HK$20 billion allocated to buy properties for welfare facilities will not be enough to fund premises earmarked, Hong Kong government paper reveals
- Social Welfare Department releases list of about 160 facilities in the city’s 18 districts, including 55 elderly activity centres and 28 childcare centres
- Plan drew questions over why high demand for services for elderly and disabled people in certain areas was not addressed adequately
A staggering HK$20 billion allocated to a government plan to buy private properties for welfare facilities will not be enough to fund all the premises earmarked and critics say the proposal will fail to help the districts most in need of such services, it has been revealed.
Instead of the 130 facilities announced in February’s budget, the welfare department released a list of about 160 in the city’s 18 districts on Monday, including 55 elderly activity centres and 28 childcare centres.
The plan, submitted to the Legislative Council, immediately drew questions over why the high demand for services for elderly and disabled people in areas such as Tin Shui Wai, Kwun Tong and Wong Tai Sin, was not addressed adequately.
“Although it is envisaged that the ceiling of HK$20 billion [US$2.6 billion] allocation will not be sufficient to purchase premises for all the proposed facilities, we will optimise the use of public funds as far as possible to buy as many premises as we can,” the paper read.
“Priority will be given to facilities in acute shortage, such as childcare centres and day care centres for the elderly.”
The government aimed to secure funding approval in July for the first purchases in early 2020 and for services to begin at the end of next year.
Labour Party lawmaker Fernando Cheung Chiu-hung said the list neglected many districts with longer waiting times.
“We found the shortage [for elderly and disabled people] was most serious in North district, Tin Shui Wai, Kwun Tong, Wong Tai Sin and Tseung Kwan O,” Cheung said.
Kwun Tong, Wong Tai Sin and Yuen Long – the district Tin Shui Wai is classified under – did not get any day activity centres for disabled people despite long waiting times. The three areas were all still clearing applications dating back to between 2014 and 2016.
On the other hand, a day activity centre was suggested for Eastern district, which had cleared all its applications up to 2018.
Only three districts – Wan Chai, Islands and Sham Shui Po – were not allocated a day care centre for the elderly. The rest each received one, including Wong Tai Sin, set to be Hong Kong’s most elderly district in seven years’ time, with one in four residents older than 65.
Roy Kwong Chun-yu, chairman of the Legco panel on welfare services, said he was surprised Sham Shui Po, known for being one of the city’s oldest and poorest neighbourhoods, was left out.
“There are a lot of NGOs serving Sham Shui Po, indicating a strong need for elderly services in this district,” he said.
Kwong questioned whether the district was excluded because the government could not find properties to buy in the area, adding the prices should be relatively lower there.
Kin Hung Kam-in, vice-chairman of Kwun Tong district council, said the district was made up of mainly public housing with many senior citizens living in poverty.
“I hope the government will discuss with district councillors to understand the needs and not just make it a case of everyone gets a piece of the pie,” he said.
According to a 2017 report, the five districts with the highest poverty rates after government intervention were North, Kwun Tong, Sham Shui Po, Yuen Long and Wong Tai Sin.
Space-starved Hong Kong has for many years faced a shortage of welfare premises, resulting in long waiting times for different types of services. There is also an increasing demand for such facilities, with an ageing population.
But the government’s plan had been unpopular among lawmakers and advocates, who spoke of a possible uptick in the private market.