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Second, we are, again in good faith, undertaking at the moment a review of CSSA, not only for the elderly but for everyone. We're looking at issues like eligibility criteria, we're looking at service to customers, we're looking at the payment of special grants and we're looking, with the help of the household expenditure survey, on how much in our view and the communities view, those who are in need, those who have financial needs which they can't meet through their own efforts, how much they actually require in Government help, in taxpayers support every week.
I think that it's important to deal with this issue rationally as well as generously and I hope that we won't think it correct to proceed by snatching figures out of the air without taking account of the broader picture. If one compares the needs of children, of single parents and the elderly, which priority does the community and does the Legislative Council want us to follow? I think it makes more sense to be able to consider these issues rationally rather than consider them in the way that some people are at present suggesting.
And there's one other point that I want to make. We have seen a very large increase in social welfare spending in the last three years. Some people think it's been too large. I think it's represented a proper response by an increasingly prosperous community to social need, but it's also been a generous response which we could afford and we've never, at any time, broken the iron rule which we've set ourselves of not allowing recurrent expenditure to increase faster than the trend rate of growth in the economy. I think it would be very very unwise for us to break that rule. Hong Kong isn't going to have as easy a time as one might like over the next two and a half years or I would suspect the two and a half years after that because a lot of the world is going to be watching us very carefully and assuming that we won't do as well as I'm sure we will do. Something we have to hold on to is our reputation for being financially responsible in conducting our affairs. I think that is absolutely imperative and I hope that we'll always remember that and I hope that we won't get into a sort of Dutch auction in welfare spending or other sorts of spending which would do irreparable damage to our reputation for running this community and running this economy exceptionally soundly.
Mr Peter Wong: Governor, those who are lucky enough to earn more than they need after paying their daily living expenses, taxes, and the contributions to the proposed mandatory contributory scheme, should be encouraged to save for their old age to attain a comfortable standard of living. Will the Government follow the World Bank Report to adopt measures to make voluntary schemes over and above the basic minimum, i.e. the third pillar in that Report, make it widespread?
Now, also, I must not forget the first pillar of the Report, that the welfare pillar has also got to be strengthened so that we can help all those who cannot really help themselves.