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SOCIAL WELFARE

To encourage self-help, recipients who are not expected to find work as a condition of receiving public assistance may retain their marginal earnings up to $255 a month. However, any earnings in excess of $425 a month are taken into account in assessing public assistance entitlements. At the end of 1982, the number of active public assistance cases was 50 276, compared with 46 734 in 1981. Expenditure on public assistance for the 1981-2 financial year totalled $291.29 million.

The Special Needs Allowance Scheme caters for two groups of needy people in the community. They are the severely disabled and elderly persons aged 70 and over. The scheme provides a non-means-tested and non-contributory allowance on top of public assistance. Any person, regardless of age, who is severely disabled and has resided in Hong Kong continuously for at least one year before claiming the allowance, is eligible for disability allowance. For old age allowance, any person who has attained the age of 70 or over is eligible provided he has resided continuously in Hong Kong for at least five years immediately before claiming the allowance. With effect from June 1982, the rates of disability allowance and old age allowance were raised to $450 and $225 a month, respectively. The number of people drawing disability and old age allowance at the end of the year was 217 392, compared with 202 692 at the end of 1981. Expenditure on payments in the 1981-2 financial year was $436.73 million, an increase of $130.43 million over the previous year.

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The Criminal and Law Enforcement Injuries Compensation Scheme provides cash assistance for people injured and for dependents of those killed in crimes of violence or through the action of law enforcement officers in the execution of their duties. The scheme is non-means-tested and non-contributory and is administered by the Criminal Injuries Compensation Board and the Law Enforcement Injuries Compensation Board. Ex-gratia compensation payments are assessed on the basis of either the Emergency Relief Fund Payment Schedule or common law damages, depending on the jurisdiction of criminal cases and law enforcement cases. Total payments in 1982 amounted to $2.4 million, compared with $2.1 million in the previous year.

The Traffic Accident Victims Assistance Scheme provides quick financial assistance to traffic accident victims, or their dependents in the case of death, without regard to the means of the family or to any element of fault in the cause of the accident. However, the accident must have been reported to the police and the application must be made within six months of the date of the accident. Payments are made for personal injury or death only; damage to property is not covered. The scheme does not affect the applicant's right to claim common law damages in the usual way. Those beneficiaries of the scheme who receive damages, or other compensation in respect of the same accident, are required to refund the payments they have received from the scheme or the amount of damages or compensation, whichever is less. The rates and conditions of payment under the scheme are based on the payment schedule of the Emergency Relief Fund. With effect from January 6, 1982, the minimum qualifying requirement of seven days' sick leave in injury cases was reduced to three days. During the year, 7 810 applications were received, of which 6 650 were approved for assistance payments amounting to $32 million.

Emergency relief is provided in the form of immediate material aid, such as hot meals, blankets and other essentials, to victims of natural and other disasters. Grants from the Emergency Relief Fund are paid to the family of those killed, injured or disabled as a result of such disasters. During the year, the emergency relief service was rendered on 276 occasions to 21 566 registered victims.

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