The government will continue enhancing a caring and inclusive community by implementing various measures focusing on caring for the elderly, promoting employment, women's development, support for youth and for Persons with Disabilities, Financial Secretary Paul Chan Mo-po announced on Wednesday.
Caring for the elderly
From the next financial year onwards, the Government will increase the number of Community Care Service Vouchers for the Elderly by 4,000 to 16,000 and the number of Residential Care Service Vouchers for the Elderly by 1,000 to 7,000, involving an estimated full-year expenditure of HK$1.2 billion and HK$1.97 billion respectively, Chan said.
The development of the elderly care services market and the parallel development of publicly-funded and market-based serviceswill also be further promoted to enhance the overall service capacity, he said.
In addition, the government has been supporting cross‑boundary elderly care.
Starting this month, the Residential Care Services Scheme in Guangdong has included two more residential care homes for the elderly (RCHEs), resulting in a total of 26 RCHEs covering all nine cities of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area.
The two-year Pilot Medical Subsidy Arrangement was also launched at the end of last year. The subsidy is subject to an annual ceiling of RMB10,000 per person for out‑patient expenses and RMB30,000 per person for in‑patient expenses.
The Government will also implement new arrangements for portable cash assistance in the middle of this year, under which elderly participants of the Guangdong Scheme, Fujian Scheme and Portable Comprehensive Social Security Assistance Scheme may opt to receive government assistance directly through their accounts with designated Mainland banks.
Promoting employment
The Re‑employment Allowance Pilot Scheme has been well‑received, with over 37,000 placements made since its launch one and a half years ago, Chan said. The provision for the scheme will be increased to HK$222 million in the coming financial year.
The Employment Program for the Elderly and Middle‑aged aims to encourage employers to hire persons aged 40 or above and provide them with on‑the‑job training, where employers will receive a maximum on‑the‑job training allowance of HK$5,000 per month for three months to 12 months for employing each eligible person. The program subsidized nearly 4500placements last year.
Besides, the Employees Retraining Board has launched two new courses dedicated to persons aged 50 or above.
Women's Development
To promote all-round women's development, the annual funding for the Women Empowerment Fund will be increased to HK$30 million starting from the next financial year.
Support for youth
The government will provide young people with more exchange and internship opportunities in the Mainland and overseas, including introducing a new media thematic internship programme in the Mainland. An additional HK$60 million will be allocated for implementing the Home and Youth Affairs Bureau Funding Scheme for International Youth Exchange continuously.
To enable young people aspiring for a public service career to gain experience, the government will provide around 3,600 short‑term internship placements in government departments and public bodies for post-secondary students.
Support for persons with disabilities
The Government will enhance rehabilitation services by providing about 450 additional places for day, residential and pre‑school services in the next financial year, involving an additional annual expenditure of about HK$107 million.
For school children receiving On‑site Pre‑school Rehabilitation Services, the Government will provide bridging and support services during their first term in primary school, which will involve an additional annual expenditure of about HK$260 million.
