Reduction of qualifying age for old age allowance to 70
5.6
The Government recognised, when the scheme was first introduced, that there would be criticism of the age limit of 75 as being too high. Now that the scheme has been launched successfully and the cost of it can be more accurately assessed, the Government proposes (as already indicated in the Green Paper "Services for the Elderly") that the qualifying age of 75 should be reduced to 70. It is also intended to change the name of the allowance to "old age allowance".
Chronic sickness allowance
5.7
Welfare allowances bring financial aid to members of vulnerable groups. The review of social security provisions has shown that it is desirable to extend the scheme to cover those who are incapable of work for prolonged periods, because of illness, injury or disability.
5.8
It is therefore proposed that a "chronic sickness allowance" should be paid to anyone who has been resident in Hong Kong for 5 years and who, due to illness (physical or mental), injury or disability has been incapable of work for the previous 18 months and is medically certified as still being incapable of work. The allowance would not be payable to those receiving an old age allowance or disability allowance, since this would duplicate social security provision. The amount would be at the basic rate as a welfare allowance (currently $90 a month, $100 a month after February 1978).
No further extensions proposed to scheme
5.9
The Government does not have any further proposals for extending the welfare allowance scheme. Two possible groups who might be included were mentioned in the White Paper "Social Welfare in Hong Kong:
The Way Ahead", namely the chronic sick and widowed mothers with young children. The first category will be included in the proposed chronic sickness allowance. But no proposals are made for extending the scheme to widowed mothers with young children. In the Government's view, there is not a sufficiently strong case for paying a non means tested allowance to them. It is recognised that some widows have no resources of their own and are unable to support themselves by working. But not all widows are in that position. For those who are, the public assistance scheme provides an adequate level of help, which will be improved if, as proposed, the scheme is amended to provide for a long term supplement and to permit the retention of some part time earnings in addition to the public assistance allowance.
5.10
Since the introduction of disability allowances in 1973, suggestions have been made that the scope of the allowance should be extended, in particular that the profoundly deaf and the medium grade mehtally subnormal should qualify and that there should be a lower level of allowance paid to those who are less severely disabled.
5.11
The Government has looked sympathetically at these suggestions. But it does not at present consider that the case for them has been made
18