Hong Kong's underprivileged were determined not to be left out in the Chief Executive's policy blueprint, and they got it.

Heading the list of beneficiaries of Donald Tsang's one-off relief measures for the needy are the city's 700,000 public housing tenants, who will be exempted from forking out two months' rent. They are followed by those on the dole - Comprehensive Social Security Assistance, Old Age Allowance, or "fruit money", and Disability Allowance recipients - who will all get an extra month's allowance.

Besides a bigger payout, people with disabilities will be rewarded further under a major refitting program launched to upgrade barrier-free features at 3,700 existing government premises and facilities and 300 properties managed by the Housing Authority. Improvement works at 3,300 of these premises are due to be completed by June next year.

To meet the growing demand of people with disabilities for rehabilitation services, the government will continue to provide additional places for pre-school, day and residential rehabilitation services. A licensing scheme to regulate the operation of residential care homes for disabled people will also be launched. For those with severe disabilities who need special care, a scheme tried out by the Social Welfare Department in 2008 to provide tetraplegic patients with transitional residential and day training services will be made permanent.

stushadow@chinadailyhk.com

China Daily

(HK Edition 10/13/2011 page1)