(a)
(b)
(c)
(d)
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when the Occupational Deafness Compensation Board ("the Board") will start paying out compensation to the first batch of deaf workers who have applied, and how many of these applicants will be paid compensation;
of the annual income received and the monthly administrative expenses incurred by the Board;
whether the Board is able to offer assistance to applicants who cannot produce the 10 years' reference by employers required so that their applications can be accepted: and
whether, in cases where several applicants have been employed by the same company or employer before, consideration will be given to admitting cross evidence supporting one another's claim?
Reply:
Mr President,
(a)
(b)
As of 29 February 1996, 45 applications for compensation payment have been approved under the Scheme. The first batch of payments by the Occupational Deafness Compensation Board for 9 of these applications were made in early February 1996.
In 1995, the Government provided a funding injection of $100 million to the Board and an interest-free loan of $115 million as a start-up fund for the Occupational Deafness Compensation Scheme. As for its recurrent income, the Scheme is funded by an across-the-board levy of 1.5% on the insurance premia of all employees' compensation policies which employers are required to purchase, in accordance with the Employees Compensation Ordinance. This levy income is collected by the Employees Compensation Insurance Levies Management Board and distributed to the Occupational Deafness Compensation Board ("the Board") at quarterly intervals. The first quarterly levy income was distributed to the Board in December 1995 and the estimated levy income for the whole year is around $30 million. As of 29 February 1996, the average monthly administrative expenses incurred by the Board amount to $520,000.