The Financial Secretary, Mr Paul Chan, visited Yuen Long District this afternoon (October 3), where he met with members of the Yuen Long District Council (YLDC), called at an elderly home and officiated at the topping-out ceremony for the Yuen Long District Community Services Building.
Mr Chan first met with members of the YLDC to learn more about the latest developments in the district and exchange views on matters of mutual interest.
Accompanied by the Chairman of the YLDC, Mr Shum Ho-kit, and the District Officer (Yuen Long), Mr Enoch Yuen, Mr Chan then visited the Hong Kong Society for the Blind Jockey Club Yan Hong Building. Yan Hong Building, previously known as the Yuen Long Home for the Aged Blind, is the first elderly home for visually impaired persons. Yan Hong Building aims to provide a comfortable, barrier-free and smart home environment for residents. The building is equipped with innovative facilities, including a computerised medication system, a management system that uses radio frequency identification technology and features anti-wandering function and more.
Mr Chan said that, given the rapidly ageing population, the Government has proposed an array of measures to improve elderly services, including the setting up of the $1 billion Innovation and Technology Fund for Application in Elderly and Rehabilitation Care. The Fund will be launched in the fourth quarter of 2018 to provide subsidy to elderly and rehabilitation service units to try out and procure technology products, so as to improve the quality of life of service users.
Mr Chan also officiated at the topping-out ceremony for the Yuen Long District Community Services Building. To enhance local engagement, the Government introduced the Signature Project Scheme (SPS) in Policy Address in 2013, under which a one-off grant of $100 million was reserved for each district to implement SPS projects. The Building is a project funded by the SPS in Yuen Long. It is expected to commence operation in early 2019 to provide a convenient multi-purpose venue for organising a variety of community services and activities. Mr Chan said he was pleased to note that the Building will start operation soon. He added that the government will continue to promote the development of district facilities. In last year's Budget, $20 billion was reserved for the development of district sports and recreational facilities, while another $8 billion has been set aside in this year's Budget to address rising expectations for more district facilities.
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