Replies to LegCo questions
LCQ7: Additional assistance to CSSA recipients
Following is a question by the Dr Hon Fernando Cheung and a written reply by the Secretary for Health, Welfare and Food, Dr York Chow, in the Legislative Council today (October 27):
Question�G
There has been heated discussion on the Comprehensive Social Security Assistance (CSSA) System in the community recently. Some social organizations requested that the Government should, apart from suspending the cutbacks in CSSA payments, review the entire CSSA System and determine the level of CSSA payments with reference to the clients' basic and essential needs. On the other hand, a spokesman for the Health, Welfare and Food Bureau said that elderly or non able-bodied CSSA recipients who had special needs or difficulties could approach the Social Welfare Department (SWD) for assistance, and SWD would exercise discretion in providing them with additional assistance. The Director of Social Welfare, however, criticized a survey on basic and essential needs conducted by the Hong Kong Council of Social Service as hazardous and impractical. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(a) of the scope of additional assistance provided by SWD to the above CSSA recipients;
(b) whether SWD has any criteria or procedures for determining whether the special needs of these persons warrant additional assistance; if it has, of the details; if not, how it can ensure that different frontline staff are able to exercise discretion in an objective manner in determining whether additional assistance should be provided;
(c) whether SWD had conducted any survey on basic and essential needs over the past three years; if it had, of the details and the outcome;
(d) whether it will consider determining the level of CSSA payments by reference to basic and essential needs; if it will, of the implementation timetable; and
(e) whether it will review the entire CSSA System and consult the public on the review; if it will, of the ways to proceed with the review (e.g. whether a working group will be formed) and the timetable of the review, including the time to issue the public consultation paper and to publish the outcome of the review?
Reply:
Madam President,
Regarding (a) and (b) of the Question, after the adjustment of the standard rates for non-able-bodied CSSA recipients (i.e. the elderly, the disabled or those medically certified to be in ill-health) from October 1, 2004, these categories of recipients could, apart from the standard rates, also receive a number of special grants to meet their special individual and household needs. The grants are payable to cover items such as rent, water/sewage charges, telephone fees, glasses, dental treatment, special diet allowance, removal service, home help service, rehabilitation and medical appliances, emergency alarm system for the elderly and the expenses on travelling between home and hospital or clinic. In case of difficulties or special needs, the recipients may approach the Social Welfare Department (SWD) and apply for these special grants, which are made on a flat-rate or reimbursement basis, or awarded according to individual recipient's actual needs up to certain limits. The eligibility criteria are specified in "A Guide to Comprehensive Social Security Assistance" published by the SWD for frontline staff and recipients' reference.
Also, staff of Social Security Field Units of SWD will assess recipients' situation and difficulties, such as whether they require assistance or services beyond the CSSA Scheme, and, where appropriate, refer the cases to other service units, departments or non-government organisations for further assistance. District social welfare officers also strive to help needy elder/non-able-bodied CSSA recipients through outreach services and community care networks. Assistance can be rendered in the form of home help and home care services, counselling service, meal service, compassionate rehousing, material assistance and household repairs by volunteers.
Regarding (c) and (d) of the Question, the CSSA Scheme seeks to provide assistance to needy individuals and households to meet their basic and essential needs. With this principle in mind, the Administration keeps the CSSA Scheme under regular review.
For example, on the basis of the findings of the 1994-95 Household Expenditure Survey, the Administration made an overall examination of whether the CSSA rates could adequately meet people's basic and essential needs in 1996. The basic and essential needs of different categories of CSSA recipients were set with reference to the advice of government dieticians as well as information on the expenditure pattern and price changes provided by the Census and Statistics Department (C&SD). The aim was to ensure that the CSSA standard rates were set at a level not lower than this baseline. Having regard to the review findings, the Administration has increased the standard rates for specific categories of CSSA recipients in real terms by 9 per cent to 57 per cent since April 1, 1996.
Apart from setting the CSSA standard rates for different categories of recipients to meet their basic and essential needs, the 1996 review also led to the establishment of a mechanism for annual adjustment of CSSA standard rates on the basis of the Social Security Assistance Index of Prices (SSAIP). Under this mechanism, a household expenditure survey for CSSA households is conducted every five years, in addition to the annual adjustment. The aim is to update the SSAIP in light of the relative importance of individual items of goods and services consumed by CSSA households, to ensure that the index can more accurately reflect the expenditure pattern of CSSA households and the impact of price changes on the purchasing power represented by the CSSA standard rates. The latest household expenditure survey for CSSA households was conducted in 1999-2000. The C&SD will conduct another household expenditure survey in 2005. Results are expected to be available in late 2005. By and large, the CSSA review mechanism has taken into account the recipients' basic and essential needs.
For Item (e) of the Question, with on-going fine-tuning, the CSSA has worked generally well with experience and improvements over the past years. The Administration would review the CSSA from time to time to ensure that the Scheme can provide people in financial difficulties with a sustainable and effective safety net.
Apart from the household expenditure survey for CSSA households mentioned above, we will also conduct reviews on particular topics and set up a working group under the Social Welfare Advisory Committee (SWAC) to follow up. The scope will include:
* the intensive employment assistance projects implemented since October 2003 to help unemployed CSSA recipients and 'near-CSSA' recipients to find gainful employment;
* the existing CSSA arrangements and related services for single parent families on CSSA; and
* the practice of disregarded earnings under the CSSA Scheme.
The reviews would be conducted from now to mid-2005 and we will consult the SWAC and the LegCo Panel on Welfare Services on the results.
Ends/Wednesday, October 27, 2004
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