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Social Welfare

out $4.82 million in 2017. The non-means-tested Traffic Accident Victims Assistance Scheme provides financial assistance to people injured in road traffic accidents or to their dependants in the case of death, regardless of who is responsible for the accident. It paid out $241.6 million during the year.

Emergency Relief

Meals or cash in lieu of meals and other necessities are given to victims of natural or other disasters. Grants from the Emergency Relief Fund are paid to eligible victims, or in the case of death to their dependants. Emergency relief was given to 207 victims of 20 disasters in 2017.

Social Security Appeal Board

The board considers appeals against the department's decisions on CSSA, SSA and Traffic Accident Victims Assistance. It ruled on 350 appeals in 2017.

Prevention of Fraud and Abuse

To preserve the integrity of the social security system and ensure the proper use of public funds, the department's Special Investigation Section prevents and combats fraud and abuse of social security payment. It receives reports from the public via the hotline 2332 0101. In 2017, 126 abusers were jailed, bound over, ordered to perform community service, fined, or given. warnings.

Funding

Subventions and Service Monitoring

Through the Lump Sum Grant Subvention System, 165 NGOs received recurrent subventions to provide social welfare services according to government policies. NGOs may also seek grants from the Lotteries Fund to meet their non-recurrent commitments.

The department monitors the output, outcome and service quality of the subvented organisations through the Service Performance Monitoring System, reviewing regular self- assessment reports submitted by NGOs and conducting review and surprise visits. The Lump Sum Grant Independent Complaints Handling Committee handles complaints that cannot be addressed satisfactorily at the NGO level.

The government reviews and introduces measures to optimise the grant arrangements from time to time. The department set up a task force in November to review enhancements of the system. The task force comprises Legislative Council members; representatives from the Hong Kong Council of Social Service and NGO management, staff and service users; Lump Sum. Grant-related committees; independent individuals; the Labour and Welfare Bureau and the department. The scope of the review is to be established, after which the review is expected to be completed in two years.

Social Welfare Development Fund

The Social Welfare Development Fund supports all subvented NGOs to carry out training and professional development programmes, business system upgrading projects and service

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