New subsidies for frontline civil servants to be rolled out by July

The government is planning to implement new relief measures for frontline civil servants, including subsidies to assist with the care of children and elderly family members.The Secretary for Administration and Justice, Sonia Chan, said yesterday that the scheme is currently awaiting the finalisation of administrative procedures, and will be implemented as soon as the beginning of July.
Chan explained that the subsidies will be allocated to eligible civil servants who are experiencing financial difficulties. She added that the subsidies are neither for the long-
term nor will they be fixed, and that they will be an expenditure of the Public Service Welfare Association’s earmarked funding.
“The general plan has been formulated; after the administrative procedure finishes, we will be able to implement it to basic-
rank civil servants. (…) It will not be a long-term fixed measure, but only for those who meet certain requirements,” she explained.
In addition, Chan said that the MSAR government is expected to sign an agreement with its Hong Kong counterpart for bilateral mutual legal assistance.