20

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 6, 1994

QUESTION:

HAS REJECTED

RECENTLY, THE GOVERNMENT MR GOVERNOR, GOOD EVENING.

REPORT AND IN THE SUGGESTIONS OF THE MCPHERSON THE GOVERNMENT'S OPS THEY SAY THAT IF THE ELDERLY WANT TO LEAD A DIGNIFIED RAISE LIFE, THAT THEY SHOULD GET $2,300, SO WHY CAN'T YOU IMMEDIATELY THE PUBLIC ASSISTANCE RATE TO THIS FIGURE?

GOVERNOR:

1

IN THE

MCPHERSON REPORT, CAN I SAY A WORD OR TWO ABOUT THE

NEEDY IN WHICH IS AN IMPORTANT ACADEMIC STUDY OF PROVISION FOR THE

BY HONG KONG, A VERY RESPECTABLE PIECE OF ACADEMIC WORK COMMISSIONED

WHAT IT DOES IS TO PROPOSE A THE HONG KONG COUNCIL OF SOCIAL SERVICE. BASIS FOR CALCULATING SUPPORT FOR THE ELDERLY WHICH IS SIMILAR TO THAT SOME USED IN ONE OR TWO OTHER COUNTRIES, NOT MANY OTHER COUNTRIES BUT OTHER COUNTRIES, WHICH THOSE COUNTRIES HAVE STARTED TO FEEL,

NOW CASE OF GERMANY FOR EXAMPLE, IS TOO EXPENSIVE FOR THEM TO BEAR,

THE PERCEPTIONS AND IT DOESN'T MEAN THAT ONE SHOULD RULE OUT ALL

A VERY EXPENSIVE INSIGHTS

BY DR MCPHERSON BUT IT WOULD BE OFFERED

SINCE IT WOULD, PROGRAMME FOR

KONG TO IMPLEMENT, NOT LEAST HONG

WERE THROUGH CHANGING THRESHOLDS, MEAN THAT AN AWFUL LOT MORE PEOPLE PROVIDED WITH BENEFIT. THERE IS SOME DISPUTE ABOUT THE PRECISE COSTS OF IMPLEMENTING MCPHERSON BUT NO DISPUTE, I THINK, THAT IT WOULD BE VERY

NEED EXPENSIVE AND CHANGE THE NATURE OF PROVISION FOR THOSE IN IN HONG KONG.

WHAT

BASIS HAVE

I THINK WE DO NEED TO REVIEW TAKING ACCOUNT OF

I THINK WE DO HAVE TO REVIEW THE DR MCPHERSON HAS RECOMMENDED ON WHICH WE PAY ALLOWANCES TO THE NEEDY IN HONG KONG AND THAT WE

IS BEING TO BASE THAT ON THE NEW HOUSEHOLD EXPENDITURE SURVEY WHICH

OF THAT DONE OVER THE NEXT FEW MONTHS. WE ALSO HAVE, IN THE COURSE

SPECIAL REVIEW, ΤΟ TAKE ACCOUNT OF THE FACT THAT THERE ARE SO MANY

WHICH AREN'T VERY GRANTS WHICH PEOPLE ARE INVARIABLY ENTITLED TO,

ABOUT THE OFTEN TAKEN INTO ACCOUNT WHEN PEOPLE GIVE GLOBAL FIGURES

GET AND THERE IS PEOPLE

A

FOR STRONG CASE THAT ALLOWANCES

LEVELS CONSOLIDATING SOME OF THOSE SPECIAL GRANTS INTO THE BASIC GRANT. SO WE WILL HAVE, DURING THE COURSE OF THE NEXT YEAR OR SO, WANT TAKE DECISIONS ABOUT THE SORT OF WELFARE PROVISION THAT WE PROVIDE IN HONG KONG ON THE BASIS OF THE MCPHERSON REPORT AND ON BASIS OF A REVIEW OF THE NEXT HOUSEHOLD EXPENDITURE SURVEY.

OF

ΤΟ

ΤΟ

THE

THIS YEAR, WITH A LIMITED NUMBER OF RESOURCES, ΤΟ DECIDE WHERE TO CONCENTRATE EXTRA ASSISTANCE AND IT SEEMED THAT THE PRIORITY SHOULD GO IN ALLOWANCES TO SINGLE PARENTS CHILDREN, AS I WAS EXPLAINING EARLIER, AND IN SERVICES TO PROVIDING

RECOMMENDED BY COMPREHENSIVE NETWORK OF SERVICES FOR THE ELDERLY AS THE WORKING GROUP ON THE ELDERLY WHOSE REPORT IS GOING TO BE PUBLISHED PRIORITIES TOMORROW. SO AS EVER, IT WAS A QUESTION OF JUGGLING WITH AGAINST WHAT IN HONG KONG EVEN, IS A FINITE AMOUNT OF MONEY. I WE'VE GOT IT RIGHT BUT I REALISE THERE WILL ALWAYS BE THOSE WHO

NEEDY GROUP", "NO,

YOU SHOULD HAVE SPENT MORE ON THIS OR THAT THERE

HAVING ARE ALWAYS NEEDY GROUPS WITH VERY GOOD CASES FOR MONEY SPENT ON THEIR NEEDS.

WE

HAD

TO

ME

AND то

A

HOPE

SAY,

AND

MORE

/QUESTION:

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