Ahead of the chief executive's policy address, there are expectations that the government will offer a cash incentive to help boost the birth rate.
在香港特首发表施政报告前,就有预测称香港特区政府将发放现金奖励,以帮助提高出生率。
Sources said the authorities have been mulling a $20,000 subsidy for each newborn child to reverse the decline in the city's birth rates.
消息人士称,香港特区政府在考虑为每个新生儿发放2万港元的补贴,以扭转香港特区出生率下降的趋势。
Over 50,000 babies were born in 2019, but births dropped to around 32,000 last year.
2019年,香港全年共有5万多名新生儿出生,但在去年则降至3.2万左右。
Lawmaker Nixie Lam, whose DAB party has come up with proposals to increase the birth rate,
香港民主建港协进联盟的立法会议员林琳提出了一些提高出生率的建议,
said while a subsidy is "better than nothing", couples will also consider other factors.
她表示,虽然有补贴“总比没有好”,但夫妇们也会考虑其他因素。
"There's the housing problem, there's career development and they have other other concerns on that.
“有住房问题,有职业发展问题,他们还有其他的担忧。
I think the government really needs to take everything like a cross-bureau discussion on whether who can provide what sort of things to support this issue."
我认为香港特区政府真的需要采取诸如跨部门讨论的方式,讨论谁能提供什么样的内容来处理这个问题。”
Wong Man-ling from the Alliance for Children Development Rights urged the government to support citizens from their birth until they are 18 years old.
香港儿童发展权利联盟的汪曼玲则呼吁特区政府应为公民提供支持,直到其年满18岁。
The alliance also set existing subsidies for children and teenagers should be improved,
该联盟还表示,现有的儿童和青少年补贴应该要有所提升,
and the government and parents should jointly contribute to a savings accounts so that youngsters can go to university or start a business when they grow up.
特区政府和家长也应该共同为他们的储蓄账户做出贡献,这样年轻人长大后就可以上大学或创业。