Budget Speech

Working Together for the Needy

135.      The Government has been providing a wide range of welfare services to the public, as well as a social security net to help those in need meet their living expenses and attain the goal of "moving from welfare to self-reliance". In the past 10 years, recurrent expenditure on social welfare has increased by over 50 per cent, outpacing the expenditure increase in other policy area groups. In 2010-11, recurrent expenditure on social welfare is estimated to be around $40 billion, accounting for 17 per cent of recurrent government expenditure. I will now set out the major initiatives.

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