ACADEMICS and concern groups attacked the Government's delay in providing 'badly needed' improvements in social welfare and housing.
According to the report, only six of 22 commitments on social welfare and one of 12 on the elderly have been achieved.
Eleven pledges have not been met and the Government is worried these may not be achieved in full due to 'difficulties in finding sufficient premises', 'delays in construction work' or 'difficult site conditions'.
These included the provision of additional places in hostels and sheltered workshops for the mentally handicapped and the formerly mentally ill and in day activity centres and care and attention homes for the aged.
Hui Yin-fat, Legislative Council representative of the social services sector and chairman of the Hong Kong Council of Social Service, asked if the reasons given were acceptable.
'The Governor should have studied the possibility of fulfilment before he made the commitment,' he said.
'He should have studied clearly the chance of getting premises before he promised to set up more hostels and care centres, otherwise he was only making empty promises.