Budget Speech by the Financial Secretary (9)
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162. In recent years, the number of people participating in major sports events and community sports activities is rising, and Hong Kong’s athletes have achieved remarkable results in various sports competitions. The Government will continue to allocate resources to promote sports in the community, support elite sports and develop Hong Kong into a centre for major international sports events.
163. I will inject $1 billion into the sports portion of the Arts and Sport Development Fund to support sports organisations in the training of athletes and hosting competitions. I will also allocate $100 million for the launch of a five-year District Sports Programmes Funding Scheme to encourage wider community participation in sports.
164. On top of the $1 billion injection into the Elite Athletes Development Fund announced in January last year, I have decided to inject another $5 billion, bringing the total to $6 billion, into the Fund to provide greater support for elite athletes.
165. I will allocate $500 million for a new Major Sports Events Matching Grant Scheme to encourage the business sector to sponsor large-scale sports events, thereby providing our athletes with more opportunities to compete in high-level competitions on home ground.
166. This year, the LCSD will conduct a comprehensive review of the Sports Subvention Scheme. We will make reference to the review findings and provide the necessary resources for the Scheme. We will also conduct a technical feasibility study on the redevelopment of the Olympic House to provide office and activity space for the Sports Federation & Olympic Committee of Hong Kong, China and "national sports associations".
Environment
167. The Government will continue its endeavour to improve the environment and combat climate change.
168. Following the allocation of $200 million last year, I will set aside another $800 million this year to further promote the installation of renewable energy facilities at government buildings, venues and community facilities. The Government will also enhance tax concessions for capital expenditure incurred by enterprises in procuring eligible energy efficient building installations and renewable energy devices by allowing tax deduction to be claimed in full in one year instead of the current time frame of five years. The Environment Bureau will announce the details later.
169. To improve roadside air quality and reduce air pollutant emissions in a sustained manner, we will continue to encourage walking and the use of public transport, and take forward other initiatives, such as promoting the use of electric vehicles. The current first registration tax (FRT) concessions for electric vehicles will cease on 31 March 2018. Taking into account factors such as the technological development and market situation of electric vehicles, road traffic conditions and views of stakeholders, the Government has decided to continue to waive in full the FRT for electric commercial vehicles, electric motor cycles and electric motor tricycles until 31 March 2021.
170. As for electric private cars, on the one hand, the Government has to contain the number of private cars to prevent traffic congestion and aggravation of roadside air pollution; on the other hand, we hope to encourage car owners to go for electric vehicles as far as possible. Hence, apart from continuing with the current FRT concession of up to $97,500, we will also launch a "one-for-one replacement" scheme from today to allow eligible private car owners who buy a new electric private car and scrap an eligible private car they own to enjoy a higher FRT concession of up to $250,000. The above concessions will remain in force until 31 March 2021. The Environmental Protection Department and Transport Department will announce the details later.
District Facilities
171. There is rising expectation to increase district facilities. The District Councils have also put forward various suggestions in the past such as building community complexes and improving pedestrian links. I will set aside $8 billion to respond to the proposals of the 18 districts. The Home Affairs Bureau will co-ordinate and follow up with the relevant policy bureaux and departments.
172. On public markets, apart from making available resources to build public markets in districts with such needs, I will earmark $2 billion for implementing a Market Modernisation Programme over the next 10 years, which will entail a comprehensive review of nearly 100 existing markets and improvement works including early installation of air-conditioning systems, major overhaul or redevelopment.
Caring and Sharing
173. I will make optimal use of our resources to cater for those in need with the aim to build a caring and sharing society.
Elderly Services
174. Last October's Policy Address proposed an array of measures to improve elderly services, involving a total recurrent provision of about $1,263 million and non-recurrent expenditure of about $2,229 million. These measures include:
(a) increasing the number of vouchers under the Pilot Scheme on Community Care Service Voucher for the Elderly;
(b) setting up the Innovation and Technology Fund for Application in Elderly and Rehabilitation Care;
(c) providing professional outreach services and visiting medical practitioner services for residents in private residential care homes for the elderly and residential care homes for persons with disabilities (RCHDs); and
(d) increasing the salaries of front-line care staff of subsidised elderly service units.
175. Furthermore, I will make an additional provision of about $63 million to provide speech therapy services for elderly service units which will benefit some 22 000 elderly persons with swallowing difficulties or speech impairment.
Rehabilitation Services
176. Last year, the Government announced the provision of trust services for parents whose children have special needs. I will allocate $50 million to set up a dedicated office for this purpose. Moreover, I will make an additional annual provision of $660 million to improve the rehabilitation services through various measures, including:
(a) increasing 2 469 subvented rehabilitation service places and purchasing an additional 500 private RCHD places;
(b) providing speech therapy services in hostels for moderately mentally handicapped persons, hostels for severely mentally handicapped persons, hostels for severely physically handicapped persons with mental handicap and care and attention homes for severely disabled persons;
(c) providing additional places under the Extended Care Programme and Work Extension Programme;
(d) providing clinical psychological service to strengthen support for ex-mentally ill persons and step up community education for early prevention of mental illness, as well as enhancing support for visually impaired persons, children of hearing impaired persons and children of ex-mentally ill persons;
(e) strengthening the professional support provided by medical social workers in the Child Assessment Centres of the DH and the general and psychiatric hospitals of the HA;
(f) regularising the Pilot Project on Strengthening Support for Persons with Autism and their Parents/Carers; and
(g) increasing the number of parents resource centres to support children with disabilities or special needs and their parents or carers.
Supporting the Disadvantaged and Caring for the Young
177. The Government will allocate an additional annual provision of some $92 million to strengthen the manpower for residential child care services, and will make use of the Lotteries Fund to improve the environment of small group homes. The Government will also set up five centres for separated or divorced families, and will strengthen the manpower of Integrated Family Service Centres and Family and Child Protective Services Units of the Social Welfare Department (SWD) to enable early identification and more effective intervention for families at risk of separation or divorce. The additional recurrent provision involved will be around $56 million.
178. In recent months, it is sad to see several child abuse cases. I will allocate some $504 million from the Lotteries Fund to launch a three-year pilot scheme to provide social work services in phases for about 150 000 children and their families in all aided child care centres, kindergartens and kindergarten-cum-child care centres. Moreover, from the 2018/19 school year, more resources will be provided for public sector primary schools to encourage them to strengthen and enhance their social work and counselling services according to school-based circumstances, with a view to ultimately achieving the target of "one school social worker for each school". Besides, we will improve the provision of school social workers in special schools. I will strengthen the manpower of SWD’s Family and Child Protective Services Units, and the workforce of NGOs supporting the Educational Programme on Stopping Domestic Violence. The recurrent expenditure involved will amount to some $43 million.
179. I will provide subvention to NGOs for setting up cyber youth support teams to reach out to high-risk or hidden youths to provide early intervention and support. I will also enhance the District Support Scheme for Children and Youth Development by raising the ceiling of cash assistance and increasing the number of quotas for disadvantaged children and youths. The additional recurrent expenditure involved will be $20.5 million and $11 million respectively.
Strengthening Support for Ethnic Minorities
180. There were some 250 000 ethnic minorities in Hong Kong, making up 3.8 per cent of our whole population. Many of them have taken root in Hong Kong and regard Hong Kong as their home. The Government always strives to encourage and facilitate the integration of ethnic minorities into society. Yet, they are still facing a lot of difficulties. To enhance collaboration within the Government on support for the ethnic minorities, the Chief Secretary for Administration will set up a steering committee to co-ordinate, review and monitor work in this area. I will earmark $500 million to strengthen support for ethnic minorities.
(To be continued.)
Ends/Wednesday, February 28, 2018
Issued at HKT 12:38
Issued at HKT 12:38
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