Direct Request (CEACR) - adopted 1997, published 86th ILC session (1998)

1. Part X (Survivors' benefit), Article 60, paragraph 1, of the Convention. With reference to its previous comments concerning the provision of benefits to widows of under 50 years of age incapable of self-support and caring for dependent children, the Committee notes the information contained in the report on the nature, amount and eligibility requirements for the assistance provided by the Welfare Department. Nevertheless, the Committee would like the Government to consider the feasibility of ensuring social security survivors' benefit to widows under 50 years of age with dependent children under the National Insurance and Social Security Act and Regulations, so as to give fuller application to this Article of the Convention. In the meantime, the Committee would like the Government to indicate in its next report the number of widows mentioned above who currently receive assistance.

2. Part XI (Standards to be complied with by periodical payments), Article 66 (in conjunction with Article 62). In reply to the Committee's previous comments concerning the recourse to Article 66 to ascertain whether the level of the minimum survivors' benefit attains the level prescribed by the Convention, the Government provides information on the minimum rate of benefit as well as on the minimum amount of wages for domestics, shop assistants and construction labourers, without indicating, however, which category is chosen to reflect the reference wage of an ordinary adult male labourer for the purpose of the calculation of the level of benefits. In order to be able to assess the level of the survivors' benefit, the Committee would be grateful if the Government's next report would include full information as requested under Titles I and IV of Article 66 of the report form on the Convention adopted by the Governing Body, specifying in particular, for the same time period, the current minimum amount of the survivors' benefit provided to a standard beneficiary (widow with two children) and the amount of the wage (and not only minimum wage) of an ordinary adult male labourer chosen in accordance with paragraph 4 or 5 of Article 66.

3. Article 66, paragraph 8 (Review of long-term benefit). The Committee would like the Government to supply the information requested by the report form under Title VI of Article 65 as far as survivors' benefits are concerned.