XN000022-1973-05-24 — Page 3

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Thursday, May 24, 1973

Mr. Lee described the disability and infirmity allowance scheme

as a "home grown" product not copied from elsewhere and said it was

designed in such a way as to meet the needs of the local situation.

Receipt of the allowance did not affect the eligibility for

public assistance.

As an example, Mr. Lee said an old person with no income will

receive $135 a month as public assistance plus $55 a month infirmity

allowance bringing the total that person can receive to $190 a month.

A disabled person in a similar situation, he said, will receive $245 a month.

"The disability and infirmity allowance is in fact an extra cash

grant with which they can improve their living," he said.

scheme.

Mr. Lee said it was still too early to assess the impact of this

"Nonetheless, we have the impression that it has enabled those

beneficiaries to have better nutritional and recreational activities as

well as personal care or to make some contributions to their families

which may then regard them less as a burden," he said.

On the eligibility requirements which he said some people felt were too strict, Mr. Lee pointed out that the criteria were intended to be used only in the initial period of implementation of the scheme. They would

be reviewed after the scheme has been in operation for some time.

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