The government said on Wednesday that the support fund for Wang Fuk Court residents has reached HK$4.5 billion, around HK$1.2 billion of which is earmarked for financial measures supporting those affected by the blaze.

"The support fund's account will be submitted to the Director of Audit for audit pursuant to the relevant statutory requirements, and the support fund’s report will also be tabled to the Legislative Council," Home Affairs Secretary Alice Mak said in a written reply to a question from Business and Professionals lawmaker Priscilla Leung.

The minister said officials are aware that different charitable organisations have been offering their own support services to residents and they monitor these projects themselves.

She said the government has liaised with them so that they may opt to offer help through the administration's "one social worker per household" initiative.

Mak noted that the Nina Wang Charity Management has said it will donate an initial HK$100 million for rebuilding work, but it is understood that it has not made a final decision on how to use the money.

In another written reply, to a query from Ken Wong of the Federation of Education Workers, education minister Christine Choi said schools have told the government that more than 370 students from primary and secondary schools as well as kindergartens lived in Wang Fuk Court.

The administration does not have data on the number of school employees living there.

But she said another 130 teachers and students at post-secondary institutions were also affected by the blaze.

The secretary stressed that a crisis management team was set up after the inferno to provide continuous support, and schools had been given special subsidies to help students, from buying stationery or learning-related items, to offering counselling services.