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The Government is committed to promote and provide comprehensive and effective measures to prevent disability, and to develop the physical, mental and social capabilities of the disabled, the Chief Executive, Mr Tung Chee Hwa, said today (Sunday).

Addressing the opening ceremony of the 11th Rehabilitation International Asia and the Pacific Regional Conference, Mr Tung said the Administration was fostering a physical and social environment conducive to the full participation and equal opportunities of the disabled.

Despite the present economic climate, Mr Tung said the Administration was determined to press ahead with the service programmes planned for the disabled.

Mr Tung said, "This year we will spend about $12.35 billion on rehabilitation. Nearly 60 per cent of this amount is for subvention to non-governmental organisations (NGOs) for providing medical, education and welfare services to the disabled.

"We are indeed very lucky to have a progressive, responsible and experienced non-governmental sector in Hong Kong.

"Both Government departments and NGOs have been working in close partnership in the planning and implementation of services to meet the needs of the disabled," Mr Tung said.

The Regional Conference, organised by the Joint Council for the Physically and Mentally Disabled, is held in Hong Kong this year. Some 700 local delegates and 300 overseas delegates from about 50 countries and 350 delegates from the Mainland of China will take part in a wide range of activities, including international meetings, workshops and an exhibition from August 23 to 28.

The Chief Executive said, "The Regional Conference is an opportune time for all of us to take a critical look of our existing services with a view to improving its efficiency and cost-effectiveness.

"It is also a challenge for all of us to identify, re-prioritise and re-deploy our limited resources from out-dated or less significant services to new and pressing demands.

"It will give all of us an excellent opportunity to take stock of our achievements, to share experience, to identify future challenges, and to debate appropriate and cost-effective solutions," he said.

Reviewing the rehabilitation services in Hong Kong, Mr Tung said the Disability Discrimination Ordinance was enacted in 1995 to give people with disabilities legal reasons to fight against discrimination and harassment.

"Through legislation and public education, we have already achieved positive results in encouraging the general public to more readily accept people with disabilities."

Mr Tung noted that significant progress had been made, both in terms of quantity and quality, in providing government-subvented rehabilitation services to the disabled.

"Since the beginning of the Asian and Pacific Decade for Disabled Persons in 1993, we have doubled the number of residential places and increased the number of day places by about 50 per cent.

"We now have a total of some 8,800 residential places and over 24,000 day places for different types of services including special education and skills training.

"I am happy to say that we have no shortfalls of provision for a number of services, like special education, skills training and homes for the aged blind.

"In meeting the existing and projected shortfalls of various services, we have already allocated resources to provide additional day and residential places for some 2,000 disabled persons over the next five years."

During the ceremony, the Rehabilitation International presented a Life Patron Membership to the Special Administrative Region Government to mark its achievement and contribution to the region's rehabilitation services.

End/Sunday, August 23, 1998