********************************************************
The Steering Committee on Population Policy (SCPP), chaired by the Chief Secretary for Administration, Mrs Carrie Lam, convened the first Forum on Population Policy this afternoon (March 17) to exchange views with participants on the implementation of various population policy initiatives and the tasks ahead.
About 30 guests attended the Forum, including the non-official members of the last-term SCPP who would serve as on-going advisors to the incumbent SCPP. The attendees come from different sectors such as businesses, academia, think tanks and non-governmental organisations, etc, who have been involved in subject matters related to population policy in their various capacities. Relevant government officials also took part in the Forum.
The Forum started off with a presentation by the Chief Secretary for Administration, the Secretary for Labour and Welfare, the Secretary for Security, the Secretary for Education and the Secretary for the Civil Service on the latest demographic data and the population policy initiatives announced in the 2015 Policy Address. During the exchange session, experts and representatives from different sectors spoke on a wide range of issues, including economic development, nurturing our home-grown talent, helping women balance family and work commitments, extending working life, talent admission and importation of labour.
Participants noted that the next step is for the Government to focus on implementing the initiatives and monitoring their effectiveness. To tie in with this shift in focus, the membership of the incumbent SCPP comprises relevant Directors of Bureaux and Heads of Departments. Nonetheless, the SCPP will continue to engage various sectors in active dialogue in furthering its work by organising the Population Policy Forum regularly.
Ends/Tuesday, March 17, 2015
Issued at HKT 20:20
NNNN