The government Friday pledged to study ways to provide assistance to low income earners who do not benefit from the 10-point relief package announced by Chief Executive Donald Tsang Wednesday.

Chief Secretary for Administration Henry Tang said that in a Legislative Council's finance committee meeting in which a funding application of HK$8.5 billion was passed unanimously to implement counter-inflationary measures.

"Relieving people's budget burdens is what a people-oriented government must endeavor to do. It is definitely not an effort to curry favor with the people so as to remove any obstacles for the approval of a fund for relief efforts in Sichuan," Tang said.

He admitted there are people who may not reap any benefit from the measures. The government will study ways to offer assistance to these people.

Some legislators suggested these people register with the government so that the administration can directly provide them with subsidies after verification.

Meanwhile, Secretary for Labour and Welfare Matthew Cheung Kin-chung assured that the majority of employers of overseas domestic helpers will benefit from the scrapping of the employee retraining levy.

"They do not have to hurry or worry. Employers who apply for visas for their helpers any time before August 2010 will be eligible for the measures," Cheung said.

He stressed that the levy remission is only temporary because employee retraining is vital in enhancing competitiveness of local workers.

Meanwhile, the finance committee also gave the green light for a HK$2 billion fund to kick start Hong Kong's reconstruction assistance in Sichuan.

The money will be used to set up a trust fund.

He reiterated that the assistance will not affect local economy or livelihood and reassured that the government will act according to its ability.

Secretary for Development Carrie Lam said contractors working both on the mainland and in Hong Kong will be invited to take part in the Sichuan reconstruction.

(HK Edition 07/19/2008 page1)