*********************************************************
Following is a question by the Dr Hon Fernando Cheung and a written reply by the Secretary for Home Affairs, Mr Lau Kong-wah, in the Legislative Council today (June 8):
Question:
Over the years, the authorities have from time to time invited non-profit-making organisations (NPOs) to submit proposals for the operation of support service centres (SSCs) for the ethnic minorities (EMs). An assessment panel, comprising representatives from relevant policy bureaux and government departments, vet and approve such proposals using certain criteria, which include the applicants' experience in providing services for EMs, past performance, organisational support, service network, and ability to cooperate with other organisations. I have recently learnt that last year, the assessment panel did not award the service contract of an SSC in the Kwai Tsing District to an NPO which is experienced (with more than 10 years' experience in providing the relevant services in the district), reputable and acclaimed for its service quality. Instead, the service contract was awarded to an NPO which, at that time, had only three months' experience in providing the services. Some members of the social welfare sector, completely baffled by such outcome, have considered that the criteria for vetting and approval of the proposals lack transparency. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1) of the criteria currently adopted by the assessment panel for vetting and approval of the proposals submitted by NPOs for the operation of SSCs, and whether such criteria include relevant service experience and performance; if so, of their weightings; if not, the reasons for that;
(2) why the authorities have awarded the service contract of the SSC in the Kwai Tsing District to an inexperienced NPO with no proven track record in providing quality services;
(3) whether, since the commencement of the operation of the SSC in the Kwai Tsing District in June last year, the authorities have monitored the service performance of the NPO concerned; if they have, of the details; whether the authorities know the respective expenses incurred so far by the NPO for the various services (e.g. classes on the Chinese and English languages, after-school tutorial classes, community integration programmes, and other services such as consultation, counselling, referral, interpretation and translation);
(4) given that some members of the social welfare sector have queried that the NPO currently operating the SSC in the Kwai Tsing District was awarded the service contract mainly because of its close relationship with relevant Mainland organisations, whether the authorities have responded to such a query; if they have, of the details; and
(5) given that the Home Affairs Bureau will kick-start a new round of Neighbourhood Mutual Help Programme in the third quarter of this year to provide support services for persons from the Mainland who have resided in Hong Kong for less than seven years and for EMs, and is carrying out tendering work in this regard, of the details of the vetting and approving criteria concerned, and the weighting accorded to each criterion?
Reply:
President,
(1) The Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region has all along adopted established procedures which are fair, open and just in selecting non-profit-making organisations (NPOs) to operate the support service centres for ethnic minorities (EMs). We widely invite NPOs to submit proposals for operating the centres through various channels, including newspaper advertisements, press releases and the Home Affairs Department (HAD)'s website, etc. We also organise briefings to enable interested organisations better understand the service requirements and assessment criteria of the project. After the close of application, an independent inter-departmental vetting panel, comprising representatives from the HAD, Social Welfare Department and Labour Department, will carefully assess the proposals received according to the established and announced assessment criteria. The Government will commission the NPO with the highest score recommended by the vetting panel to operate the centre.
The assessment criteria and weighting adopted by the independent vetting panel are as follows:
* Service design and general operation of service (35%);
* Performance management (20%);
* Human resources management (10%);
* Implementation plan (10%);
* Relevant operational experience and co-ordination strategies (10%); and
* Budget estimate and cost effectiveness, etc. (15%).
The above information, including the assessment criteria and weighting, is detailed in the project brief, which is also made available on the HAD's website for reference by interested persons and organisations.
(2) The Chief Executive announced in his 2014 Policy Address to establish a support service centre for EMs in Kwai Tsing District. The Government selected an NPO to operate the centre in accordance with the established procedures mentioned in part (1) above, including assessment of proposals received according to the above-mentioned assessment criteria by the independent vetting panel. "Relevant operational experience and co-ordination strategies" was one of the criteria with a weighting of 10%. Apart from the operational experience of the organisation, the vetting panel would also consider relevant experience possessed by the responsible person of the organisation and his/her team members. After assessment of all the proposals by the vetting panel, the Government commissioned the NPO with the highest score to run the support service centre for EMs in Kwai Tsing District.
(3) The LINK support service centre for EMs in Kwai Tsing District has commenced service since late October 2014. The HAD has been closely monitoring its operation by:
* examining detailed quarterly progress reports submitted by the operator;
* conducting frequent site visits, gauging opinions directly from the service users on the centre through interviews;
* scrutinising operator's financial reports and invoices; and
* meeting regularly with the operator to review work progress and performance, etc.
Since service commencement, the centre has been operating smoothly and the feedback from service users has been positive.
The expenditures of the six support service centres and two sub-centres for EMs are mainly categorised into salaries, rent, administration expenses and other operating expenses, etc. No breakdown of expenditures by services is available.
(4) In selecting an NPO to run a support service centre for EMs, the independent vetting panel only assesses the proposals according to the established assessment criteria. Whether an applicant organisation has a connection with Mainland organisations is not a criterion to be considered.
(5) According to the project brief of the Neighbourhood Mutual Help Programme (NMHP), projects under the NMHP should come under the Home Affairs Bureau's policy programme on District and Community Relations while meeting the policy objectives of community development. The criteria for assessment include:
* the extent to which the project could address community needs;
* the relevant experience of the service provider in the proposed service area;
* whether the expected outcome/output is practical and sustainable;
* whether the proposed budget is prudent, realistic and cost-effective; and
* staffing complement should include at least a registered social worker.
The HAD is inviting applications for the NMHP. After the close of application, we will conduct vetting of the incoming proposals jointly with relevant bureaux/departments.
Ends/Wednesday, June 8, 2016
Issued at HKT 11:45
NNNN
