Hong Kong authorities to consider reducing traffic accident fund payouts to curb abuse
Welfare minister Chris Sun says authorities to consider cutting number of compensated sick leave or hospital days claimable under fund
Hong Kong authorities will consider reducing the amount of compensated sick leave days that traffic accident victims can claim from a government fund, as part of a review to clamp down on welfare abuse, a minister has said.
Secretary for Labour and Welfare Chris Sun Yuk-han said on Wednesday that authorities aimed to complete the review of the Traffic Accident Victims Assistance Scheme within this year.
The government would study the possibility of lowering the maximum number of sick leave days that victims could claim financial assistance for, he said.
The fund, which is administered by the Social Welfare Department, provides financial help to victims of road traffic accidents or their surviving dependants.
Sun said the scheme’s various support categories would be further integrated and simplified, while the government would also assess its funding and offer grants accordingly.
“These are the directions of our review, which I expect to be completed within this year,” Sun told a Legislative Council meeting.
