The Government has no intention of asking Mainland authorities to consider introducing major changes to the One Way Permit Scheme allowing the entry for settlement of Mainland parents who have children born in Hong Kong.

The announcement was made today in response to the Bauhinia Foundation Resource Centre's report The Past & Future of the One Way Permit Scheme in the Context of a Population Policy for Hong Kong.

The Government said the current arrangements under the scheme are appropriate and its setting up and operation fall under the purview of the Central Government. The scheme is devised by Mainland authorities to regulate the orderly entry of Mainland residents for settlement in Hong Kong and to facilitate family reunion.

The Hong Kong Government acknowledges the need to optimise the city's demographic structure and strives to raise the quality of education, to introduce retraining measures to upgrade the skills of the local labour force, and attract more outstanding non-local students to study and work in Hong Kong.

The Government will continue to relax and streamline the application procedures for the entry of talent, and will monitor developments that may have major implications on population growth and demographic changes, and formulate appropriate policies and measures.