Review to weigh stopping welfare for unemployed, low-paid
Unemployed and low-income welfare recipients may no longer receive handouts indefinitely after a planned government review that could signal a major shift in welfare policy.
The Social Welfare Department will later this year study whether a time limit should be imposed on people receiving Comprehensive Social Security Assistance (CSSA) who have the ability to work.
Social activists oppose the proposal, saying that rather than encouraging people to work, the move would only harm their livelihoods.
In an interview with the South China Morning Post, Director of Social Welfare Paul Tang Kwok-wai said he was concerned about the growing number of able-bodied people, especially youngsters, receiving welfare despite the economic recovery.
The unemployment rate leapt from 4.5 per cent at the end of 2000 to about 8 per cent in 2003, but it has been falling over the past two years and currently stands at 5.3 per cent.
'We will study whether these recipients should be supported for only a certain period of time. We know this is a controversial issue, but we have to ensure the good use of public resources,' Mr Tang said.
