MR CHAN CHUN-YING (in Cantonese):
Chief Executive, the Hong Kong Association of Banks announced on November 24 last year that it would work together with the EPS Company (Hong Kong) Limited and a chain convenience store to launch in early March this year a pilot project in such districts as Cheung Chau, Lantau and Tin Shiu Wai to provide cash withdrawal service to the elderly at designated convenience stores without the need to make purchases. This will enable elderly people living in the remote areas to withdraw cash in their neighbourhood. There are now in Hong Kong over 120 post offices scattered across the territory, and EPS is also used as a tool for transaction in the post offices. Will the Government consider borrowing a page from the book of companies in the community by expanding the items of public services provided by the post offices to enable the elderly to withdraw cash via EPS at designated post offices without having to purchase postal products, so that the elderly will have an additional channel for cash withdrawal in various districts; and will other government departments engaging in cash transactions consider doing the same?
CHIEF EXECUTIVE (in Cantonese):
I thank Mr CHAN for this question. It is a style of governance of the current-term Government to be people-oriented. Therefore, we are glad to take into consideration any measure that can provide convenience to Hong Kong citizens in their daily living, especially to the elderly or elderly living in the remote areas.
MR CHAN CHUN-YING (in Cantonese):
While the Chief Executive will take this into consideration, I hope a timetable can be provided for each study. Can the Chief Executive tell us specifically how long it will take before the results of the study can be made available, so that we can know that we should not simply rely on non-governmental organizations to take forward these initiatives for financial inclusion?
CHIEF EXECUTIVE (in Cantonese):
My answer is still this: We will do it as soon as possible, alright? Mr CHAN, we will do it as soon as possible. But honestly, before you asked this question, I had not considered this proposal; nor had I heard of it before. I do not know how complicated it will be to bring it into practice but from this day onwards, we will look into it―Secretary Edward YAU is nodding―and we will consider the results of the study thoroughly with an attitude which is “people-oriented” as I mentioned just now and which aims to provide convenience to the elderly.