49
Unemployed receiving welfare payments
Following is a question by the Hon Lee Cheuk-yan and a written reply by the Secretary for Health and Welfare, Mrs Katherine Fok, in the Legislative Council today (Wednesday):
Question:
As the current unemployment rate in the territory is the highest recorded so far in nine years, will the Government inform this Council of (a) the number of applications for Comprehensive Social Security Assistance (CSSA) made by people who are unemployed, as well as the total amount of CSSA payments in respect of such cases in the last financial year; and (b) the anticipated amount of CSSA payments to those applicants who are unemployed in the current financial year?
Reply:
For the purpose of this reply, "unemployment cases" among applications for Comprehensive Social Security Assistance (CSSA) are defined as being those cases involving able-bodied persons aged 15-59 who are in normal health but are unemployed and in need of financial support.
In the 1994/95 financial year, about 3,700 applications for Comprehensive Social Security Assistance (CSSA), representing about 7.4% of all applications made, were classified as "unemployment cases". Such cases received about $110 million in CSSA payments in that year, representing about 3.2% of the total CSSA payments made.
Based on past trends and taking into account the various improvements to CSSA rates including adjustments for inflation with effect from 1 April 1995, the amount of CSSA payments for "unemployment cases" estimated to be needed for the current financial year is about $150 million (about 3.7% of the estimated total payment).
End/Wednesday, June 21, 1995