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Following is a question by the Hon Andrew Leung and a written reply by the Secretary for Security, Mr Lai Tung-kwok, in the Legislative Council today (May 20):
Question:
According to the Births and Deaths Registration Ordinance (Cap. 174), within 42 days of the birth of a child, exclusive of the day of birth, either parent of the child is required to furnish the registrar with information required to be registered, and in such case, no fee is payable for the registration and for the issuance of a Certificate of Registration of Birth. If a birth is registered after the expiry of 42 days from the date of the birth but within 12 months after the birth, exclusive of the day of birth, the informant has to pay a fee of $140. If a birth is registered after the expiry of 12 months from the date of the birth, exclusive of the day of birth, the consent of the Registrar has to be obtained and the informant has to pay a fee of $680. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1) whether it knows the number of cases, since July 1, 1997, in which the birth of a child has not been registered upon the expiry of 12 months from the date of the birth, exclusive of the day of birth;
(2) of the number of cases, since July 1, 1997, in which the birth of a child was registered after the expiry of 42 days from the date of the birth but within 12 months after the birth, exclusive of the day of birth, as well as the total amount of registration fees involved;
(3) of the number of cases, since July 1, 1997, in which the birth of a child was registered after the expiry of 12 months from the date of the birth, exclusive of the day of birth and, among such cases, of the longest overdue period; and
(4) of the authorities' ways to minimise cases of non-registration or late registration of births?
Reply:
President,
Section 7 of the Births and Deaths Registration Ordinance (the Ordinance) (Cap 174) provides that parents of every child born alive in Hong Kong shall, within 42 days after the day of such birth, register the birth of the child at the births registry (i.e. Immigration Department).
Section 9 of the Ordinance provides that the birth of any child shall be registered without any fee within 42 days of the birth, exclusive of the day of birth. If the birth is registered after the expiration of the said 42 days and within 12 months after the said birth, exclusive of the day of birth, a fee of $140 will be required. Any birth registration after the expiry of 12 months will require the consent of the Registrar of Births and Deaths and on payment of a fee of $680.
Under current arrangement, parents of a newborn child can make an appointment booking through the internet or by telephone for birth registration. Details of the birth registration are available at the website of the Immigration Department (ImmD). A series of brochure and leaflet on appointment booking arrangement, documents required for birth registration and other related information on birth registration are also available for distribution by the hospitals, reminding parents to register the birth of their newborn child within 42 days of the birth.
Our reply to the various parts of the question raised by the Hon Andrew Leung is as follows:
(1) and (3) Between July 1, 1997 and March 31, 2015, there were a total of 1 145 901 cases of birth registration at births registries. Out of these cases, 543 births were registered after the expiry of 12 months from the date of birth, exclusive of the day of birth, with the longest delay being 15 years. As at March 31, 2015, there were 71 children born within the said period above where their birth has not been registered after the expiry of 12 months from the date of birth, exclusive of the day of birth. The Investigation Division of ImmD is following up on these cases.
(2) Between July 1, 1997 and March 31, 2015, there were 49 049 cases where the birth was registered after the expiry of 42 days and within 12 months from the date of birth. With the prescribed registration fee being $140 per case, the total registration fees from these cases is $6 866 860.
(4) If parents fail to register the birth of their child within the prescribed time limit, ImmD will send reminder letters to their last known address upon three, six and nine months from the birth of the child by ordinary and then registered mails to remind them of their duty to register the birth of their child as soon as possible. Should there be no response after repeated reminders, ImmD will attempt to contact the parents through other means, and refer the cases to its Investigation Division for follow up as and when necessary.
Ends/Wednesday, May 20, 2015
Issued at HKT 15:45
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