TNAG-0607-FCO40-755-Monitoring-progress-made-on-planning-papers-on-Hong-Kong-1977 — Page 197

5.SS

Thirdly, eligibility for Public Assistance

is to some extent an act of judgement on

the part of social welfare officers.

Though

it must often not be an easy judgement there

are few complaints.

Nevertheless we think

siferate

it would be right for an independent appeal

boards to be constituted to which persons

could appeal against decisions of the Social

Welfare Department if they so wished.

Payments Old Age allowance and Disability Allowances

In addition to payments under the Public

Assistance scheme which are means tested,

Infirmity

tested, there are

those under the Old Age and Disability Allowance

and

schemes which are not. I do suggest it is time we

stopped calling the elderly 'infirm' and that the

Infirmity Allowance should be renamed 'Old Age Allowance

This system of payments based on a

condition of vulnerability has been reexamined and

considered to have been both successful and acceptable

to the public. But in the light of 5 years of

operation the following changes are now proposed:

Firstly, that the qualifying age for Old

Age Allowance should be reduced from 75 to 70.

Some might have wished the age to be lowered

further. But it must be remembered that the

allowance is paid to all regardless of their

financial position, and that, as now proposed,

those between 60 and 70 in genuine need will be