THE Preliminary Working Committee yesterday said the Government should only financially assist old people in need of help.
Speaking after a two-day meeting, the Hong Kong co-convenor of the social and security sub-group, Rita Fan Hsu Lai-tai, said the principle of providing social security was to make sure the elderly were well supported.
''The Government must help elderly people unable to make both ends meet,'' she said.
The working committee's conclusion implied a rejection of the Government's proposal for an old age pension scheme that would gather funds from the working population to provide financial assistance to all elderly people.
Members felt it was better to leave a retirement scheme to individual companies, Mrs Fan said. The retirement plan should be a savings scheme between employers and employees.
