Thu, Apr 20, 2023 page3

• Taipei youth department deadline faces criticism

  • By Lee I-chia / Staff reporter
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  Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安) yesterday said that a task force would be formed in June to establish a youth affairs department as soon as possible, after a Taipei city councilor questioned whether the city government’s 2025 deadline for establishing the department was too late.

  Chiang, of the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT), proposed the idea to establish a Taipei youth affairs department during his election campaign last year. During a city council question-and-answer session on Tuesday, KMT Taipei City Councilor Kuo Chao-yan (郭昭巖) asked him about its progress.

  Taipei’s population has dropped by about 200,000 in the past seven years, the majority being young people who left the city, she said.

  

  Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an speaks at a Taipei City Council meeting on Friday.

  Photo: CNA

  She asked when Taipei would be setting up its department, as Kaohsiung and New Taipei City already have youth affairs departments.

  Taipei Research, Development and Evaluation Commission Chairman Eric Yu (俞振華) said that Chiang had mentioned setting up a preparatory task force in June.

  The task force would discuss the department’s organizational structure, seek approval from the personnel department and propose a budget to the city council, so in principle, the department would be established in 2025, Yu said.

  Waiting until 2025 would be a little too late, and “young people will weep over it,” Kuo said, asking if it would be possible to start integrating different departments’ related duties and propose a budget by the end of the year.

  Organizational regulations must be established before a budget can be prepared, so hopefully the regulations would be passed at the next council session, Taipei City Government Secretary-General Lee Tai-hsin (李泰興) said.

  While visiting the Democratic Progressive Party’s (DPP) Taipei City Council caucus at noon yesterday, Chiang said that the preparatory task force would be formed in June to establish the department as soon as possible.

  DPP caucus convenor Chien Shu-pei (簡舒培) said her party’s city councilors have complained that Chiang’s administration has often proposed additional spending before explaining its policies, and that when they have asked the city government for information on its new policies, they are not given it or receive different information from what is given to the media.

  She also asked if the plan to raise the baby bonus to NT$40,000 would only cover babies born on or after April 4, and whether those born after Chiang became mayor would also be eligible.

  Taipei City Government spokesperson Yin Wei (殷瑋) said Chiang had a harmonious discussion with the DPP caucus about important city policies.

  The city government would humbly listen to the city councilors’ opinions, respond to their questions and provide the information they ask for, Yin said.

  As for the increased baby bonus, other party caucuses have asked the same question about eligibility, Yin said.

  As Taipei Department of Civil Affairs Commissioner Chen Yung-te (陳永德) has explained, the city government would respect the city council’s decision on whether those born before April 4 should be included, Yin said.
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