'N have-nots' to be helped

March 2, 2018

Secretary for Labour & Welfare Dr Law Chi-kwong:

For the "N nothing", or you call them the "N have-nots" - if you look at the current package in sharing the prosperity of Hong Kong to those needy groups, the Financial Secretary has spelled out a package which is not exactly the same as the previous measures to alleviate hardship. So the key message that I have received from the Financial Secretary is to try our very best to design a package that will fill the gap that the present package as designed in the Budget Speech, so that we can help more people if possible. This is the message that I received from the Financial Secretary.  It would take some time for us to work out the details of that particular package because this particular package is quite different from the earlier Budget measures. Although some people commented that they are very similar, and yet they are different.

The Community Care Fund Task Force will meet at the end of this month to discuss how to help low-income people who are not covered by relief measures announced in the Budget.

At a press conference today to elaborate on initiatives in the 2018-19 Budget, Secretary for Labour & Welfare Dr Law Chi-kwong said the task force will explore how to extend aid to help more people.

In his Budget Speech, Financial Secretary Paul Chan said he will invite the fund to consider providing short-term relief for low-income households who do not live in public housing and do not receive welfare allowances.

"For the 'N nothing', or you call them the 'N have-nots' - if you look at the current package in sharing the prosperity of Hong Kong to those needy groups, the Financial Secretary has spelled out a package which is not exactly the same as the previous measures to alleviate hardship," Dr Law said.

"So the key message that I have received from the Financial Secretary is to try our very best to design a package that will fill the gap.

"It would take some time for us to work out the details of that particular package because this particular package is quite different from the earlier Budget measures."