XN000022-1979-01-31 — Page 2

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 31, 1979

SWD PAYS OUT $310 MILLION IN 1978 AS

SOCIAL SECURITY BENEFITS

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THE SOCIAL WELFARE DEPARTMENT PAID OUT $310 MILLION AS SOCIAL SECURITY BENEFITS TO THE NEEDY IN 1978 AMID CONTINUED EXPANSION IN OTHER FIELDS OF WELFARE SERVICES.

THE AMOUNT REPRESENTS AN INCREASE OF $72 MILLION OVER THE PREVIOUS YEAR AND WAS DISTRIBUTED AS NON-CONTRIBUTORY CASH GRANTS TO NEEDY FAMILIES AND INDIVIDUALS, THE ELDERLY AND THE DISABLED.

THE MONEY WENT TO 300,000 PEOPLE AS MEANS-TESTED PUBLIC ASSISTANCE AS WELL AS NON-MEANS TESTED OLD AGE AND DISABILITY ALLOWANCES ADMINISTERED BY THE DEPARTMENT'S SOCIAL SECURITY DIVISION.

MR. CHENG KWAN-KUEN, HEAD OF THE DIVISION, SAID TODAY (WEDNESDAY) THAT OF THE $310 MILLION, $184.1 MILLION WERE PAID OUT AS PUBLIC ASSISTANCE, $79.4 MILLION AS OLD AGE ALLOWANCE AND $45.3 MILLION AS DISABILITY ALLOWANCE.

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

OLD AGE AND DISABILITY ALLOWANCES, HE SAID, 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 SAID HIS DIVISION'S 26 FIELD UNITS WERE HANDLING AROUND 47,000 PUBLIC ASSISTANCE CASES, 128,000 OLD AGE ALLOWANCE CASES AND 21,000 DISABILITY ALLOWANCE CASES.

MR. CHENG SAID THAT OF THE 128,000 OLD AGE ALLOWANCE CASES, 58,500 WERE MADE BY APPLICANTS AGED BETWEEN 70 AND 74 YEARS AS A RESULT OF THE QUALIFYING AGE BEING REDUCED FROM 75 TO 70 ON OCTOBER 1 LAST YEAR.

HE ATTRIBUTED THE INCREASE IN LAST YEAR'S PAYMENTS TO THE SERIES OF IMPROVEMENTS INTRODUCED TO THE SOCIAL SECURITY SCHEMES IN APRIL LAST YEAR WHICH PROVIDED NEW OR INCREASED BENEFITS.

THESE IMPROVEMENTS INCLUDED THE PROVISION OF LONG-TERM SUPPLEMENT AND OLD-AGE SUPPLEMENT TO ELIGIBLE PUBLIC ASSISTANCE RECIPIENTS, AND THE EXTENSION OF THE OLD AGE AND DISABILITY ALLOWANCES TO PEOPLE LIVING IN INSTITUTIONS, HE SAID.

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