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Following is a question by the Hon Cheung Kwok-che and a written reply by the Secretary for Home Affairs, Mr Tsang Tak-sing, in the Legislative Council today (November 5):
Question:
In December 1995, the Government decided not to extend Neighbourhood Level Community Development Projects (NLCDPs) in the light of its gradual decline in demand, and that the existing NLCDPs would be terminated when the project area was demolished and redeveloped. Besides, the NGO Forum on Community Development (the Forum), coordinated by the Home Affairs Bureau to serve as a platform to discuss community development issues, has not held any meeting since March 2006. Regarding the provision of subvented community services, will the Government inform this Council:
(a) of the amount of financial resources released each year upon the termination of the NLCDPs in Shek Kip Mei and Wong Chuk Hang Estates, and whether such resources have been redeployed to finance other community service projects; if so, of the respective amounts of annual expenditure for each project;
(b) of the NLCDPs that will be terminated in the coming two years, and the districts to be affected; and
(c) when the next Forum meeting will be held?
Reply:
President,
Due to the clearance and redevelopment of the project areas served by the Neighbourhood Level Community Development Projects (NLCDPs) at Shek Kip Mei Estate and Wong Chuk Hang Estate, the above NLCDPs have been terminated in December 2006 and October 2007 respectively. My reply to the three parts of the question is as follows:
(a) Following the termination of the aforementioned projects, a sum of $4,044,000 of financial resources were redeployed to the Home Affairs Department (HAD). HAD would consider the needs of respective districts and local residents and use these resources to provide relevant community services. In the 2008-09 financial year, we plan to deploy the resources to various districts such as Tin Shui Wai (approximately $2,100,000), Tuen Mun (approximately $900,000) and Kwun Tong (approximately $600,000), with a view to promote neighbourhood support.
(b) According to current policy, existing NLCDPs would be terminated when the project area is cleared or when the target population of their serving areas falls below 1,800, with the specific timing of termination determined on a case-to-case basis. The Housing Department expects to clear Lower Ngau Tau Kok Estate in 2009, and the NLCDP serving the area will be terminated accordingly.
(c) The Home Affairs Bureau intends to convene the NGO Forum on Community Development on a need-basis and would liaise with relevant parties accordingly.
Ends/Wednesday, November 5, 2008
Issued at HKT 15:59
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