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48
No control over use of social security grants
Following is a question by Dr the Hon Lam Kui-chun and a written reply by the Secretary for Health and Welfare, Mrs Katherine Fok, in the Legislative Council today (Wednesday):
Question:
Will the Government inform this Council whether:
(a)
(b)
any estimate has been made of the number of drug abusers among the current recipients of payments under the Comprehensive Social Security Assistance Scheme; and
there are any measures to prevent the use of the maintenance grants under the Scheme for drugs abuse?
Reply:
(a)
(b)
No estimate has been made of the number of drug abusers receiving financial assistance under the Comprehensive Social Security Assistance (CSSA) Scheme.
Measures are taken to ensure that recipients of CSSA payments understand the purpose of the payments, namely to assist in meeting basic needs such as food, clothing and accommodation. But no general control is exercised over the way in which CSSA is actually spent and there are therefore no specific controls to prevent the use of CSSA grants for drug abuse. It would not be operationally possible to exercise such control, although controls exist to ensure claimants genuinely meet eligibility criteria and comply with all the current safeguards in the system to prevent abuse (e.g. able-bodied adult recipients are required actively to seek employment).
End/Wednesday, January 25, 1995