three months to six months in order to provide greater assistance to those eligible under these three schemes.

During the year, emergency relief was given to 1 538 registered victims on 94 occasions. The Social Welfare Department also assisted in providing hot meals to refugees and boat people from Vietnam.

To prevent abuse of the various schemes, a special team investigates cases of suspected fraud or difficulties encountered in recovery of overpayment. During the year, the team completed investigations into 143 cases.

Social Security Appeal Board

The Social Security Appeal Board is an independent body comprising non-official members appointed by the Governor. It considers appeals from individuals against decisions by the Social Welfare Department concerning public assistance, special needs allowance and traffic accident victims assistance payments. During the year, 111 appeals were heard by the board. Of these, six were related to public assistance, 105 to special needs allowance and none to traffic accident victims assistance.

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Services for Offenders

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

Probation service is provided in eleven probation offices which serve 10 magistracies, the District Courts and the High Courts. Probation officers make inquiries into the home surroundings of offenders as the court may direct. They also supervise the offenders in complying with the requirements of the probation order. Probation applies to offenders of all age groups from seven years onwards. It allows offenders to remain in the community under supervision and subject to prescribed rules set by the courts. The probation officers work closely with the probationers' families with a family-oriented approach. To promote