CSSA bill after court's decision will impact budget: John Tsang Chun-wah

Financial Secretary John Tsang Chun-wah said the government would "inevitably" foot a bigger bill for welfare payments after the top court last week dismissed a seven-year residency requirement that had excluded new immigrants from social welfare benefits.

"After the verdict was handed down … I immediately asked my colleagues to do assessments, especially [on] the possible impact in the long run," Tsang wrote on his official blog yesterday.

The Court of Final Appeal ruled that the requirement for Comprehensive Social Security Assistance applicants to have lived in Hong Kong for seven years was unconstitutional.

"Unlike other items of public expenditure … say, funding to [the] Hospital Authority or schools, which would have an upper cap or need to be prioritised given the limited resources, CSSA is a basic welfare," he wrote.

"Therefore, after the ruling … our spending on social welfare will inevitably see an increase.

"When I work out the budget for next fiscal year, there will also be a need to make adjustments."