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The Chief Executive, Mr Donald Tsang, has today (October 15) unveiled a number of measures in his Policy Address to balance social interests and uphold social justice.
¡§Public policies should balance the interests of different social strata,¡¨ Mr Tsang said in his Policy Address entitled ¡§Embracing New Challenges¡¨.
¡§We also need to devise long-term solutions and foster community consensus over controversial policies,¡¨ such as minimum wage legislation, a competition law and financial support for the disadvantaged.
¡§In parallel we need to take a forward-looking approach in promoting social development.¡¨
The Chief Executive said that in light of the recent milk product incidents, the Government would speed up work on the Food Safety Bill and introduce it soon to the Legislative Council.
He said priority would be given to drafting the relevant part of the Bill so that the authorities could promptly ban the import and sale, and order the recall of, problem food when necessary.
Other measures to protect the public interest include:
* Expanded Consumer Council services to provide the public with a clearer picture of retail prices
* A study on how to devise a long-term solution to the different toll levels of the three cross harbour tunnels
* Introducing a Competition Bill during the current legislative session
* Working with the oil companies to be more transparent in setting prices and to reflect international trends as quickly as possible.
Mr Tsang said that because of the unsatisfactory results of the voluntary Wage Protection Movement for cleaning workers and security guards, the Government planned to introduce a Bill on a statutory minimum wage during the current legislative session.
He said the Government was inclined to go for an across-the-board statutory minimum wage.
¡§Cleaning workers and security guards are not the only low-income jobs, and worker mobility among different types of low-income jobs does exist,¡¨ he said.
¡§It is quite difficult to define ¡¥cleaning worker¡¦ and any definition is bound to be controversial.¡¨
He said the Government would establish a Minimum Wage Commission to study the level of minimum wage, as well as the review mechanism.
To help the elderly, Mr Tsang said a comprehensive strategy on financial support was needed.
He said the Government concurred that calls to increase the Old Age Allowance (OAA) to $1,000 were reasonable.
But, given a rapidly ageing population and limited financial resources, consideration should also be given to introducing a means test that would not affect current OAA recipients.
The Government would also proactively explore whether the permissible limit of absence from Hong Kong under the OAA could be further relaxed.
Mr Tsang said the Government would increase subsidised residential care places for the elderly, and provide more subsidised day-care places and home-based services.
To better help families, the Neighbourhood Support Child Care Project ¡V which trains women in districts to become home-based child carers for their neighbours¡¦ children ¡V will be extended to all districts by March 2009.
There will also be greater efforts to combat domestic violence, enhance rehabilitation services and tackle juvenile drug abuse.
The Chief Executive said the second stage public consultation on healthcare reform would be launched in the first half of 2009 to try to forge a consensus on long-term healthcare financing arrangements.
He said the Government would also promote the development of private healthcare, and had initially identified sites in Wong Chuk Hang, Tseung Kwan O, Tai Po and North Lantau for private hospital development.
To meet service demand in rapidly growing Tin Shui Wai, a hospital would be built, with construction due to start in 2011 and be finished by 2015.
To better protect child health, the Government would provide a free pneumococcal conjugate vaccine within the Childhood Immunisation Programme.
Ends/Wednesday, October 15, 2008
Issued at HKT 12:58
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