The Government would formulate 10-year plans for public health, social security and education this year to enhance people's livelihood through long-term schemes, the Chief Executive, Mr Chui Sai On, said today. Mr Chui disclosed this when he attended a plenary session of the Legislative Assembly, his first this year, to answer questions raised by the legislators on his governance and social issues. The Government had accumulated a surplus every year since the establishment of the Macao SAR and the figure has amounted to almost 290 billion patacas since the new financial reserve law went into effect earlier this year, he said. Aided by such stable financial conditions, the Government could further enhance and even introduce more long-term mechanisms that could benefit the public. Mr Chui said to guarantee the stable functioning of the Social Security Fund, the Government would inject 4 billion patacas this year and could reserve 10 billion patacas for the fund between 2013 and 2014. He revealed that the Government would review the amount of non-mandatory contributions and premiums based on an actuarial report to be completed this year in view of enhancing the sustainability of the fund. As for the Central Provident Fund systems, a savings scheme initiated by the Government, Mr Chui reiterated that it would inject funds into the accounts of individuals depending on public financial conditions. On public health policies, he said the Government would continue to allocate resources to enhance the public health network, such as the continued training and education of local medical talents. He stressed that the Government would carry on the policies of 15-year free non-tertiary education and would provide scholarships and loans to support higher education students and future students. Speaking on housing policies, the Chief Executive said the Government would consider the possibility of accepting new applications for public housing at the end of this year or early next year. In addition to the 19,000 public housing units in the pipeline, Mr Chui said the Government had been planning some 6,300 units, of which more than 3,000 units were awaiting tender procedure. Mr Chui also dealt with questions about population, tourism, constitutional development, labour rights and other issues.
