11
Monday, October 30, 1972
IMPLEMENTATION OF SOCIAL WELFARE DEPARTMENT CENTRAL INDEX
Members of the public seeking registration at the Social Welfare
Department for aid, emergency or otherwise, are advised that the central
index system now operating requires identity card numbers and names of all
members of an applicant's family.
This system is a refinement of the previous requirement for the
name and identity card number of the applicant alone.
Mr. Joseph Lee Chiu-ming, Deputy Secretary (Operations), explained
that the additional information now being sought is intended to enable a
central index system to be set up.
This index will be retained within the department's Payments Control
Section where payment records of all public assistance cases are centralised
and audited.
"It will guard against duplicate claims for cash assistance, and
will be available for reference by all units of the department," Mr. Lee said,
At present there are 15 field units and it is theoretically possible,
in the absence of sufficient safeguards, for public money to be claimed by the
same family from more than one unit. But the central index is intended to
prevent such duplication by means of these detailed cross references.
"I urge applicants to bear in mind the new requirements, and to have
ready the identity cards of all family members," Mr. Lee stressed.
да