XN000022-1995-11-29 — Page 55

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As regards social welfare, no means tests are imposed on the majority of social services. These services, therefore, are open for all. In respect of medical services, the Government's current policy is that no one should be denied adequate medical treatment through lack of means. Furthermore, the Government provides a safety net of social welfare for the needy and the disadvantaged.

To sum up, the Government, through subsidised education, public housing, social welfare services, and health and medical services, have greatly improved the living standard of the general public, thus narrowing the income gap in real terms among people from various strata of society. Hence the Gini coefficient calculated from the household income information obtained from a Population Census or By- census cannot reflect the whole picture. We, therefore, should not simply take this figure by itself and ignore the material effects of the concrete measures implemented to improve people's livelihood.

(b) It requires substantial financial and human resources to conduct a Population Census or a By-census. Besides, the general public will be required to spend time in providing the necessary information. So Population Census or By- census should not be conducted too frequently. In addition, the change in the pattern of income distribution is usually relatively slow. It is therefore appropriate to conduct such Population Censuses once in every 5 years.

(c) The nature and purpose of Population Census or By-census is mainly to collect, on a broader scale, information on the social and economic characteristics of the entire population in Hong Kong, to be used by Government departments as reference in formulating related policies. It is also very useful in assessing overall social changes. Apart from overall information, it also provides information by major category, though relatively general in nature. Such information has already played a role in the formulation and implementation of overall policies. Longitudinal studies are in fact quite different. It is technically incompatible with the various existing statistical work.

It is, of course, in some ways useful to focus longitudinal studies more specifically on some particular issues. I am willing to refer the suggestion to the policy branches concerned to see whether it will help them in formulating policies. However, as regards each of the social problems the Honourable Tsang Kin-shing mentioned, the various departments concerned at present already possess information on a large number of cases and officers of these departments have been conducting follow-ups on them regularly. To a certain extent, longitudinal studies are in place to help them understand the situation. Nevertheless. I will propose to departments concerned to adopt a more structured approach and conduct more thorough longitudinal studies on the cases.

End/Wednesday, November 29, 1995