The Commission on Poverty wants incentives, not penalties, to tackle poverty, its Secretary Stephen Fisher says, adding that imposing a time-limit on social security payments is inappropriate.

Speaking on a radio show today, Mr Fisher said the social security system serves as a basic safety net allowing people to live with dignity.

On the suggestion that a time limit be imposed on able-bodied welfare recipients to discourage welfare dependency, he said removing all financial aids for the "difficult-to-employ" will severely impact these households. The measure cannot be launched in isolation and needs to be accompanied by more integrated employment support and other complementary measures.

Noting the social security system has been operating for years, Mr Fisher said any changes to the system should be carefully considered and the public should be widely consulted.

Commission's concern

On the commission's work, Mr Fisher said improvements to the economy and labour market in recent years have helped alleviate jobless and poverty problems. However, support to the aged, the sick and the disabled is still necessary, as 52% of social security cases are related to the aged.

He said the commission is very concerned with the jobless, the low-income group and non-engaged youths, as their time of receiving social security gets longer despite the economic revival, adding that their low skill and education attainment may be the cause.

To tackle the issue, Mr Fisher said job search and cross-district transport allowances will be introduced next month for the needy unemployed and low-income workers in four districts. The development of social enterprises and retraining services will also be bolstered.