Chief Executive John Lee on Thursday said it would be very costly to cater the childbirth incentives announced in the Policy Address to people from different walks of life.

He was responding to people who called into a radio programme to express disappointment about missing out on the measures – including a HK$20,000 handout for those born from Wednesday, and preferential treatment for those waiting for a public housing unit or buying subsidised homes.

"I gave birth to my fourth child in May. After listening to your Policy Address I found out that I won’t benefit from any of the measures. I'm not eligible to apply for a public rental unit or to purchase a home ownership flat," said a listener.

Another listener also questioned if the policy blueprint offered enough support for the middle class to encourage them to have children.

But the CE said he is sending a clear message to the general public that the government supports them to have babies – and "the more the better".

"We did not consider individual characteristics when designing the childbirth measures. Because the administration fee would be very high if we were to target different classes, for example, if we only allowed people with a certain level of assets to be eligible and rejected those that go over a limit," he said.

"This is an incentive payment, like a red packet – to let people understand the government wants people to have children."

Lee said he hopes the initiatives will reverse the falling fertility rate in the city, as Hong Kong needs a 2.1 birthrate to be a functional society, but the figure only stands at 0.9 now.

He also refuted concerns that young families are leaving the SAR because they lack confidence in the territory's prospects, saying there are many opportunities now that the city is transitioning from order to prosperity.