Discounted dining vouchers for seniors return in July
Discounted dining vouchers for seniors return in July
The second phase of the Caring Food Coupon Programme will commence in July with a total of 50,000 voucher sets to be distributed. File photo: RTHK
The government is bringing back a programme in July that offers discounted dining vouchers to elderly citizens in need, Secretary for Labour and Welfare Chris Sun announced on Friday.
The Caring Food Coupon Programme will start its second phase in July, he said, distributing a total of 50,000 voucher sets.
Each set will include coupons valid for one meal at each of six participating restaurant chains: Cafe de Coral, Fairwood, Tai Hing, Maxim's, McDonald's and Ngan Lung Restaurant.
Sun said this initiative builds on the success of its first phase, which ran this year.
"Based on the last time when we provided lunch coupons to the elderly, the actual usage rate is around 76 percent, but it varies among different restaurant chains," he said.
"We are going to observe [the usage rate] this time as well.
"We are going to step up promotional efforts, and as elderly users are getting used to obtaining the coupons and using them, we will see how the usage rate will be this time around."
Catering sector lawmaker Tommy Cheung said seniors can enjoy breakfasts at a discounted price of HK$15.
"Aside from celebrating the 28th anniversary of the SAR's establishment in July, many businesses want to give breakfast vouchers to our seniors," he said.
"Why breakfast vouchers in July? It is because we are worried that it will be too hot in the afternoon, so we want to encourage seniors to get used to going out early for breakfast.
"At the same time, we also made an agreement last month to provide afternoon tea vouchers in October for the National Day holiday given that the weather will be cooler."
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
RTHK
11 hours ago
- RTHK
'Consider halting labour imports for certain sectors'
'Consider halting labour imports for certain sectors' Lam Chun-sing says the government could set a quota for the Enhanced Supplementary Labour Scheme depending on unemployment figures. Photo: RTHK A trade unionist lawmaker on Saturday suggested that officials should consider pausing labour imports for certain industries, as more locals are losing their jobs after the shuttering of multiple companies. These closures involved bakery chain Taipan which ceased operations after more than four decades on Tuesday, as well as local congee chain Ocean Empire Food Shop after operating for 33 years. Lam Chun-sing, chairman of the Federation of Hong Kong and Kowloon Labour Unions told reporters after a Commercial Radio programme that the government could set a quota for the Enhanced Supplementary Labour Scheme depending on unemployment figures, to give locals the priority. "We don't want to see a situation [where] our unemployment rate increases and also we continue to import more and more labour. So we hope that maybe the government can collect more information on different job categories," he said. "If [in] those job categories, the unemployment rate is very high and the number of job vacancies [is] reduced, then the government may set a limit or a ceiling or suspend the labour importation scheme in a specific job category." Lam also suggested the government to roll out various measures such as a tax allowance to encourage employers to recruit elderly workers as part of its bid to promote the silver economy.
RTHK
12 hours ago
- RTHK
Northern Metropolis tender details in progress: Linn
Northern Metropolis tender details in progress: Linn Development chief Bernadette Linn says the focus is on developing the Northern Metropolis. File photo: RTHK Authorities are hammering out details before putting one or two sizeable land parcels in the Northern Metropolis project up for tender in the second half of 2025, development chief Bernadette Linn said on Saturday. The minister said officials are prioritising development in the northern New Territories, while brushing aside calls to shelve the Kau Yi Chau Artificial Islands project. "The economy is growing steadily, and the government hopes that all sectors will focus on development in the Northern Metropolis. We have made it clear that we don't have a specific timetable for the Kau Yi Chau Artificial Islands plan, and we are slowing down," Linn told a Commercial Radio programme. "In terms of the word 'shelve', if it means we will never continue with it, I think the government should have the lead in land development and we should not casually say we will never do something in the future." The administration had earlier received submissions from both local and mainland firms expressing an interest in developing the three large-scale land parcels in the Northern Metropolis project. "We are now analysing and preparing detailed terms of the tender, with the goal of starting the bidding process for at least one or two land parcels in the latter half of the year," she said. On plans to develop three major ecotourism projects in outlying islands and coastal areas, Linn said the plan to transform the ex-Lamma Quarry site might be the first on the list. Authorities aim to complete the area's land use planning in the first half of next year, before starting the tendering process, she said. The other two plans include developing a new Eco-Recreation Corridor in South Lantau, and creating ecotourism nodes at Tsim Bei Tsui and Pak Nai.
RTHK
12 hours ago
- RTHK
Cut rents further to lift catering sector
Cut rents further to lift catering sector Simon Wong says visitors to Hong Kong are spending less. Photo: RTHK A catering sector representative on Saturday said rents will continue to be a challenge despite a recent reduction. Simon Wong, president of the Hong Kong Federation of Restaurants and Related Trades told a Commercial Radio programme that even though the SAR has been welcoming more tourists this year, business performance is worse than the pre-Covid period. This is because spending for each visitor has dropped by 20 percent. Noting that landlords have slashed rents by up to 15 percent on average in the past half-year – and even 30 percent in some districts – Wong expressed the hope that they would go down even further. "If there's so much empty space on the street, the landlords would feel that kind of pressure and they are willing to lower their rent at this moment. And I'm looking forward to more decrease in the rent because still the rents compared to other expenses are quite high," he told reporters. "Our operating expenses is comprised of rent, salaries and also food costs, and rental is one of the major expenses we encounter. So if the rent can go down by at least another 20 or 25 percent, it would help us a lot." Wong also noted that the phenomenon of Hongkongers heading north to spend is "irreversible", but he hopes that the government will expand multiple-entry visas to cover the entire Greater Bay Area, or even other mainland cities to help the catering sector. Meanwhile, Wong said he expects a campaign – which sees more than 3,800 restaurants offering discounts of up to 29 percent to celebrate the 28th anniversary of the SAR's establishment on July 1 –to boost business by up to 15 percent that day.
