Hong Kong Labour and Welfare Bureau Director Sun Yuhang: Several departments actively plan to increase the fertility rate measures and expand childcare services to all 18 districts in Hong Kong.

On July 24th, the Secretary for Labour and Welfare of Hong Kong, Law Chi-kwong, spoke on the proposal made by Legislative Council member Chan Ka-pei to "improve the pro-natal policies". He stated that the declining birth rate is a common issue faced by Hong Kong and many other places globally. In light of this situation, various policy bureaus and departments of the Special Administrative Region government have been actively planning measures to increase the birth rate. Law Chi-kwong mentioned that the government is increasing funding for standalone childcare centers and expanding the quota for the "Neighborhood Support Child Care Program". They are also extending before and after-school care services for preschool children to all 18 districts in Hong Kong to better meet the needs of working families in caring for their children. Regarding employee support, Law pointed out that various policy bureaus and departments are actively promoting relevant work in their respective areas. In terms of tax measures, starting from the taxation year 2023/2024, the basic child allowance and the additional child allowance for the year of childbirth have been increased to HK$130,000. In the housing sector, the Hong Kong Housing Authority has introduced the "Firstborn Priority Allocation Scheme" and the "Firstborn Priority Selection Scheme" to provide incentives for families applying for public rental housing and subsidized sale units, in order to encourage childbirth among citizens. Law Chi-kwong also mentioned that the Department of Health has been committed to supporting assisted reproduction services and promoting healthy childbirth to assist those intending to have children. In the education sector, the government has implemented the Kindergarten Education Scheme to provide affordable quality kindergarten education and increase opportunities for children to receive different types of kindergarten education based on their needs.