CRC/C/CHN/CO/2 page 4 for the promotion and protection of human rights (the Paris Principles) annexed to General Assembly resolution 48/134 of 20 December 1993. Drawing the State party’s attention to the Committee’s general comment No. 2 (2002) on the role of independent national human rights institutions, the Committee notes that such institutions should have a mandate to receive, investigate and address complaints from the public, including individual children, and be provided with adequate financial, human and material resources. In the case of the Hong Kong SAR, such an institution could be a specialized branch of the existing Ombudsman’s Office. Allocation of resources 18. The Committee commends the State party for the significant increases in budgetary resources allocated, on the mainland, to compulsory education, maternal and child health care, social relief and to anti-trafficking programmes in recent years, but remains concerned that some crucial areas, such as education, continue to be underfunded. While it notes the significant resources allocated to the development of poorer regions, it remains concerned that those resources do not adequately target the most vulnerable groups. 19. The Committee is concerned that in the Hong Kong SAR insufficient resources are allocated to reduce poverty and that income disparities are increasing within the population. It is concerned that social welfare schemes, which were reduced as a result of the economic hardship of the 1997 Asian financial crisis, have not been readjusted as the economy has regained its momentum. 20. The Committee recommends that on the mainland, the State party ensure that its budgetary allocations to key areas for children, in particular health and education, keep pace with increases in government revenue. It further recommends that the State party develop an adequate monitoring system to ensure that budgetary allocations effectively reach the most vulnerable groups and reduce regional disparities, in particular between rural and urban areas and eastern and western provinces. 21. The Committee recommends that in the Hong Kong SAR, budgetary allocations be targeted towards reducing income disparities, including through increased funding for social safety nets. It also recommends that an adequate monitoring system be established to ensure that budgetary allocations benefit the most vulnerable populations. Data collection 22. The Committee welcomes the State party’s efforts to improve its collection of statistical data in all parts of the State party, and notes with appreciation the information provided by the delegation that a new mechanism for the collection of disaggregated data will soon be established on the mainland. However, the Committee remains concerned about the limited public accessibility to reliable and comprehensive statistical data on the mainland on all areas covered by the Convention. 23. The Committee recommends that the State party further strengthen its efforts to collect reliable and comprehensive statistical data on all areas covered by the Convention and ensure that such data are systematically made available to the public in a timely