Govt has disbursed nearly HK$700 mn in childbirth incentives, benefiting nearly 35,000 individuals
Secretary for Labour and Welfare, Chris Sun, responded today (Jan. 15) to Legislative Council Member Edward Leung's inquiry, stating that as of Dec. 31, 2024, the government had received approximately 35,000 applications for the Newborn Baby Bonus and had disbursed grants to over 34,000 applicants, totaling around HK$697 million.
Additionally, by the end of 2024, various talent admission schemes had approved over 270,000 applications, with approximately 180,000 talents having arrived in Hong Kong.
The government implemented the Newborn Baby Bonus Scheme, offering a cash incentive of HK$20,000 to qualified parents for each baby born on or after Oct. 25, 2023, over 3 years. Sun mentioned that by Dec. 31, 2024, the government had received 35,615 eligible applications and had disbursed grants to 34,836 applicants, totaling approximately HK$697 million.
Furthermore, the Hong Kong Housing Authority (HA) has implemented the "Families with Newborns Flat Selection Priority Scheme" scheme since the 2024 Home Ownership Scheme (HOS), where families with babies born on or after October 25, 2023, and aged 3 or below by the application deadline are eligible to apply. During the application period of "HOS 2024," the HA received around 106,000 applications, with about 50,000 from family applicants, including around 3,000 applications under the Scheme.
Starting from April 1, 2024, the HA has also implemented the "Families with Newborns Allocation Priority Scheme," allowing public housing families with newborns born on or after October 25, 2023, and aged 1 or below to reduce their waiting time by 1 year. Sun stated that by the end of December 2024, approximately 3,300 public housing applications had their waiting time reduced by 1 year under the scheme, with around 210 successfully allocated public housing units.
Regarding the introduction of foreign talent and labor, Sun mentioned that by the end of 2024, various talent admission schemes had received over 430,000 applications, approving more than 270,000, with approximately 180,000 talent arriving in Hong Kong. As talents continue to arrive, they often bring their families to settle in Hong Kong. Up to now, around 170,000 dependents have arrived in Hong Kong, including nearly 100,000 unmarried dependents under the age of 18. Additionally, between 2025 and 2027, at least 50,000 talents successfully applied for visa extensions through talent admission schemes each year.
Sun revealed that the Security Bureau indicated that as of the end of November 2024, an average of 111 One-way Permit holders arrived in Hong Kong daily, similar to the average of 112 people per day in 2023. Currently, the daily quota for One-way Permits is set at 150, and mainland authorities process applications based on actual qualifying numbers and strict approval criteria. The government will continue to monitor the utilization of the One-way Permit quota closely, consider feedback from various sectors, and reflect opinions to mainland authorities concerning One-way Permit-related matters in the best interest of Hong Kong.
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