Money earmarked to purchase dozens of properties for running social welfare facilities may not be enough to buy them all, labor and welfare secretary Law Chi-kwong cautioned yesterday.
That followed the legislature finally endorsing HK$20 billion of funding on June 30 - 16 months after it was proposed.
The purchasing program is to buy private units and convert them into service facilities, with some 86,000 people in line to benefit.
Officials aimed to buy properties to house 158 social welfare facilities.
But Law said the program "very much depends on types of properties and prices."
Facilities that are wanted take in pre-school rehabilitation services, parent/relatives resources, district support centers for the handicapped, specialized coparenting support centers, support for the autistic, child care centers, elderly day care centers, special child care centers, activity centers and a vocational rehab services center.
There are also services in need of facilities being expanded.
Law said the reason why facilities for home-care services for the aged and the disabled were excluded was because some need specific designs and are demanding in terms of daylight and ventilation. He said the social welfare department and the Government Property Agency will start buying the required properties in phases.
Social welfare sector lawmaker Bottle Siu Ka-chun was dissatisfied that facilities for home care services are excluded from the funding. "Apart from purchasing properties, the government can demand the Urban Renewal Authority provide social welfare facilities in its development projects," Siu argued.
