Policy Address

53.       According to our initial thinking, a beneficiary family, which is not on CSSA, must have at least two members, with at least one working for a reasonable number of hours to maintain the principle of self-reliance.  For the asset test, the Government proposes to broadly adopt the asset limits for public rental housing (PRH) applications.  There will be no minimum residence requirement.  All eligible Hong Kong residents may apply.

54.       The Government will introduce a two-tier system based on working hours and family income.  If the family income is equivalent to or below 50% of the median monthly domestic household income and the applicant is a working member who meets the working hour threshold, this family will be eligible for a full basic allowance of $600 or $1,000 per month depending on the working hour tier to which it belongs.  If the family includes children or youth members, it is entitled to an additional full allowance of $800 per month for each eligible child or youth member.  Taking the 2012 data as an example, a four-member family with two eligible children and a monthly income at or below $14,400 will be entitled to a total disbursement of $2,200 or $2,600 per month depending on the working hour tier to which it belongs, provided that the applicant is a working member who meets the working hour threshold.  The Chief Secretary for Administration and the Secretary for Labour and Welfare will announce the details later.

Contents | Next