The chief executive and his welfare minister yesterday left a key question unanswered: who should be defined as 'poor' in the government's latest anti-poverty package.
Despite repeated calls from the welfare sector to draw a poverty line for Hong Kong, Tung Chee-hwa and Secretary for Health, Welfare and Food York Chow Yat-ngok said it was impractical to do so.
Fighting poverty was the main theme of Mr Tung's policy speech on Wednesday, which revealed a series of measures aimed at eradicating inter-generational poverty, taking into account 120,000 children are living on welfare payouts.
An anti-poverty commission, to be chaired by Financial Secretary Henry Tang Ying-yen, will be set up. The Head Start Programme on Child Development for children under the age of five will be first introduced in Tin Shui Wai, Tuen Mun, Shamshuipo and Tseung Kwan O.
About $5 million will be allocated to provide an extra 400 free after-school care places in youth centres for benefit recipients aged six to 15. A further $75 million will be paid for after-school activities.
During the Legislative Council's question-and-answer session yesterday, Mr Tung reiterated that the government would try its best to help the needy, but he did not give a clear answer on where the poverty line should be drawn.