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Following is an oral reply by the Secretary for Labour and Welfare, Mr Matthew Cheung Kin-chung, to a question by the Hon Kwok Ka-ki on births born in Hong Kong to Mainland women in the Legislative Council today (November 14):
Question:
In its population projections for the period between 2007 and 2036, the Census and Statistics Department has assumed that during that period, there will be 30 000 Mainland women giving birth in Hong Kong per annum. Among them, 10 000 women are the spouses of permanent residents of Hong Kong, while the rest are not. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(a) whether it has conducted any detailed study to examine the respective impact on the local community brought about by the aforesaid two categories of Mainland women giving birth in Hong Kong; and
(b) as most of the Mainland women of these two categories and their spouses have indicated in a survey that they will bring their children back to Hong Kong when or before their children are six years of age, whether the authorities have calculated the additional demand for social services such as housing, education, welfare services, healthcare and employment service arising from members of these two categories of families settling in Hong Kong in the next 10 years, and the number of primary and secondary schools which need to be built as well as the amount of resources required to meet such demands?
Reply:
Madam President,
According to the 2006-based population projections compiled by the Census and Statistics Department (C&SD), the number of births born in Hong Kong to Mainland women is projected to be 30 000 per annum. Among these babies, 10 000 will be fathered by Hong Kong Permanent Residents (Type I babies) and 20 000 by men who are not Hong Kong Permanent Residents (Type II babies). With reference to the results of the Survey on Babies Born in Hong Kong to Mainland Women conducted at the Birth Registries, the Governments projects that about 65% of the Type I babies will stay in Hong Kong. The remaining 35% will leave Hong Kong within the first year of their birth and, among them, 90% will return to Hong Kong before the age of 21. As for Type II babies, the Government projects that about 9% will stay in Hong Kong. The remaining 91% will leave Hong Kong within the first year of their birth and, among them, 58% will return to Hong Kong before the age of 21. Among those Type I babies who will return to Hong Kong, 80% will do so at or before the age of 3 and 93% will do so at or before the age of 6. As regards Type II babies who will return to Hong Kong, 51% will do so at or before the age of 3 and 85% will do so at or before the age of 6. The impact of Mainland women giving birth in Hong Kong will be reflected in the projections concerning population and household updated every two to three years by the C&SD. These projections will form a common basis for Government planning in various programme areas (such as housing, education, social services, medical and health services, and employment services, etc.).
The Housing Department (HD) makes use of the population and household projections compiled by C&SD for projecting the long-term demand for Public Rental Housing (PRH). Corresponding adjustments to HD's flat production programme will be made with a view to meeting the demand of PRH applicants and ensuring that the average waiting time for PRH will be maintained at around three years.
As far as long-term planning in education is concerned, the Education Bureau (EDB) will make reference to the school-age population projections and take into account the actual numbers of students at various levels at present as well as the latest demographic changes, such as fluctuations in newly-arrived children from the Mainland, in estimating the demand for school places and relevant resources in the next decade. Based on the relevant population figures, it is projected that the number of school-age children at the primary and secondary levels will not rise significantly in the coming ten years. Hence, the Government does not foresee the need at this stage to build more schools solely to cater for children born to Mainland women in Hong Kong. The provision of education facilities at pre-primary level is market-driven. The Government will reserve sufficient resources for the Pre-primary Education Voucher Scheme.
With regard to welfare services, it has been the Government's policy to serve all families and individuals in need. At present, the Integrated Family Service Centres (IFSCs) across the territory provide a continuum of preventive, supportive and therapeutic welfare services to Hong Kong residents in need, including children born to Mainland mothers and living in Hong Kong. The IFSCs will assess the circumstances and problems faced by the children concerned, and provide them with appropriate services to cater for their needs at different stages of development. These services include family life education, parent-child activities, various types of support groups, counselling and referral services.
If, for various reasons, infants or children are left to stay in Hong Kong without proper care, social workers will assess their needs for services in a comprehensive manner and provide appropriate services according to the actual circumstances of each case.
The Government takes into account the population and projected youth population in each district in planning for the provision of IFSCs and Integrated Children and Youth Services Centres (ICYSCs) respectively. IFSCs provide services appropriate and specific to district needs. For instance, they will organise more support groups and activities for the newly arrived families in districts with a higher concentration of these families, to help them adjust to living in Hong Kong and facilitate their integration into the community. In setting up ICYSCs, we will also give priority to areas with a greater service demand.
Apart from operating and subsidising various welfare services, the Government has also set up a $300 million Community Investment and Inclusion Fund (CIIF) to promote the development of mutual help networks among people from different generations, social strata and background. The aim is to enhance their sense of belonging to the community and facilitate social inclusion. Of the 147 projects supported by the CIIF, about 70% of them serve new arrivals.
In respect of public health care services, the Hospital Authority (HA) provides local residents with health care services, such as in-patient, out-patient and community care services. According to the Hong Kong Population Projections 2007-2036 published by the C&SD, the population aged below 18 in Hong Kong will drop slightly in the coming decade. The number will rise slightly in the two decades from 2016 to 2036 but will remain at the level of about 1.2 million. As such, HA projects that the demand for its relevant health care services from local residents aged below 18 will remain steady in the coming three decades. HA will ensure that adequate health care services are in place to meet the needs of the community by closely monitoring its service utilisation and exercising flexibility in its deployment of resources in the light of changes in service demand and developments. In addition, the Department of Health (DH) provides a range of services for all children and students across the territory, irrespective of whether their parents are Hong Kong residents. The services include, among others, family health service, child assessment service, student health service and school dental service. Future demographic trend is one of the factors that DH takes into account in its service planning.
As regards employment guidance, the Labour Department provides comprehensive employment services to all job seekers free of charge, through a network of Job Centres, Telephone Employment Service and its online Interactive Employment Service. A Resource Corner is set up in each Job Centre to provide employment information to job seekers who are new arrivals from the Mainland. The Job Centres also organise for new arrivals employment briefings on the local labour market situation as well as job search and interviewing skills on a regular basis.
Overall speaking, given the many uncertainties and the absence of actual trends for reference, it is difficult to project more precisely whether children born in Hong Kong to parents who are not Hong Kong Permanent Residents would eventually come back to settle in Hong Kong and receive education here. The Government will closely monitor the actual situation and update the relevant population projections and services planning as and when necessary.
Ends/Wednesday, November 14, 2007
Issued at HKT 13:55
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