XN000022-1978-12-03 — Page 2

SUNDAY, DECEMBER 3, 1978

$53 MILLION SOCIAL SECURITY BENEFITS PAID OUT IN

SEPTEMBER AND OCTOBER

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THE SOCIAL WELFARE DEPARTMENT PAID OUT $53 MILLION IN SEPTEMBER AND OCTOBER AS NON-CONTRIBUTORY SOCIAL SECURITY CASH BENEFITS TO NEEDY FAMILIES, THE ELDERLY AND THE DISABLED.

THIS BRINGS TO A STAGGERING $188 MILLION THE TOTAL AMOUNT PAID OUT IN THE FIRST SEVEN MONTHS OF THIS FINANCIAL YEAR →→ NEARLY $50 MILLION MORE THAN IN THE CORRESPONDING PERIOD LAST YEAR.

THE MONEY WENT TO MORE THAN 140,000 NEEDY FAMILIES AND INDIVIDUALS AS PUBLIC ASSISTANCE, OLD AGE AND DISABILITY ALLOWANCES ADMINISTERED BY THE DEPARTMENT'S SOCIAL SECURITY DIVISION.

MR. CHENG KWAN-KUEN, HEAD OF THE DIVISION, SAID TODAY (SUNDAY) THAT OF THE AMOUNT DISTRIBUTED IN SEPTEMBER AND OCTOBER, $31.7 MILLION WERE PAID OUT AS PUBLIC ASSISTANCE, $13.2 MILLIÓN AS OLD AGE ALLOWANCE AND $8 MILLION AS DISABILITY ALLOWANCE.

+PUBLIC ASSISTANCE IS DESIGNED TO PROVIDE A GUARANTEED INCOME TO NEEDY HOUSEHOLDS, ENABLING THEM TO MEET THE COST OF ESSENTIALS SUCH AS FOOD AND CLOTHING WITHOUT SUFFERING HARDSHIP,+ MR. CHENG SAID.

*OLD AGE AND DISABILITY ALLOWANCES PROVIDE CASH ASSISTANCE ON TOP OF ANY PUBLIC ASSISTANCE PAYMENT TO ENCOURAGE THE ELDERLY AND THE SEVERELY DISABLED TO REMAIN WITHIN THE COMMUNITY AND AMONG THEIR FAMILIAR SURROUNDINGS,+ HE ADDED.

MR. CHENG SAID HIS DIVISION'S 26 FIELD UNITS WERE HANDLING AROUND 47,300 PUBLIC ASSISTANCE CASES, 120,000 OLD AGE ALLOWANCE CASES AND 200,000 DISABILITY ALLOWANCE CASÈS.

MR. CHENG SAID THAT OF THE 120,000 OLD AGE ALLOWANCE CASES, 54,000 WERE MADE BY APPLICANTS AGED BETWEEN 70 AND 74 YEARS AS THE QUALIFYING AGE WAS REDUCED TO 70 ON OCTOBER 1.

HE SAID THE DEPARTMENT HAD MADE ARRANGEMENTS, INCLUDING WORKING OVERTIME BY SOME OF THE STAFF, TO CLEAR THE EXISTING BACKLOG DUE TO THE INITIAL INFLUX OF NEW APPLICATIONS.

NEWLY-RECRUITED WELFARE ASSISTANTS HAVE ALSO BEEN ASSIGNED EXCLUSIVELY TO PROCESS THE APPLICATIONS AND ANOTHER RECRUITMENT EXERCISE IS BEING CARRIED OUT TO PROVIDE THE ADDITIONAL MANPOWER REQUIRED, HE SAID.

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