Carrie Lam's CSSA Fix Gets A Mixed Response

The Democratic Party on Friday criticised the government for introducing a “redundant” new subsidy instead of simply scrapping a controversial change to raise the minimum age at which welfare recipients are entitled to receive larger payments for the elderly. However, pro-government lawmakers largely welcomed the plan.

Starting next month, dole recipients will only be eligible for the elderly payments at the age of 65, up from 60 at present. This had sparked a public uproar and bipartisan criticism from legislators.

On Friday, Chief Executive Carrie Lam unveiled a new HK$1,060 per month subsidy for dole recipients aged 60 to 64 that she said would effectively offset the difference between the normal, and elderly welfare cheques.

But Democratic Party lawmaker Andrew Wan noted that this ‘employment support supplement’ doesn’t entirely make up for the difference because people who receive elderly Comprehensive Social Security Assistance (CSSA) payments are also entitled to other special grants, giving them extra cash to pay for necessities like glasses and dental care.

“The whole package provided by the government now is an administrative redundancy. It is totally unnecessary”, Wan complained. “The government can just do it simply – restore to the original plan and there is no more problem.”

The pro-Beijing Federation of Trade Unions agrees that reverting the eligibility age to 60 would have been the better option, though it welcomed the new subsidy.

FTU lawmaker Alice Mak said the government had shown sincerity in listening to the opinion of legislators, but that her party will continue to push for further improvements to the CSSA scheme to make it easier for people to get special grants without having to wade through miles of red tape.

Business and Professionals Alliance lawmaker Priscilla Leung was more generous, saying the government’s proposal is “pretty good.” She welcomed the subsidy, noting that it is not a temporary measure, and applies broadly to welfare recipients in that age group.