Secretary for Labour & Welfare Matthew Cheung met with Society for Community Organisation members in Sham Shui Po today to discuss the Low-income Working Family Allowance and women's employment.
He told reporters after the meeting that it was a good opportunity for him to feel the pulse of the low-income community and explain to them how the allowance - which will be rolled out in May - works.
Mr Cheung said the Government will conduct a full review of the allowance a year after its implementation and will take people's views into account to see if there is room for improvement.
For the time being, it is important to get the scheme off the ground quickly so that more than 700,000 people in need can benefit, he added.
On broadcaster ATV's failure to pay staff wages, Mr Cheung said the Labour Department is helping the staff on several fronts, including briefing them on their employment rights and benefits, and providing a telephone hotline service for their enquiries.
Labour inspectors visited the company this morning to collect more evidence with a view to instituting prosecution, he added.
