Chapter 10
Social Welfare
The government is committed to assisting individuals and families in need. The scope and extent of Hong Kong's welfare services have steadily evolved over the years, with total recurrent government expenditure on social welfare increasing by around 60 per cent in the past decade.
The Labour and Welfare Bureau (LWB) is responsible for formulating social welfare policies and overseeing their implementation by the Social Welfare Department (SWD). The Social Welfare Advisory Committee, the Elderly Commission, the Rehabilitation Advisory Committee and the Women's Commission advise the government on welfare policies.
In 2013-14, the SWD's total recurrent expenditure was $51 billion, of which $36.1 billion (70.8 per cent) was for financial assistance payments, $10.9 billion (21.4 per cent) for recurrent subventions to non-governmental organisations (NGOs), $1.2 billion (2.3 per cent) for other payments for welfare services, and the remaining $2.8 billion (5.5 per cent) for departmental expenditure.
Major Social Welfare Initiatives
Relief Measures
To help those in need, in August the SWD provided one additional month's standard rate payment for recipients of Comprehensive Social Security Assistance (CSSA) and one additional month's allowance for recipients of Old Age Living Allowance (OALA), Old Age Allowance (OAA) and Disability Allowance (DA).
Low-income Working Family Allowance
The 2014 Policy Address announced plans to introduce the Low-income Working Family Allowance to relieve the financial burden of low-income working families not receiving CSSA (especially those with children), and to promote self-reliance and upward social mobility. It is expected that the scheme will be implemented 15 to 18 months after the Legislative Council Finance Committee's funding approval is obtained.
165