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urged the Ministry of Health and Welfare to amend the Public Assistance Act (社會救助法), saying the legislation is outdated and hinders access to aid.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.
Former president Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) on Monday called for greater cooperation between Taiwan, Lithuania and the EU to counter threats to information security, including attacks on undersea cables and other critical infrastructure. In a speech at Vilnius University in the Lithuanian capital, Tsai highlighted recent incidents in which vital undersea cables — essential for cross-border data transmission — were severed in the Taiwan Strait and the Baltic Sea over the past year. Taiwanese authorities suspect Chinese sabotage in the incidents near Taiwan’s waters, while EU leaders have said Russia is the likely culprit behind similar breaches in the Baltic. “Taiwan and our European
LIKE-MINDED COUNTRIES: Despite the threats from outside, Taiwan and Lithuania thrived and developed their economies, former president Tsai Ing-wen said Former president Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) on Saturday thanked Lithuania for its support of Taiwan, saying that both countries are united as partners in defending democracy. Speaking at a reception organized by the Lithuania-Taiwan Parliamentary Friendship Group welcoming her on her first visit to the Baltic state, Tsai said that while she was president from 2016 to last year, many Lithuanian “friends” visited Taiwan. “And I told myself I have to be here. I am very happy that I am here, a wonderful country and wonderful people,” Tsai said. Taiwan and Lithuania are in similar situations as both are neighbors to authoritarian countries, she
The Taipei District Court sentenced babysitters Liu Tsai-hsuan (劉彩萱) and Liu Jou-lin (劉若琳) to life and 18 years in prison respectively today for causing the death of a one-year-old boy in December 2023. The Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office said that Liu Tsai-hsuan was entrusted with the care of a one-year-old boy, nicknamed Kai Kai (剴剴), in August 2023 by the Child Welfare League Foundation. From Sept. 1 to Dec. 23 that year, she and her sister Liu Jou-lin allegedly committed acts of abuse against the boy, who was rushed to the hospital with severe injuries on Dec. 24, 2023, but did not
Taiwanese indie band Sunset Rollercoaster and South Korean outfit Hyukoh collectively received the most nominations at this year’s Golden Melody Awards, earning a total of seven nods from the jury on Wednesday. The bands collaborated on their 2024 album AAA, which received nominations for best band, best album producer, best album design and best vocal album recording. “Young Man,” a single from the album, earned nominations for song of the year and best music video, while another track, “Antenna,” also received a best music video nomination. Late Hong Kong-American singer Khalil Fong (方大同) was named the jury award winner for his 2024 album
RSS