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The Social Welfare Advisory Committee (SWAC) today (July 4) submitted its report on long-term social welfare planning in Hong Kong to the Secretary for Labour and Welfare, Mr Matthew Cheung Kin-chung. Mr Cheung thanked SWAC for its dedication and hard work.
In view of the rapidly changing social and economic environment in Hong Kong and the increasing complexity of social problems, in 2007 the Administration commissioned the SWAC to conduct a study on the long-term development and planning of social welfare in Hong Kong, to help ensure that social welfare policies and services in Hong Kong respond effectively to society's changing welfare needs.
The SWAC made use of a wide variety of communication channels to collect views and launched two rounds of consultation with the welfare sector in 2008 and 2010 respectively to invite stakeholders and the community to express their views. A Task Group on Welfare Planning was also set up to conduct an in-depth study.
In preparing this report, the SWAC has carefully considered the views collected during the consultation period and analysed information and data pertinent to the demographic structure and change, social development and provision of welfare services in Hong Kong, with a view to developing a blueprint for future social welfare planning from a macro and holistic perspective. The report makes a series of recommendations, covering the guiding principles and strategic directions for welfare development as well as proposing a welfare planning mechanism that allows for full and interactive participation of the welfare sector and other stakeholders.
Mr Cheung said, "The Administration attaches great importance to the valuable comments made by SWAC. We will carefully analyse SWAC's recommendations and consider the follow-up actions.
"With members of diverse backgrounds, SWAC is well-placed to analyse and study the issues affecting the provision of welfare services in Hong Kong at different levels and from various perspectives, and provide objective and unbiased views on the long-term social welfare development to the Administration. I thank SWAC for the time and effort spent on the study."
SWAC Chairman, Professor Chan Yuk-shee, said, "The successful completion of the study hinges on the support and assistance of the stakeholders. We thank the welfare sector and other stakeholders for offering so many valuable views and recommendations during the consultation. I sincerely hope that the SWAC's recommendations will help promote the sustainable development of social welfare policy and services in Hong Kong."
The Administration will consult the Legislative Council Panel on Welfare Services on the report on July 11.
The report and the views received by SWAC during the second consultation have been uploaded onto SWAC's website (www.swac.org.hk). Members of the public wishing to obtain a copy of the report may contact the Secretariat of SWAC (Tel: 2810 3433).
Ends/Monday, July 4, 2011
Issued at HKT 17:31
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