Latest news with #OldAgeLivingAllowance
The Star
3 days ago
- The Star
Ex-Hong Kong social worker given community service for defrauding authorities
A retired Hong Kong social worker behind a dropped legal challenge arising from the San Tin Technopole project has been sentenced to community service for defrauding authorities out of HK$16,780 (US$2,138) in welfare benefits. Eastern Court on Thursday adopted a probation officer's recommendation to sentence Eddie Tse Sai-kit to 120 hours of unpaid community work after his lawyer said he 'recklessly' understated his earnings to obtain four months' worth of welfare allowances last year. A presentencing report cited the 68-year-old defendant as saying he had mistakenly believed that he only needed to report his average monthly income over the year in his application to the Social Welfare Department. Acting Principal Magistrate David Cheung Chi-wai at one point questioned whether the court should accept the 68-year-old defendant's earlier guilty plea, before concluding that his failure to make an accurate declaration went beyond mere negligence and deserved criminal sanction. Cheung also noted that Tse had admitted wrongdoing at the first opportunity and was remorseful. Tse was arrested early this year while he was challenging an environmental impact assessment report that endorsed the development of a technology hub near the mainland Chinese border. Despite securing permission from the High Court to commence judicial review proceedings, Tse later dropped the case, citing 'widespread harassment and intimidation'. A pro-Beijing newspaper had also depicted Tse as an activist 'disrupting Hong Kong' by blindly opposing development under the guise of promoting environmental preservation. According to a prosecution case summary, Tse applied for an Old Age Living Allowance of HK$4,195 in June 2023 and claimed his monthly income was HK$5,000, which was below the limit of HK$10,710 at the time. He received a total of HK$80,460 from the department between July 2023 and December 2024. But the social worker failed to declare his earnings from Polytechnic University, where he had worked as a part-time fieldwork supervisor from January 2021 to May this year. Tse earned an additional monthly salary of between HK$6,000 and HK$19,200 from June to December last year for his work at the university, according to the summary. He also failed to notify the department that he had accepted a one-off 'honorarium' of HK$24,000 from the Social Workers Registration Board for serving on its disciplinary committee panel. An investigation concluded Tse would not have been entitled to the monthly allowance in July, August, November and December last year – an amount totalling HK$16,780 – if he had not concealed his income. Tse pleaded guilty earlier this month to four counts of fraud. Magistrate Cheung had ordered that Tse pay HK$16,780 in compensation to the department as part of his penalty. The defence said in a previous hearing that Tse had retired from social work after his arrest. - SOUTH CHINA MORNING POST
HKFP
5 days ago
- HKFP
Hong Kong activist sentenced to 120 hours of community service for defrauding gov't in welfare scheme
A Hong Kong activist has been handed 120 hours of community service for defrauding the government of HK$16,780 in welfare benefits from a subsidy scheme for the elderly. Eddie Tse, a 68-year-old licensed social worker, appeared at the Eastern Magistrates' Court on Thursday morning. He earlier pleaded guilty to four counts of fraud relating to the government's Old Age Living Allowance scheme, which gives a monthly stipend to those aged 65 and above earning below a certain income. The judge sentenced Tse to 120 hours of community service, saying he took his remorse into account. According to the prosecution's case, Tse defrauded the Social Welfare Department (SWD) of four monthly payments of HK$4,195 last year – in July, August, November and December – a total of HK$16,780. The subsidy is means-tested with a monthly income cap of HK$10,710 for a single person, or HK$16,330 for a married couple. The SWD requires beneficiaries whose income exceeds the limit after the one-year grace period to declare to authorities, but Tse did not, the prosecution alleged. Tse was said to have hidden income from his part-time job as a supervisor at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University, as well as commission for his work on the Social Workers Registration Board's disciplinary committee, which exceeded the Social Welfare Department's cap. His lawyer, Andy Chan, said during a mitigation hearing earlier this month that those jobs did not provide Tse with a fixed monthly income. At the sentencing, Magistrate David Cheung questioned why Tse had pleaded guilty if his case was that he had mistakenly believed he qualified for the welfare scheme after calculating and averaging his income by month. Chan said there was no conflict between Tse's guilty plea and his case, and that the basis of his plea direction was recklessness, as he had not made precise calculations to check his eligibility for the scheme. Legal aid application A veteran activist, Tse has advocated on a host of issues relating to his social work profession and beyond, from environmental matters to columbaria. The fraud case came to light after Tse applied for legal aid last August for his judicial review – a legal tool to challenge government policies – of the authorities' controversial plan to build the San Tin Technopole, a tech hub near the city's border with mainland China. Tse, as well as other activists and green groups, has expressed concerns about the potential harm to wetland conservation efforts. Legal aid applications are means-tested, meaning they are subject to the authorities' review of applicants' financial circumstances. Tse's application was left hanging for months, prompting the court to delay the judicial review. Tse was arrested for fraud in January, and days later, his legal aid application was rejected. The judicial review was dismissed in April, after a High Court judge barred former pro-democracy councillor Debby Chan from taking over the challenge from Tse. During hearings related to the judicial review, Tse's lawyer said he and his family members had been on the receiving end of harassment due to his attempt to challenge the government.
RTHK
06-06-2025
- Health
- RTHK
Public 'mostly unaware of new hospital fee exemptions'
Public 'mostly unaware of new hospital fee exemptions' The FTU conducted a survey, garnering over 700 responses, to gauge public understanding of the new upcoming healthcare charges. Photo: RTHK The Federation of Trade Unions (FTU) said on Friday there is an urgent need for increased public awareness of what the processes surrounding the new healthcare charges to be levied next year involve. The reforms will see fee adjustments across a spectrum of public services, including accident and emergency wards, hospital stays and consultations at specialist and family medicine outpatient clinics, phased in over three stages starting on January 1. To gauge public understanding of these changes, the FTU conducted a survey from April 22 to May 13, garnering more than 700 responses. FTU lawmaker Bill Tang said that while most respondents knew about the fee increases, very few were aware of the enhanced fee exemption mechanism, signalling a need for more promotional efforts. "The government should actively [give] them the information," he said. For example, Tang said, they give patients leaflets to clearly tell them which criteria fits the new scheme. Also, he said, "the 'HA Go' [mobile app] is now more and more welcome among patients, so 'HA Go' should be a very good way to promote the new scheme of fee exemptions. "The government should [make] good use of the network of the local medical centres and district counsellors to promote the new fee exemption scheme together." Tang said more than a million people in the SAR should qualify for the enhanced exemptions. He also urged an earlier opening of applications to align with implementation of the reforms and reduce administrative delays. He further suggested expanding automatic medical fee waivers for Old Age Living Allowance recipients aged 75 or above to those aged 65 or above, saying this would ease the processing burden on healthcare staff while extending support to more seniors.
RTHK
13-05-2025
- Health
- RTHK
New subsidised dental programme to start by this month
New subsidised dental programme to start by this month The Community Dental Support Programme will provide around 40,000 bookings a year. File photo: RTHK A government-subsidised dental programme will kick off on May 26, providing around 40,000 bookings a year – more than double the current government service quota available through general public sessions. The underprivileged who are receiving government aid such as the Old Age Living Allowance, or those who have their public hospital fees exempt, will be eligible for the Community Dental Support Programme. They can have their teeth filled or removed for HK$50 a tooth at 80 clinics, with a full waiver possible for some people. Doctors would treat a maximum three teeth each time, and people can apply for the service once every 180 days. Recipients must hold a Hong Kong ID card and register for the government's eHealth system. A Department of Health consultant surgeon, Sharon Lee, was asked if the charge would deter patients, given that dental services at government clinics are free of charge. "The administration charge of HK$50 is a fee, but compared to the treatment they receive, I think it's not a lot really," she said. "We also have a safety net that [some] can have a total waiver of their fees." From the start of next month, the government will also raise the service quota by around 30 percent at nine of its dental clinics for the general public to up to 26,000. Health officials noted that since an online booking system for public dental services was introduced, the clinics have been fully booked. They hope the new programme – which is available through the help of dozens of non-governmental organisations – will mean that those who miss out on the general public quota would still have their tooth fixed or removed relatively cheaply.
RTHK
13-05-2025
- Health
- RTHK
New subsidised dental programme to start by this month
New subsidised dental programme to start by this month The Community Dental Support Programme will provide around 40,000 bookings a year. File photo: RTHK A government-subsidised dental programme will kick off on May 26, providing around 40,000 bookings a year – more than double the current government service quota available through general public sessions. The underprivileged who are receiving government aid such as the Old Age Living Allowance, or those who have their public hospital fees exempt, will be eligible for the Community Dental Support Programme. They can have their teeth filled or removed for HK$50 a tooth at 80 clinics, with a full waiver possible for some people. Doctors would treat a maximum three teeth each time, and people can apply for the service once every 180 days. Recipients must hold a Hong Kong ID card and register for the government's eHealth system. A Department of Health consultant surgeon, Sharon Lee, was asked if the charge would deter patients, given that dental services at government clinics are free of charge. "The administration charge of HK$50 is a fee, but compared to the treatment they receive, I think it's not a lot really," she said. "We also have a safety net that [some] can have a total waiver of their fees." From the start of next month, the government will also raise the service quota by around 30 percent at nine of its dental clinics for the general public to up to 26,000. Health officials noted that since an online booking system for public dental services was introduced, the clinics have been fully booked. They hope the new programme – which is available through the help of dozens of non-governmental organisations – will mean that those who miss out on the general public quota would still have their tooth fixed or removed relatively cheaply.
