The overall Comprehensive Social Security Assistance caseload was 284,569 in December, up 0.1% or 387 cases on November, with a total of 475,625 recipients, the Social Welfare Department says.

Jobless cases rose 1% to 31,772, single-parent cases fell 0.1% to 36,192, and low-income cases dropped 0.7% to 16,080.

The Government spent $18 billion on CSSA payments in 2007-08.