XN000022-1993-03-15 — Page 4

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MONDAY, MARCH 15, 1993

"THIS $2,000 A MONTH ALLOWANCE IS THE AVERAGE FOR A SINGLE PERSON. ABOUT 37 PER CENT OF THIS GROUP WILL BE GETTING BETWEEN $2,000 AND $3,000 A MONTH, WHILE ABOUT FIVE PER CENT WILL BE GETTING MORE THAN $3,000 A MONTH, HE SAID.

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THE SPOKESMAN SAID THE SAME ARRANGEMENTS OF PAYMENT APPLY TO FAMILY CASES UNDER THE NEW SCHEME.

"THE AVERAGE PAYMENT FOR A FAMILY OF FOUR WILL BE $5,880 A MONTH, AN INCREASE OF 22 PER CENT.

WILL BE GETTING BETWEEN

"OF THIS GROUP, ABOUT 35 PER CENT $6,000 AND $8,000 A MONTH, WHILE ABOUT TWO PER CENT WILL GET MORE THAN $8,000 A MONTH," HE SAID.

SUBJECT TO APPROVAL BY THE FINANCE COMMITTEE, THE NEW SCHEME WILL TAKE EFFECT ON JULY 1 THIS YEAR.

NEW PLANS TO BENEFIT WORKERS

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NEW PLANS ARE NOW IN HAND TO OFFER BETTER PROTECTION TO WORKERS PENDING FINANCE COMMITTEE'S FUNDING APPROVAL TO AN EX-GRATIA SCHEME FOR PNEUMOCONIOTICS AND A LOAN SCHEME FOR VICTIMS OF WORK-RELATED ACCIDENTS, THE COMMISSIONER FOR LABOUR, MRS KATHERINE FOK, SAID TODAY

(MONDAY).

"THE FINANCIAL SECRETARY HAS PROPOSED TO PROVIDE $100 MILLION FUND EX-GRATIA PAYMENTS TO SUFFERERS OF PNEUMOCONIOSIS DIAGNOSED BEFORE JANUARY 1981," MRS FOK SAID.

TO

"UNDER THE PROPOSED SCHEME, EX-GRATIA PAYMENTS WILL BE PAID ΤΟ ALL PNEUMOCONIOTICS OF PRE-1981 CASES, ESTIMATED TO BE ABOUT 600, ON A QUARTERLY BASIS UNTIL DEATH.

"INITIALLY, THE RATE IS SET AT $1,800 PER MONTH AND WILL BE INFLATION-ADJUSTED ANNUALLY," SHE SAID.

MRS FOK STRESSED THAT THE SCHEME WAS NOT A FORM OF COMPENSATION.

IT IS DISTINCT FROM THE PNEUMOCONIOSIS COMPENSATION SCHEME UNDER THE PNEUMOCONIOSIS (COMPENSATION) ORDINANCE WHICH IS FUNDED BY A LEVY ON THE CONSTRUCTION AND QUARRYING INDUSTRIES.

SHE SAID THIS GROUP OF PEOPLE HAD RECEIVED EX-GRATIA

ON AN ONE-OFF BASIS AMOUNTING TO $40.7 MILLION.

PAYMENTS

"OVER THE YEARS, MANY HAVE EXHAUSTED THEIR LUMP SUM PAYMENTS,

SHE SAID.

"THESE WORKERS,