Press Releases

SHWF exchanges views with welfare sector

        The Secretary for Health, Welfare and Food, Dr York Chow, attended the Annual General Meeting of the Hong Kong Council of Social Service (HKCSS) this (November 11) afternoon and exchanged views with representatives of HKCSS and non-governmental organisations (NGOs).

        Dr Chow said after the meeting that the exchange gave him an opportunity to explain in person his policy thinking to the welfare sector and discuss with them issues of concern.

        He commended HKCSS for its contribution to social services, adding that great importance had always been attached to the partnership with the Council.

        "I believe HKCSS will continue to work with the Social Welfare Department (SWD) on different fronts (such as resources for service provision) in striving for the greatest well-being of the vulnerables within our constraints.

        "Besides, it is about time for us to review the progress of the Lump Sum Grant subvention system which had been implemented for more than three years, since 2001," he said.

        Dr Chow said he was glad to see some NGOs had been making the best of the flexibility of the Lump Sum Grant subvention system and changed their management culture to keep up with the times. They had re-engineered their services to cope with social changes and their efforts had yielded initial results, he added.

        "I hope other organisations also have the courage to initiate reforms and make the most of the Lump Sum Grant arrangement. With greater flexibility in resource allocation, they could be more responsive to the demands of the society," he said.

        Dr Chow said the SWD had commissioned a consultancy study to gain a better understanding of NGOs' financial needs after the termination of the tide-over grant in 2006-07. Nevertheless, the SWD would consider rendering assistance to individual NGOs that have genuine difficulties in meeting the targets after the termination of the tide-over grant, he added.

        Dr Chow also told the attendees at the Annual General Meeting that government expenditure on welfare last year was as high as $33 billion. However, given the many competing demands of the society and the constraints on public finances, he would have to target the limited resources to the most needy so as to bring about maximum benefits. At the same time, he would try his best to secure new resources to enhance services and help the needy.

        "I believe the community at large, including HKCSS and other organisations, would agree with this targeted approach," he said.

        Dr Chow said he stood ready to have further exchanges with the welfare sector.

Ends/Thursday, November 11, 2004

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