Replies to LegCo questions
LCQ9�GFund-raising activities
Following is a question by Ir Dr Hon Ho Chung-tai and a written reply by the Secretary for Health, Welfare and Food, Dr Yeoh Eng-kiong, in the Legislative Council today (October 15):
Question:
Will the Government inform this Council:
(a) of the total amount of funds raised by local organisers of charitable fund-raising activities in the past year;
(b) whether it has received complaints about the mechanism for monitoring local organisers of charitable fund-raising activities over the past three years; if so, of the details; and
(c) whether, in the past three years, it had prosecuted any staff of charitable fund-raising organisations or people involved in fund-raising activities for embezzling the funds raised; if so, of the details?
Reply:
(a) The Government only has official records of the total amount of funds raised through the following charitable fund-raising activities -
(i) Between July 1, 2002 and June 30, 2003, the Social Welfare Department issued 522 Public Subscription Permits (PSP) for conducting Flag Days and other fund-raising activities for charitable purposes in public places. The amount of net proceeds raised through activities conducted under PSP and completed between July 1, 2002 and June 30, 2003 was $106 million.
(ii) From July 1,2002 to June 30,2003, the Television and Entertainment Licensing Authority issued 115 Lottery Licences to charitable or non-profit-making organisations for conducting lotteries to raise funds for their organisations or for supporting charitable purposes. The total amount of funds raised was $40 million.
(b) In the past three years, the Government has not received any specific complaint by members of the public against the mechanism for monitoring local organisers of fund-raising activities.
(c) Under the Police's classification, cases involving the embezzlement of charitable funds are not separately captured, but included in the established categories of offences (e.g. theft or fraud). Therefore, separate statistics on such cases are not available.
End/Wednesday, October 15, 2003
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