Lawmakers across party lines yesterday urged the Ministry of Health and Welfare to amend the Public Assistance Act (社會救助法), saying the legislation is outdated and hinders access to aid.
Several social welfare groups have established the Alliance for Public Assistance Act Amendment to propose changes to the act, which was last amended in 2010.
Lawmakers said more than 2.2 million financially disadvantaged people cannot receive proper assistance due to the legislation.
Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Fan Yun (范雲) said while the poverty line in Taiwan is at a level similar to those in South Korea and Japan, the number of people officially considered as living in poverty is only about 10 percent of those in South Korea and Japan, which indicates many financially disadvantaged people are not eligible for government assistance.
The alliance said many of the eligibility requirements have failed to keep up with the times and changes in society, making it difficult for people to meet eligibility criteria, such as linking their subsidy application to their household registration and calculating estimated earnable income for non-working family members who are considered capable workers.
New Power Party Legislator Claire Wang (王婉諭) said some poor people do not live at the address shown on their household registration, so their registered household does not reflect their actual living conditions.
The requirement for aggregate household income, including estimated earnable income, also makes it difficult for poor people to apply for subsidies, as they might need to provide evidence at a court that some family members are not financially supported and need public assistance, the alliance said.
A social worker surnamed Chang (張) said the act has also caused a cliff effect, discouraging impoverished people who are receiving public assistance from seeking employment or advancing their career, as they worry that an increased income would disqualify them from receiving aid, but not enough to cover the cost of the lost benefit, leaving them worse off.
The alliance hopes the act would be amended to help poor people out of poverty in phases, by gradually reducing support, Chang said.
DPP legislators Wu Yu-chin (吳玉琴) and Hung Sun-han (洪申翰), Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Lin Wei-chou (林為洲), and Taiwan People’s Party Legislator Chen Wan-hui (陳琬惠) also supported the draft amendment proposed by the alliance.
Wu said that as she is one the convenors of the Legislative Yuan’s Social Welfare and Environmental Hygiene Committee, she would hold public hearings as soon as possible, allowing civic groups to communicate with the ministry on the issue.
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