Hong Kong finance chief Paul Chan apologises for cash handout debacle but provides few concrete answers on budget during online chat session

Hong Kong’s finance minister offered repeated apologies over a chaotic cash handout scheme as he held his first live internet session on Sunday to gather public views for his upcoming budget. But Financial Secretary Paul Chan Mo-po did not give citizens any concrete answers on how the government would address issues such as the city’s overloaded health system, unaffordable housing and welfare to new migrants from mainland China. “[The handout scheme] has left people feeling inconvenienced and created chaos among citizens … we are very sorry about that,” Chan said. During the one-hour Facebook Live session, he listened to suggestions from the public for his budget speech on February 27 and answered questions posted on the page in real time. The event was hosted by comedian Wong Cho-lam – a choice that surprised many viewers. Chan’s live-streaming debut attracted some 1,500 “angry” reactions, and only about 100 “likes” or “hearts”. Some criticised Wong for not knowing enough about government policies. At its peak, about 700 people watched the stream at the same time. A total of 3,422 comments were posted on the page. One of the issues that sparked most concern was the controversial Caring and Sharing Scheme, in which residents aged 18 and above will get up to HK$4,000 (US$512) if they do not own property or receive government allowances. Those who enjoy tax breaks will get the difference between HK$4,000 and the concessionary amount. ‘It breaks my heart’: doctor’s heartfelt appeal for help over flu crisis But the application process has been plagued by problems and complaints, with critics saying the paperwork is too complicated for people and too few forms have been distributed. Some 2.8 million Hongkongers are expected to benefit from the scheme, which will cost the government HK$330 million to run. “We really deserve all the criticism,” Chan admitted. The environment outside [Hong Kong] is also not very good. The most important thing this year is that we all keep our jobs Paul Chan, financial secretary But he noted the government had already made improvements to the system, such as waiving the need for applicants to provide proof of address, and processing applications that were sent without enough postage. Asked why online applications were not available, Chan said such a system involved the personal data of millions of people and so a web-based system was considered not feasible as the government wanted to start the handout as soon as possible. Chan added the government would need to consider whether to continue the handout scheme in the coming budget, as the fiscal surplus was estimated at about HK$46 billion this year, down two-thirds from 2017-18. “The environment outside [Hong Kong] is also not very good. The most important thing this year is that we all keep our jobs,” he said. Another hot topic was the city’s hard-pressed public health system. On Saturday, some 100 doctors attended a meeting with health officials, where they angrily recounted stories of overwork and overcrowded wards, prompting an apology from the Hospital Authority chief. Public hospitals have been under severe pressure since early January when the city entered the peak flu season, once again placing long-standing staff shortages under the spotlight. Without disclosing how he planned to address the issue in his budget, Chan said the government had increased recurrent funding for the public health sector by HK$8 billion, while setting aside another HK$300 billion for building hospitals and training local staff. He added that a revised Medical Registration Ordinance had allowed overseas doctors to practise in Hong Kong, and so far the government had received 20 applications. Many internet users also said new migrants from mainland China should not be eligible for social security, public housing and other benefits before living in the city for at least seven years – the threshold for gaining permanent residency. Hong Kong hospital wards packed like Chinese restaurants, doctors complain as deadly flu surge grips city They said the influx of migrants – a maximum of 150 per day from the mainland is allowed – was why the public health and welfare system had become so overloaded. Chan said he would study the seven-year requirement with the Labour and Welfare Bureau. But he urged local citizens to show some empathy. “[The new migrants] mostly come for family reunions. Hong Kong is a city of immigrants … I hope we can have more understanding and sympathy to new immigrants,” he said. Other topics touched on included elderly care, electric car subsidies, education and land for university dormitories. Chan answered various questions briefly without making any promises or detailing plans. His boss, Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor, also conducted a Facebook Live session in August last year to collect opinions for her policy address. Her efforts attracted some 3,000 “angry” reactions and about 900 “likes” or “hearts”. Lam answered questions filed in advance and picked from a box, as well as ones selected by two hosts.

Hong Kong finance chief Paul Chan apologises for cash handout debacle but provides few concrete answers on budget during online chat session

.css-1mniedq{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;}Facebook page flooded with comments, mostly negative, on a host of social issues Many commenters focused on controversy-hit scheme to hand out HK$4,000 to 2.8 million residents

Facebook page flooded with comments, mostly negative, on a host of social issues

Many commenters focused on controversy-hit scheme to hand out HK$4,000 to 2.8 million residents