XN000022-1982-07-21 — Page 8

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WEDNESDAY, JULY 21, 1ORS

*WE ARE KEEPING A CLOSE WATCH ON THE LEVEL OF PUBLIC ASSISTANCE TO SEE THAT IT ACHIEVES WHAT IT IS SUPPOSED TO DO, HE ADDED.

MR LAW SAID THAT ABOUT 47 300 FAMILIES WERE NOW RECEIVING PUBLIC_ASSISTANCE AND THAT IN THE PAST FOUR YEARS, THIS FIGURE HAD NOT SHOWN ANY GREAT FLUCTUATIONS.

+EXPERIENCE TELLS US THAT GENERALLY SPEAKING, THE PUBLIC ASSISTANCE CASELOAD DOES REFLECT THE STATE OF THE ECONOMY TO A CERTAIN EXTENT, HE SAID. WHEN THE ECONOMY PICKS UP, THE NUMBER OF PUBLIC ASSISTANCE RECIPIENTS WILL FALL.*

MR LAW NOTED THE FOLLOWING CHANGES IN THE CHARACTERISTICS OF PUBLIC ASSISTANCE RECIPIENTS COMPARED WITH FOUR YEARS AGO:

*

-

NUMBERS HAVE INCREASED FROM 63 PER CENT TO 74 PER CENT

ELDERLY

* DISABLED

-

* WIDOWS AND ORPHANS

-

NUMBERS HAVE DROPPED FROM 20 PER CENT TO 13 PER CENT

* UNEMPLOYED AND

NUMBERS HAVE DROPPED FROM 4.9 PER CENT TO 4.7 PER CENT

LOW-INCOME PEOPLE - NUMBERS HAVE DROPPED FROM 10 PER CENT

TO 3 PER CENT

* OTHERS - NUMBERS HAVE RISEN FROM 2 PER CENT TO 5 PER CENT.

THESE CHANGES INDICATE THAT THE MAIN BENEFICIARIES OF THE PUBLIC ASSISTANCE SCHEME ARE THE ELDERLY SINGLE PERSONS AND THAT PEOPLE WITH EARNINGS ARE UNLIKELY TO DEPEND ON ASSISTANCE.

MR LAW WONDERED WHETHER PEOPLE WITH EARNINGS WERE REALLY LIVING ABOVE THE PUBLIC ASSISTANCE LEVEL, OR WHETHER THEY WERE SIMPLY UNAWARE THAT THEY WERE ENTITLED TO RECEIVE ASSISTANCE TO BRING THEIR INCOME UP TO THE PRESCRIBED LEVEL.

+FOR EXAMPLE, HE SAID, +A FOUR-MEMBER FAMILY WITH A MONTHLY INCOME OF ONLY $1 500 COULD QUALIFY FOR PUBLIC ASSISTANCE. I HOPE THESE FAMILIES WILL COME FORWARD TO APPLY.+

MR LAW NOTED THAT ANOTHER CHANGE HAD BEEN THE FACT THAT SINGLE PEOPLE RECEIVING PUBLIC ASSISTANCE HAD INCREASED FROM 75 TO 79 PER CENT IN THE LAST FOUR YEARS. THEIR HOUSING CONDITION HAD ALSO UNDERGONE A SIGNIFICANT CHANGE :

* THOSE IN PUBLIC HOUSING HAVE DROPPED FROM 37.7 TO 34.9 PER

CENT

* THOSE IN PRIVATE HOUSING HAVE REMAINED STABLE AT 28.7 PER

CENT

*

THOSE IN INSTITUTIONS HAVE RISEN FROM 5.4 TO 10 PER CENT

*

THOSE LIVING IN SQUATTER HUTS AND OTHERS HAVE FALLEN FROM 27.3 TO 25.5 PER CENT