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The Secretary for Labour and Welfare, Mr Matthew Cheung Kin-chung, conducted the second day of his visit to Beijing today (August 21) and met officials of the Ministry of Civil Affairs, the State Administration of Work Safety and the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of the State Council to exchange views on issues including labour affairs, occupational safety, social welfare, poverty alleviation and elderly care.
During a meeting with the Vice Minister of Civil Affairs, Mr Gong Puguang, Mr Cheung stressed that the Labour and Welfare Bureau would strive to improve the livelihood of grassroots citizens and build a caring and inclusive community by introducing a range of groundbreaking policies and measures. He pointed out that in this financial year the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Government's recurrent spending on social welfare reached $55.7 billion, accounting for 19.1 per cent of total recurrent government expenditure, second only to education.
He noted that poverty alleviation, elderly care and support of the underprivileged topped the welfare policy agenda of the current-term HKSAR Government. They also exchanged views on social welfare development in Hong Kong and the Mainland.
Mr Cheung highlighted a number of new initiatives launched this year in the area of elderly care which bore strategic importance. These include the Old Age Living Allowance, which benefits some 400 000 elderly with financial needs, the Guangdong Scheme, which facilitates those Hong Kong elderly citizens residing in Guangdong to continue receiving the Old Age Allowance, the Pilot Scheme on Community Care Services Voucher for the Elderly, which aims to promote long-term community care support under a money-follows-the-user approach and the two-dollar transport fare concession (i.e. Public Transport Fare Concession Scheme for the Elderly and Eligible Persons with Disabilities), which aims to promote active ageing.
Mr Cheung pointed out that the current HKSAR Government re-established the Commission on Poverty shortly after assuming office. In addition, a poverty line would be drawn up at the end of next month (September) with extra efforts to be devoted to tackling poverty problems and mitigating social conflict. These clearly indicated the HKSAR Government's political courage and commitment.
Mr Cheung visited the State Administration of Work Safety in the afternoon and exchanged views with the Minister, Mr Yang Dongliang, on construction safety and other occupational safety and health matters.
Mr Cheung said that through the concerted efforts of the HKSAR Government and various stakeholders in the community, the performance of occupational safety and health in Hong Kong had continuously improved over the past 10 years. However, he noted that the commencement of various large-scale infrastructure projects, old building repair and urban renewal projects had brought new challenges to Hong Kong's occupational safety and health situation. He stressed that the HKSAR Government would join with the industry to safeguard occupational safety and health through enforcement, training, publicity, promotion and education.
Mr Cheung then visited the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of the State Council and exchanged views with the Deputy Director, Mr Xu Ze, in the areas of labour, welfare, poverty alleviation, elderly care, employment, manpower development and population policy.
Mr Cheung concluded his two-day visit by early evening and will be back in Hong Kong later tonight.
Ends/Wednesday, August 21, 2013
Issued at HKT 18:03
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