Policy Address

A Caring and Inclusive Hong Kong

Care Teams in 18 Districts

93. I proposed in my election manifesto to set up District Services and Community Care Teams (Care Teams). The Government will set up the Care Teams and will devise governance structures and operational arrangements, provide some of the resources required and set KPIs. The 18 districts in Hong Kong will be delineated into sub-districts, based on which we will widely engage local organisations and groups to form Care Teams to pull together all sectors including young people and ethnic minorities to take part in community building. The Care Teams will organise caring activities, such as visiting the needy. We will first set up the Care Teams in Tsuen Wan and the Southern District in the first quarter of 2023, and in the remaining 16 districts in phases.

District Administration

94. The current-term District Councils will expire by end-2023. I have asked the Home and Youth Affairs Bureau (HYAB) and the Constitutional and Mainland Affairs Bureau to conduct a review on district administration and put forward suggestions to ensure that the future arrangement will be in conformity with the Basic Law, in adherence to the principle of "patriots administering Hong Kong", and conducive to enhancing governance efficacy at the district level.

Targeted Poverty Alleviation

95. The current-term Government adopts the strategy of targeted poverty alleviation by directing resources to those most in need. The Task Force to Lift Underprivileged Students out of Intergenerational Poverty, led by the Chief Secretary for Administration, launched the Strive and Rise Programme in September through tripartite collaboration among the Government, business sector and community. The programme targets more than 2 000 junior secondary students (particularly those living in sub-divided units) with mentorship, personal development planning and financial support. It has been well received by the community. Upon programme evaluation, we will chart the way forward and consider increasing mentee quotas and expanding the target group.

96. I have also asked the Chief Secretary for Administration to restructure the Commission on Poverty to study and identify any other target group for poverty alleviation.