Delegation to check out changes to benefits in New York, British Columbia
Officials are studying drastic welfare reforms in the US and Canada in the controversial review of dole payments to the young and healthy.
A delegation, including senior officials and members of the Social Welfare Advisory Committee, will visit British Columbia and New York next month to study how welfare changes were implemented.
In British Columbia, jobless welfare recipients who do not meet exemption criteria get only two years of assistance in every five. Those who have children saw payments reduced by 10 to 15 per cent. As a result of the policy introduced in 2004, about half of those on welfare who were expected to work found jobs.
In the US, the government set a five-year limit on benefits, but can set shorter limits. Studies found most recipients were working six months after losing their assistance.
'Both places have undergone some successful reforms and their experiences are worth noting,' Director of Social Welfare Paul Tang Kwok-wai said.
The government launched a review early this year of the Comprehensive Social Security Assistance scheme (CSSA). A key issue is whether a time limit should be imposed on those able to work. The study is expected to be completed for public consultation by the end of the year.