Social_Welfare_Annual_Report_1972-1973 — Page 31

The Public Assistance Scheme

86. The purpose of the Public Assistance Scheme is to bring the income and other resources of individuals and families up to a certain level. Normally public assistance is needed for a limited time only. until the recipient becomes independent again. But in some cases, e.g. the elderly, it is paid on a longer term basis. If the applicants who are eligible for public assistance also require other social welfare services, referrals will be made to the Family Services Division.

87. Public assistance is paid on a book of orders or vouchers which is cashed monthly at selected Post Offices, District Offices of the New Territories Administration or Treasury Sub-Offices. Any person or family who has resided in Hong Kong for at least one year is eligible for public assistance if he has not enough income or other resources to meet his requirements by public assistance standards; persons of working age and who are fit and available for work and without dependants are not eligible for assistance.

88. Improvements to the Public Assistance Scheme were made in April 1972. These improvements included a 60 per cent increase in the scale of assistance, higher allowance for rents and more generous allowances for recipients requiring a special diet. As from 1st April 1972, the monthly scale of assistance was raised from $70 to $110 for a single person and for members of a family from $50 to $80 for cach of the first three members, from $40 to $65 for each of the next three and from $30 to $50 for each additional member. The maximum rent allowance was based on Government low cost housing level rather than Mark IV resettlement estates level, with provision for long term cases paying higher rents to be eligible for compassionate rehousing. In addition to the monthly scale of assistance, rent, school fees and essential travelling allowances have been classified as basic needs since March 1973 (though this did not alter the amount of assistance in payment); and more generous grants have been given to cover special needs e.g. for baby-sitting, removal and fitting out expenses.

89. Expenditure on public assistance payments for the financial year 1972-73 was $30,549,914.00 and the number of families who received public assistance during the year was 24,484. The total active caseload as at the end of March 1973 was 19,283 as compared with 13,509 at the end of March 1972. An analysis of the type of the cases which received public assistance during the year is at Appendix 7.2.

21