It is unreasonable for some legislators to link how they will vote on the next Budget with the Government’s plan to adjust the eligible age for elderly Comprehensive Social Security Assistance (CSSA) recipients, Chief Executive Carrie Lam said today.

She was responding to some lawmakers saying they would vote down the incoming Budget, if the Government went ahead with adjusting the eligible age for elderly CSSA from 60 to 65 from February 1.

Mrs Lam said they would be acting irresponsibly as they have yet to see the Budget’s content.

“I also have not seen the content of the next Budget. So to suggest that because of unhappiness over one policy issue or maybe other policy issues in time to come that they should now in advance say that they are not going to approve the next Budget, I do not think this is a very responsible way of dealing with Legislative Council business.”

The Chief Executive also noted that she had made it clear to legislators the eligibility adjustment was no longer a proposal but had been approved in the context of the 2018-19 Estimates, adding that she was simply being factual.

“If individual members felt uncomfortable with that sort of ‘straight talk’, then I will be more diplomatic in future. But I still need to talk about the facts because nobody could change the facts.”