April 20, 2011

The Community Care Fund Steering Committee announced today 10 assistance programmes will be rolled out in 2011-12 to help people in economic difficulty.
 
Funding will also be set aside for three other programmes for detailed studies and formulation of implementation details.
 
Speaking after the second committee meeting, Chief Secretary and Steering Committee Chairman Henry Tang said the 10 assistance programmes will benefit more than 300,000 people, with an estimated annual expenditure of about $730 million.
 
“The programmes were formulated by the fund after several rounds of deliberations based on views gathered from various sectors, taking into account factors including the type of assistance and beneficiaries not covered under the current social-security services, pilot role of the programmes, lower administrative costs and the feasibility of implementation in the short term,” Mr Tang said. “We hope to roll out first the programmes that are easier to implement with a view to launching the fund as early as possible so timely assistance can be provided to those in need.”
 
The first 10 assistance programmes are:
* Setting up a new school-based fund to subsidise primary and secondary students from low-income families who are studying in Government, Aided, Caput and Direct Subsidy Scheme schools to participate in learning activities outside Hong Kong which are organised or recognised by schools. It is estimated 240,000 students will benefit from the three-year programme; 
 
* Providing financial assistance for low-income ethnic minorities and new arrivals from the Mainland for taking language-related international public examinations to help them in their pursuit of studies or job searching. The two-year programme will benefit about 3,000 applications;
 
* Providing a subsidy for Hospital Authority patients who have financial difficulties in using specified self-financed cancer drugs which have not yet been brought into the Samaritan Fund safety net. The programme will benefit up to 500 patients in the first year; 
 
* Providing a subsidy to patients who cannot benefit from the Samaritan Fund and have financial difficulties to use fund-subsidised drugs. The programme will focus on assisting more patients who fall outside the safety net to benefit those with an economic capability slightly higher than the limit and are not eligible for the Samaritan Fund, or those who only receive partial funding. It is estimated a few hundred patients will benefit from the programme annually;
 
* Providing a monthly subsidy at a maximum rate of $480 for low-income elders aged 65 or above to hire urgent household cleaning and escorting services, so they can immediately improve their home environment and keep their medical appointments. It is estimated 4,000 people will benefit from the programme;
 
*Providing a monthly special care subsidy of $2,000 for low-income people with severe disabilities who are aged 60 or below to alleviate their burden from healthcare expenses. The one-year programme will benefit about 3,800 people;
 
* Providing a monthly subsidy of $2,500 to children from low-income families who are on the waiting list for places in subvented pre-school rehabilitation services. The subsidy will help these children receive appropriate training and treatment directly from childcare workers, psychologists, occupational therapists, physiologists and speech therapists. About 4,200 people will benefit from the one-year programme;
 
* Providing a one-off subsidy of $2,000 for Comprehensive Social Security Assistance recipients who are Tenant Purchase Scheme flat owners for five years or above to lessen their financial burden. The programme will benefit 1,300 households;
 
* Providing a one-off subsidy of $1,000 (for one-person households) or $2,000 (for families with a household size of two or above) for CSSA recipients living in private housing. The programme will ease recipients’ financial stress in times of cyclical rental rate rise. It is estimated 23,000 households will benefit; and,
 
* Providing a subsidy to meet lunch expenses at schools for primary students from low-income families for 10 months. It will assist these students in obtaining a balanced diet in schools and reduce the financial stress of the children’s families by enabling them to redistribute their financial resources. It is estimated 51,000 people will benefit.
 
The other three programmes to be studied are related to after-school care services, financial assistance on dental services for the elderly, and financial assistance for language courses for ethnic minorities and new arrivals from the Mainland.
 
The committee plans to seek $5 billion from the Legislative Council on May 6.
 
Mr Tang said the programmes announced today are only a starting point. The Government will continue to study other programmes not included at the present stage and to listen to the views of various sectors to enhance assistance programmes under the fund.