Government employees will be able to leave work for a few hours at a time to look after family, under a new leave arrangement of up to 12 hours a year expected to start in January.

Staff can use it to take a relative to a medical appointment, care for someone who is ill, attend a child's school activity, or deal with a sudden matter at home.

In a paper submitted to a Legislative Council panel, the government said the leave would be taken in blocks of one to four hours, and unused hours cannot be carried over.

In most cases, staff would only need to file a form with a reason beforehand, with no supporting documents required.

If something crops up suddenly, they can get verbal approval first and submit the form afterwards.

Approving officers could still ask for proof if they suspect abuse.

The scheme was announced in this year's Policy Address and would be the fourth type of family-related leave for government employees.

The Civil Service Bureau is still settling the details and will consult staff sides before it is rolled out.

Since April 2024, more than 7,500 marriage-leave and 23,000 compassionate-leave applications have been approved.

About 15,600 parental-leave applications have been approved since that leave began in April last year.




Edited by Tony Sabine