Policy Address

Financial Support

69.         The OALA I proposed in my Manifesto has benefited over 410 000 elderly people since it was introduced last April.  The Government will review this measure by the end of this year to ascertain, among other things, whether the asset limits should be relaxed.

70.         The Guangdong Scheme launched last October allows Hong Kong elderly people residing in Guangdong to continue receiving the Old Age Allowance, commonly known as “fruit money”, without the need to return to Hong Kong every year.  The initial response to the scheme has been positive.  By the end of last year, about 16 700 elderly people had submitted applications and about 7 000 are now receiving the allowance.  This year, the Government will seriously explore the feasibility of extending the OALA to Guangdong in light of the scheme’s operating experience.

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