XN000022-1989-05-10 — Page 23

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WEDNESDAY, MAY 10, 1989

HONG KONG, HE SAID, COULD BE PROUD THAT IT HAD

DEVELOPED SUCH A COMPREHENSIVE SOCIAL SECURITY SCHEME, TARGETTED AT THE NEEDY AND VULNERABLE IN SOCIETY, ON AN ENTIRELY NON-CONTRIBUTORY BASIS.

"IN DOING SO, IT HAS HAD TO BALANCE, ON THE ONE HAND, CONCERN EXPRESSED IN SOME SECTIONS OF THE COMMUNITY THAT HONG KONG SHOULD BEWARE OF DEVELOPING INTO A WELFARE STATE WITH, ON THE OTHER HAND, EQUALLY ELOQUENT VIEWS FROM OTHER QUARTERS THAT WE SHOULD BE MOVING BEYOND THE CONCEPT OF CATERING TO THOSE WHO ARE LEAST ABLE ΤΟ HELP THEMSELVES, HE SAID.

"THE BACKBONE OF OUR SOCIAL SECURITY SYSTEM 18 OF COURSE THE PUBLIC ASSISTANCE SCHEME, WHICH IS FULLY MEANS-TESTED, MR CHAU

POINTED OUT.

"

THE OTHER KEY ELEMENT IN THIS SYSTEM, HE SAID, WAS THE SPECIAL NEEDS ALLOWANCE SCHEME COMPRISING THE OLD AGE AND DISABILITY ALLOWANCES WHICH WERE DESIGNED TO ASSIST WITH THE ADDITIONAL ASSOCIATED WITH AGING AND WITH BEING SEVERELY DISABLED.

"HISTORICALLY, THESE ALLOWANCES

EXPENSES

HAVE NOT BEEN MEANS-TESTED. THE DISABILITY ALLOWANCE IS. HOWEVER, 'NEEDS-TESTED' IN THE SENSE THAT A PERSON MUST BE CERTIFIED BY A GOVERNMENT DOCTOR, UNDER TIGHTLY DEFINED CRITERIA, TO

DISABLED TO A SERIOUS DEGREE, MR CHAU

EXPLAINED.

BE

UNTIL LAST YEAR, THE OLD AGE ALLOWANCE WAS NON-MEANS-TESTED, BUT WHEN A PACKAGE OF MEASURES WAS ANNOUNCED IN 1987 TO IMPROVE SOCIAL SECURITY BENEFITS, INCLUDING THE PHASED EXTENSION OF

PROPOSED ELIGIBILITY TO THE ALLOWANCE, THE GOVERNMENT

IN TURN THAT NEW APPLICANTS SHOULD BE SUBJECT TO AN INCOME AND ASSET DECLARATION.

IN

"HOWEVER, THE CONCEPT OF MEANS-TESTING THIS ALLOWANCE, EVEN THIS RELATIVELY SIMPLE FORM, DID NOT FIND FAVOUR WITH A SIGNIFICANT SECTION OF OUR COMMUNITY.

"CRITICISM IN THE SOCIAL WELFARE ADVISORY COMMITTEE AS WELL AS

WAS PARTICULARLY BY SOME MEMBERS OF THIS COUNCIL

DIRECTED AT ITS PROPOSED APPLICATION TO THOSE AGED 70 AND ABOVE," MR CHAU SAID.

ΤΟ

"IN THE LIGHT OF THESE VIEWS, WE SUBSEQUENTLY DECIDED 69 AGE REQUIRE ONLY THOSE IN THE 65 TO

GROUP ΤΟ COMPLETE SUCH A DECLARATION," HE ADDED.

TURNING TO

CONCERN EXPRESSED

AS TO WHETHER THE BENEFITS AVAILABLE UNDER THE SOCIAL SECURITY SYSTEM WERE

LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL MR CHAU SAID THE FIGURES QUOTED IN THE REFLECT THE FULL PICTURE.

RATES OF ADEQUATE,

DID

NOT

MAINTAIN ARE A

"THE BASIC PUBLIC ASSISTANCE RATE IS DESIGNED то DAILY LIVING REQUIREMENTS SUCH AS FOOD AND CLOTHING, BUT THERE VARIETY OF ADDITIONAL SUPPLEMENTS TO MEET OTHER ESSENTIAL EXPENDITURE SUCH AS RENT, SCHOOL FEES, ETC," HE SAID.

"TAKING INTO ...........