'Government Keen To Help Needy Get Their Money'

Chief Secretary Matthew Cheung on Sunday said relief measures the government announced earlier will be implemented in the coming months.

Writing in his blog, he said the Legislative Council's approval of the budget last week means most Hong Kong residents will receive their HK$10,000 cash handout before the end of August.

For non-locals, Cheung said they can apply for the handout through the Poverty Commission from September.

An extra month of social welfare payments will also reach the hands of recipients by the middle of next month at the earliest. Cheung, who's also the chairman of the Poverty Commission, said the government is concerned about the financial pressure faced by low-income families.

He said the government will continue to make good use of its resources to implement a wide range of measures to help the public.