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Some Members have expressed concern over the improper use of drugs by medical practitioners. To address this matter, the Hong Kong Medical Council, together with the Department of Health and the Hong Kong Medical Association has set up a working group to see how the medical profession's code of practice on the improper use of drugs can be tightened. The outcome of the working group's deliberations is expected by early 1996.

Government's health policy is clear. It is that no one should be denied adequate medical treatment through lack of means. With increasing demand and escalating costs, there is understandably a growing concern over the community's ability to finance our healthcare system. We are not alone in this. Many developed countries are facing this very same situation. We will be consulting Members in due course on proposals for a long-term healthcare financing strategy, including the issue of itemised charging about which several Members have spoken. One key issue that first needs to be resolved is how to improve public sector services while containing costs and recognising the role of the private sector.

Welfare Issues

I should now like to turn to welfare issues raised by Members and will start with social security payments. The Governor announced significant increases in the Comprehensive Social Security Assistance- or CSSA - standard rates for adults and elderly persons living in a family unit with effect from April next year. This is a proposal which will cost about $300 million to implement and will benefit about 52,000 people. We estimate that it will increase the average payment to a family of four to $9.180 per month.

Members have raised a series of specific concerns relating to this announcement which I should like to address today.

Many expressed the view that CSSA standard rates should be increased still further - especially those for the elderly - and some suggested that reference should be made to the recommendations in Professor MacPherson's Report of June 1994.

We gave a considered response to that Report at a meeting of this Council's Welfare Services Panel on 7 September 1994. The approach adopted in the Report was to provide a level of financial support to the vulnerable to enable them to enjoy a certain lifestyle. This approach inevitably involved certain subjective judgments as to what type of lifestyle should be assumed to be appropriate, especially in terms of recreational and social activity.