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PRINCIPAL ENACTMENTS THAT REGULATE THE FUNCTIONING OF
P.A.P. (PROVEDORIA DA ASSISTANCIA PUBLICA)
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Enactment No. 1984 dated 14-4-1960
( Summary Translation )
Public Assistance Department was created by enactment No. 1200 dated
7.8.1947 being a section of the Directorate of Civil Administration and its chief
aim was to coordinate and exercise supervision over all the modalities of Social
Welfare, either maintained or subsidized by the Government or other
administrative bodies and corporations.
In the beginning the mission of Provedoria was only to administer the Public
Assistance Fund, but only after 3 months of its inception, Provedoria began to
enjoy all the privileges and facilities given to Government bodies (article 1 of
Enactment No. 1209 dated 27-11-1947).
After 4 years i.e. in 1951 the progress made by Provedoria was so great that
the Overseas Ministry stated that there was need of reorganizing the whole set up
of Provedoria so that, financial and administrative autonomy might be given.
Thus, since the year 1952, Provedoria was de facto enjoying all the
privileges of an autonomous body and considering its realizations as well as the
amplitude now given by the Legislative Diploma No. 1944 dated 22-10-1959 by
which the system of rendering Social Assistance in this State is reorganized.
The circumstances and the experience, therefore, advice that the Provedoria
shall be integrated in the juridical regime of Autonomous Services of the State,
giving consequently to those working in the same Organisation all the rights, duties
and privileges of Government Servants.
C H A P T E R I
Nature of the Institution and its principal objectives
Article 1
Public Assistance Department created by Legislative Enactment no. 1200
dated 7.8.1947 shall be an autonomous body with juridical personality, enjoying
administrative and financial autonomy.
Article 2
The objective of Provedoria is to coordinate, supervise all the institutions of
social welfare either maintained by the Government or any other private body.
Para 1. In all that relates to the Sanitary Assistance Provedoria shall
collaborate with the Health Department.
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Article 3
Provedoria shall give help to all the Institutions of Social Welfare which
shall be among other forms in the following manners :
a) Grant of Subsidies;
b) Bestowal of any property either movable or immovable that belongs to
Provedoria;
c) Giving employment to the unemployed compatible with their physical
condition.
Article 4
To put into effect art. 2, Provedoria shall determine :
a) Concentration of certain modalities of Social Welfare according to the
convenience of their best installation, distributing proportionally the
expenses among interested entities.
b) Distribution of the indegents from one Asylum to another or from one
Institution to another Institution, according to the norms fixed for this
purpose which shall prevail over the existing in the Institution.
c) Transfer of Institutions from one building to another, when the
circumstances and necessities justify and by way of compensation which
the Advisory Body shall fix.
d) Requisitions of buildings for the installation of new modalities of
assistential work, when the same are not conveniently utilized for the
purpose of their creation.
Article 5
To put into effect all the objectives of social welfare, Provedoria shall :
a) Give their opinion about the budgets of any assistantial body before
being presented to the Government.
b) Verify whether the amounts laid down in the approved budgets have
been spent properly.
c) Supervise whether all the Social Welfare Institutions are functioning
properly according to the statutes and propose dissolution of those found
unsuitable.
d) Receive all the inheritance either immovable or movable properties that
are bestowed on Provedoria or donated to it and collect the percentage
earmarked of public entertainments and other collections.