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Following is a question by the Hon Lau Wong-fat and a written reply by the Financial Secretary, Mr Henry Tang, in the Legislative Council today (November 23):
Question:
As District Councils ("DCs") have a good grasp of their communities, and the Policy Address delivered in October this year has also indicated that the role of DCs will be expanded to enhance work in districts, will the Government inform this Council whether the Commission on Poverty will consider promoting poverty alleviation work at the district level with various DCs through a particular form or mechanism of cooperation, e.g. by assigning DCs to be coordinators of such work, so as to pull together people from different strata of local communities to take part in poverty alleviation?
Reply:
Madam President,
Since its establishment early this year, the Commission on Poverty ("CoP") has adopted the district-based approach in preventing and alleviating poverty with a view to encouraging cross-sectoral collaboration at the district level to formulate poverty alleviation measures that can cater for district needs.
We understand that District Councils ("DCs") maintain close contacts with the local community and have good knowledge of the district needs and concerns; hence DCs play an important role in district administration. In implementing the district-based approach, DCs have been involved through various means and channels. For instance, the CoP had sharing and discussion with respective DC members during previous district visits to seek their comments on district poverty alleviation work. In addition, the District Working Task Forces chaired by District Officers in the three pilot districts, namely Kwun Tong, Sham Shui Po and Tin Shui Wai have included members from DCs, among representatives from other relevant sectors in district. The Task Forces have been working in various ways with DCs in discussing and drawing up the district action plans in relation to poverty prevention and alleviation. Apart from the three pilot districts, other District Offices also maintain close liaison with their respective DCs in carrying out appropriate measures to address their district needs.
For district poverty alleviation work to be effective and sustainable, the active participation and collaboration of various sectors (including local social welfare agencies, NGOs, poverty concern groups, schools and the business community) is very crucial, besides the facilitation of the Government and active involvement of DCs. The CoP also recognises the importance of providing a platform for district coordination. Nonetheless, there is a preliminary consensus among CoP members that more flexibility should be allowed in setting up district coordination mechanism taking into account their different situations and concerns, as well as their different formal and informal networks. Districts should be in the best position to consider how to further strengthen the local networks and motivate cross-sectoral participation in poverty alleviation.
To echo the Policy Address in enhancing work in districts, the CoP will convene a meeting on November 25 to discuss how to reinforce the district-based approach in poverty alleviation, including how to mobilise districts to formulate projects which can alleviate poverty in a sustainable manner by providing additional resources to them, as well as conducting a study on the support structures to facilitate district poverty alleviation work. The CoP will then make recommendations on the long-term strategy to implement the district-based approach taking into account the results of the study, the experience of the three pilot districts and other relevant projects/programmes.
Besides adopting the district-based approach, the CoP and relevant bureaux would continue with other poverty alleviation work to complement district work, including reviewing policies and measures to reduce intergenerational poverty and to encourage people to move "from welfare to self-reliance".
Ends/Wednesday, November 23, 2005
Issued at HKT 12:30
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