Replies to LegCo questions
LCQ20: Unemployed and low earning CSSA cases
Following is a question by the Hon Chan Yuen-han and a written reply by the Secretary for Health, Welfare and Food, Dr York Chow, in the Legislative Council today (January 5):
Question:
Will the Government inform this Council of:
(a) the number of Comprehensive Social Security Assistance ("CSSA") cases in each month of last year, in which the categories thereof underwent the following changes;
(i) from low earning cases to unemployment cases;
(ii) from unemployment cases to low earning cases; and
(iii) from unemployment cases to low earning cases, and back to unemployment cases again;
(b) the number of participants in the Support for Self-reliance Scheme implemented by the Social Welfare Department ("SWD") in each of the past two years and, among these participants, the respective numbers of unemployed and low earning CSSA recipients who have secured full time paid employment through the Scheme;
(c) the number of participants in the Ending Exclusion Project implemented by SWD in each of the past two years and, among these participants, the numbers of single parent CSSA recipients who were ready for employment and secured paid employment respectively; and
(d) the movement of the Social Security Assistance Index of Prices ("SSAIP") and the rate of change in the actual prices of all the commodities and services in such Index in each month of the past two years; and whether there were opposite movements between SSAIP and Consumer Price Index (A) in the past two years; if so, of the reasons for that?
Reply:
Madam President,
(a) As at November 2004, there were 46,029 Comprehensive Social Security Assistance (CSSA) unemployment caseloads and 16,033 CSSA low earnings caseloads, making up 15.5% and 5.4% of the total CSSA caseloads respectively. In the past twelve months, the number of CSSA cases which changed from the unemployment category to the low earnings category continued to double those which changed from the low earnings category to the unemployment category. This reflects the gradual improvement in our labour market and the effect of measures, such as the arrangement of disregarded earnings and the Support for Self-reliance Scheme (the SFS Scheme), so that CSSA recipients have been steadily rejoining the workforce.
(i) In the past twelve months, the number of CSSA cases which have changed from the low earnings category to the unemployment category is listed in Annex 1.
(ii) In the past twelve months, the number of CSSA cases which have changed from the unemployment category to the low earnings category is listed in Annex 2.
(iii) Of the 5,256 CSSA cases which changed from the unemployment category to the low earnings category in the past twelve months as listed in (ii) above, 575 cases have reverted to the unemployment category during the same period.
(b) Over the past two years, the SFS Scheme has been effective in assisting about 30% of the participants to secure paid employment. In future, the Administration will continue to assist CSSA recipients without full-time employment through the SFS Scheme. The Administration is also currently reviewing its employment assistance measures for CSSA recipients, and initial results are expected by the middle of the year. We will listen to public views by consulting the working group on CSSA under the Social Welfare Advisory Committee (SWAC) and the Subcommittee on review of the CSSA under the LegCo Panel on Welfare Services.
The number of participants in the SFS Scheme who have secured full-time paid employment in the past two years, and, among these participants, the respective number of the unemployed and low earnings CSSA recipients are listed in Annex 3.
(c) As at November 2004, there were 39,386 single parent family caseloads. The Ending Exclusion Project (EEP) is targeted at single parents who have been on CSSA for 3 months or more, and whose youngest child is aged under 15. It aims to maximize their chances of participating in social and economic activities, raise their self-esteem and sense of worthiness, integrate into society and improve their living through employment. The package of services includes 'Active Employment Assistance', child care and other supportive services. Participation in the project is voluntary. The Administration is now reviewing the arrangements for single parent CSSA recipients. We will listen to public views by consulting the working group on CSSA under SWAC and the Subcommittee on review of the CSSA under LegCo Panel on Welfare Services.
Of the single parent CSSA recipients who joined the EEP in the past two years, the number of those considered to be ready for employment and those who have secured paid employment is listed in Annex 4.
(d) The adjustment of CSSA rates over the past two years only reflected changes in the Social Security Assistance Index of Prices (SSAIP) up to March 2002. As at November 2004, there was still room for adjusting the CSSA rates downwards by 1.4% (while changes in the Consumer Price Index (A) (CPI (A)) and CPI(A) excluding the housing component over the same period are -4.7% and -2.4% respectively). Despite this, the Administration has no intention of further adjusting the CSSA rates downwards in 2005-06, but will keep a close watch on the movement of the SSAIP to ensure that the CSSA rates will be adjusted in time if SSAIP increases above the prevailing purchasing power of the recipients.
As to whether there were opposite movements between SSAIP and CPI (A), it was noted that they had different movements in certain months because the consumption items covered by the two indices are not entirely the same (e.g. SSAIP does not include a housing component, whereas CPI (A) does). If the housing component is taken away from CPI (A), it was noted that the movements of the SSAIP and CPI(A) were broadly similar.
In the past twenty four months, the movement of the SSAIP and its year-on-year rate of change (including all the commodities and services covered by the Index) are listed in Annex 5.
In the past twenty four months, the year-on-year rate of change of SSAIP and CPI(A) are listed in Annex 6.
Ends/Wednesday, January 5, 2005
NNNN
Legislative Council Q20
Annex 1
|
Month/Year |
No. of cases changed from the low earnings |
|
December 2003 |
167 |
|
January 2004 |
170 |
|
February 2004 |
183 |
|
March 2004 |
239 |
|
April 2004 |
209 |
|
May 2004 |
199 |
|
June 2004 |
189 |
|
July 2004 |
192 |
|
August 2004 |
179 |
|
September 2004 |
207 |
|
October 2004 |
196 |
|
November 2004 |
193 |
Legislative Council Q20
Annex 2
|
Month/Year |
No. of cases changed from the unemployment category to the low earnings category |
|
December 2003 |
439 |
|
January 2004 |
348 |
|
February 2004 |
421 |
|
March 2004 |
508 |
|
April 2004 |
439 |
|
May 2004 |
456 |
|
June 2004 |
437 |
|
July 2004 |
432 |
|
August 2004 |
393 |
|
September 2004 |
439 |
|
October 2004 |
453 |
|
November 2004 |
491 |
Legislative Council Q20
Annex 3
|
November 2002 �V |
November 2003 �V |
|
|
(a) No. of participants |
53 918 (Unemployed recipients: 53 641 Low earnings recipients: 277) |
49 589 (Unemployed recipients: 49 270 Low earnings recipients: 319) |
|
(b) No. of unemployed recipients who have secured paid employment |
14 396 (27% of the total unemployed recipients who joined the SFS Scheme) |
18 238 (37% of the total unemployed recipients who joined the SFS Scheme) |
|
(c) No. of low earnings(1) recipients who have secured full-time employment |
211 (76% of the total low earnings recipients who joined the SFS Scheme) |
76 (24% of the total low earnings recipients who joined the SFS Scheme) |
(1) Denotes CSSA recipients without full-time employment (working less than 120 hours and earning less than $1,430 per month) who are required to join the SFS Scheme.
Legislative Council Q20
Annex 4
|
November 2002 �V |
November 2003 �V |
|
|
(a) No. of participants |
1 987 |
1 955 |
|
(b) No. of single parent CSSA recipients who were ready for employment (2) |
1 095 (55% of the total participants) |
1 110 (57% of the total participants) |
|
(c) No. of participants who secured paid employment |
247 (23% of (b)) |
80 (7% of (b)) |
(2) Recipients who were ready for employment refer to those who accepted employment assistance under the EEP.
Legislative Council Q20
Annex 5
|
Month/Year |
SSAIP |
Year-on-year Rate of |
|
December 2002 |
96.9 |
-2.0% |
|
January 2003 |
93.8 |
-2.0% |
|
February 2003 |
94.0 |
-2.0% |
|
March 2003 |
96.8 |
-1.2% |
|
April 2003 |
96.6 |
-1.2% |
|
May 2003 |
96.0 |
-1.5% |
|
June 2003 |
95.2 |
-2.3% |
|
July 2003 |
95.1 |
-2.3% |
|
August 2003 |
95.7 |
-2.0% |
|
September 2003 |
96.8 |
-0.8% |
|
October 2003 |
96.3 |
-1.2% |
|
November 2003 |
96.4 |
-1.1% |
|
December 2003 |
96.2 |
-0.6% |
|
January 2004 |
96.6 |
3.0% |
|
February 2004 |
96.9 |
3.1% |
|
March 2004 |
96.8 |
0.1% |
|
April 2004 |
97.1 |
0.5% |
|
May 2004 |
97.2 |
1.2% |
|
June 2004 |
97.4 |
2.3% |
|
July 2004 |
97.6 |
2.6% |
|
August 2004 |
97.3 |
1.7% |
|
September 2004 |
98.2 |
1.4% |
|
October 2004 |
98.0 |
1.8% |
|
November 2004 |
98.4 |
2.1% |
Legislative Council Q20
Annex 6
|
Month/Year |
Year-on-year Rate of |
Year-on-year Rate of |
Year-on-year Rate of Change of CPI (A) |
|
December 2002 |
-2.0% |
1.0% |
-2.4% |
|
January 2003 |
-2.0% |
-1.6% |
-2.1% |
|
February 2003 |
-2.0% |
-2.0% |
-2.5% |
|
March 2003 |
-1.2% |
-1.9% |
-2.3% |
|
April 2003 |
-1.2% |
-1.2% |
-1.2% |
|
May 2003 |
-1.5% |
-1.7% |
-1.8% |
|
June 2003 |
-2.3% |
-2.4% |
-2.6% |
|
July 2003 |
-2.3% |
-3.6% |
-2.6% |
|
August 2003 |
-2.0% |
-3.5% |
-2.3% |
|
September 2003 |
-0.8% |
-2.8% |
-1.2% |
|
October 2003 |
-1.2% |
-2.0% |
-1.5% |
|
November 2003 |
-1.1% |
-1.8% |
-1.4% |
|
December 2003 |
-0.6% |
-1.2% |
-0.6% |
|
January 2004 |
3.0% |
-0.7% |
1.6% |
|
February 2004 |
3.1% |
-1.1% |
1.1% |
|
March 2004 |
0.1% |
-1.8% |
0.1% |
|
April 2004 |
0.5% |
-1.5% |
0.3% |
|
May 2004 |
1.2% |
-0.7% |
1.2% |
|
June 2004 |
2.3% |
0.1% |
2.2% |
|
July 2004 |
2.6% |
1.5% |
2.4% |
|
August 2004 |
1.7% |
1.4% |
2.0% |
|
September 2004 |
1.4% |
1.3% |
1.7% |
|
October 2004 |
1.8% |
0.4% |
2.0% |
|
November 2004 |
2.1% |
0.6% |
2.1% |