ENG-1978 — Page 157

SOCIAL WELFARE

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activities. The Community Chest raised $13.8 million for welfare in 1977–8, compared with $11.8 million in 1976–7.

Social Security

Social Security is provided through the public assistance scheme, the special needs allowance scheme, the criminal and law enforcement injuries compensation scheme and emergency relief, all of which are administered by the Social Security Division of the department.

Public assistance, which is means-tested and non-contributory, is designed to help needy individuals and families by bringing their income up to a prescribed level. To be eligible for public assistance, applicants who are under 15 or more than 59 years (this was revised from 54 to 59 in April, 1978) must have lived in Hong Kong for at least one year. Able-bodied unemployed applicants, aged between 15 and 59, must have two years' residence in Hong Kong and also must be registered with the Local Employment Service of the Labour Department for employment. Young persons aged between 15 and 17 must apply within families as dependants.

The scales of assistance are regularly reviewed and were adjusted on February 1, 1978. The existing monthly basic scale rate of assistance is $200 for a single person; $145 for each of the first three eligible members of a family; $120 for each of the succeeding three; and $90 for each eligible member thereafter. Old age supplement and long-term supplement benefits were introduced on April 1, 1978. An old age supplement of $100 a month is given to public assistance recipients aged 60 and above, provided that they are not already receiving a special needs allowance. An annual long-term supplement of $500 for a family and $250 for a single person is given to public assistance recipients who have relied on the scheme for more than 12 months. In addition, supplementary assistance for rent, school expenses, special diets and other essential expenses also are covered by the scheme.

In order to promote self-help, recipients who are not expected to seek work as a condition of receiving public assistance may now retain their marginal earnings up to $150 a month. Any earnings exceeding $250 a month are taken into account in assess- ing entitlement for public assistance.

At the end of 1978, the number of active public assistance cases was 47,150 com- pared with 48,176 in 1977. Expenditure on public assistance for the 1977-8 financial year totalled $143.7 million.

The Special Needs Allowance Scheme (previously called the Welfare Allowance Scheme) provides a cash allowance on top of the public assistance payment to the severely disabled or elderly infirm. From February 1, 1978, the allowances were revised to $200 a month for the disability allowance and $100 a month for the old age allowance. In April, these allowances were further extended to those in residential institutional accommodation. Special needs allowances are non-means tested and non-contributory. However they are subject to regular reviews to determine that the beneficiaries continue to be eligible. The qualifying age for the old age allowance was lowered from 75 to 70 on October 1, 1978. The number of people drawing disability and old age allowances at the end of the year was 149,189, compared with 78,735 at the end of 1977. Expenditure on payments in the 1977-8 financial year totalled $99.8 million, an increase of $10.2 million over the previous year.