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Department asked to explain welfare for drug school pupils

The Social Welfare Department was asked yesterday to explain how most students at a controversy-plagued drug rehabilitation school were able to have their school and boarding fees paid by the government.

This came after Christian Zheng Sheng College principal Alman Chan Siu-cheuk said more 90 per cent of his students were Comprehensive Social Security Assistance recipients.

Nelson Chow Wing-sun, a professor with the University of Hong Kong's department of social work and social administration, said: 'It is impossible that 90 per cent of the students' parents were eligible to get CSSA for their children. If the department really had checked the financial state of these parents before approving the welfare payments, it should come out to clarify.'

Mr Chan said all the applications were made by students as individuals, not on a family basis. 'The college is not involved in the application process - not even to the extent of getting a form for any of them.'

A spokesman for the department said the applications were filed individually and all were carefully examined. 'Since most of them are youngsters, they have no income and no assets. So they can pass the means test,' he said. 'CSSA is also given to a young drug abuser admitted to the college if the family has a very bad relationship with him and refuses to pay the fees.'

But he said the department also looked into family background and income. 'Families making about HK$10,000 to HK$20,000, for example, cannot afford to pay HK$11,000 monthly fees to the college,' he said.

But Professor Chow said parents were required by law to support children aged under 18. 'The Social Welfare Department should inspect thoroughly the financial status of these parents,' he said.

The comments came a day after the college - already mired in a row over its plan to move to a vacant school in Mui Wo - went public to reject allegations it had been using public money to fund investments in the city, mainland and Japan.

Joe Leung Cho-bun, professor of social administration at the University of Hong Kong, said the problem with the Christian Zheng Sheng Association - the charity that runs the school - was that it was not a 'conventional non-government organisation', which were controlled by stringent regulations and financial scrutiny from the government.

Monitoring of such charities as Zheng Sheng - which had tax-exempt status under section 88 of the Inland Revenue Ordinance - was much looser. 'While it is stipulated that the money received cannot be put into the pocket of anyone in the charity, how it is enforced is another matter,' he said.

The college still has not submitted its 2007 budget report to the Inland Revenue Department. Mr Chan said it would be submitted after auditors 'handled some technical issues'.

Asked if any irregularity had been found in the association's budget reports since its establishment in 1985, the department said it was prohibited by secrecy provisions from providing details on individual cases.

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