Secretary for Labour and Welfare Chris Sun said on Saturday that fewer people are opting to take long-route buses for short trips following revisions to the HK$2 transport subsidy scheme.

Since April 3, those aged 60 and above and the disabled have been paying 20 percent of fares for trips costing more than HK$10 and a flat HK$2 fare for those costing less than that.

Sun said the amount paid out in subsidies in April was HK$69 million less than that for March – the final month before the measures took effect.

He also pointed out that April had fewer days than March and more public holidays.

"If we look at the average subsidy for each trip, particularly rides costing more than 10 dollars, we can see that for each trip in March, it was HK$4.90. In April, the average was HK$4.50, meaning the amount that the government subsidised had become less," he said.

"This also means that the number of people taking longer-route bus trips under the HK$2 transport subsidy scheme has fallen slightly."

On another issue, Sun said social workers had, in the morning, met a couple who had been arrested on suspicion of child neglect involving their baby, Danny, to better understand their situation and keep them up to date on the latest developments concerning the one-and-a-half-month-old boy.

The infant, who has been placed in a shelter under professional care, is in very good condition, he said.

Sun noted that a court is processing a protection order for the baby which the Social Welfare Department is seeking.

“For the next step, we have to wait for the court to approve an official protection order.

"At the same time we have launched a multi-disciplinary system to assess Danny's condition, to understand the family situation,” he said.

“After the multi-disciplinary group has carried out an assessment, we will propose to the court our next move.”

Sun added that social workers would work out arrangements to accompany the parents on visits to baby Danny.



Edited by Azam Khan