TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Minister without Portfolio Chen Shih-chung (陳時中) said that delays in the Legislative Yuan’s review of next year’s government budget could affect the continued implementation of social safety net programs, weakening social welfare and support for disadvantaged groups, CNA reported.
The Cabinet has proposed a NT$3.35 trillion (US$107.2 billion) government budget for next year, up 3.8% from this year, with spending focused on national defense, public construction, technological development, social welfare, and flood control. The budget was submitted to the Legislative Yuan at the end of August, but disagreements between ruling and opposition parties over some allocations have delayed the review.
Chen said the five-year program, with a budget of NT$81.9 billion, will focus on childcare, elderly care, mental health, and the use of technology, while integrating efforts across ministries to better support high-risk families and disadvantaged groups.
The program will offer counseling to an estimated 60,000 new parents annually. Of Taiwan’s around 700,000 elderly living alone, only about 60,000 are registered for support. To provide full care, the initiative will launch home visits, establish a database of elderly living alone, and offer services such as emergency assistance and meal delivery.
Chen said the program will expand Taiwan’s 57 mental health centers to 101, providing roughly one center per 230,000 people. It will boost benefits for social workers and counselors, increasing staff to 9,125, and continue support for disadvantaged populations, raising material aid distribution points to 383 locations.
The program will also introduce an AI-powered system to identify and warn of potential risks to high-risk families, helping to reduce the impact of accidents. Part of the budget will fund long-term contracts with private social welfare organizations to maintain the quality of care.
Chen added that he supports Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰)’s refusal to sign amendments to the Act Governing the Allocation of Government Revenues and Expenditures. The amendments, which the Legislative Yuan ultimately passed, were sent back for reconsideration by the Cabinet between February and November, but the Legislative Yuan rejected the request.
Cho noted the changes would shift significant funds from the central government to local governments, which could affect the central budget and limit the implementation of major national policies.
