HK's 5-year plan, policy address aim to improve housing, help grassroots

Encouraging childbirth is high on Lee's annual agenda, as his administration undertook to extend the baby bonus — a one-off HK$20,000 payment to new parents launched in 2023 — for another three years, with the amount to rise to HK$30,000 for the second or further children born, effective immediately.

The tax deduction allowance for multiple children is raised to HK$160,000 per child.

The government-backed School-based After School Care Service program will be regularized from the 2027-28 school year, with no quota cap, Lee said. And there will also be new escort services for pre-primary kids.

Five more subsidized care facilities, five dedicated elderly centers and three care homes have also been planned. The city will add 2,000 community elderly care service vouchers in the 2027-28 financial year, raising the total to 18,000. Lee also added 1,000 residential care service vouchers to increase the total to 8,000.

As for youth development, Lee mapped out a set of measures, among them the "30,000 Youth Employment and Internship Programme" in partnership with the business sector.

A new youth leader internship program will be jointly launched by the Home and Youth Affairs Bureau and the United Nations. A government source disclosed that the program's details were still being discussed with the UN, and that it is likely to launch within 12 months.

On healthcare, within five years, the cumulative total of district-level health centers' beneficiaries is expected to reach one million.

The roadmap also lays out a plan to increase investment in primary healthcare programs by approximately 30 percent by 2030 or 2031, as well as increasing the number of public hospital beds to 35,000 and operating theaters to 360 by 2031.

Contact the writer at wanqing@chinadailyhk.com