“Should women be encouraged [by the administration] to freeze their eggs after university graduation?” the 39-year-old asked.

So said financial help should be available for women who opted to store eggs for future use, which could cost up to HK$200,000 (US$25,540) for the entire process.

“By the time they find a man to marry, they could be in their 30s,” she added. “There should be some tax exemption for those who opt to freeze their eggs.”

So, a member of the District Youth Development and Civic Education Committee in Sham Shui Po, told the Post three of her friends who wanted IVF had encountered obstacles along the way.

Yeung Hon-yip, a father of three, suggested the child allowance given to taxpaying parents be extended based on the number of children in a family to help encourage couples to have more than one baby.

“The opinions I heard have one characteristic, which is particularly about the issue of childbirth … we have heard you urging [the government] to encourage giving birth and having more children,” Lee told the meeting. “We will go back and study [the suggestions].”

Childless Hong Kong couples double in 5 years as births drop below 1 per family

The period of the tax allowance covering children currently runs up to when they turn 18, or extends to 24 if they choose full-time tertiary education.

The latest census statistics showed that only 32,600 new births were recorded in the year to June, down from 35,100 in the preceding 12 months.

The Family Planning Association also warned last week that the number of childless couples had reached an “alarming” level. The average number of children born in the city has dropped to a record low of 0.9 per couple.

Lee’s two-part consultation allows 18 people to share their opinions on designated matters, followed by a discussion involving four groups, each attended by the officials responsible for the areas.

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One year with Hong Kong leader John Lee: Is he on the right track? | Talking Post with Yonden Lhatoo

One year with Hong Kong leader John Lee: Is he on the right track? | Talking Post with Yonden Lhatoo

The event, held at the Aldrich Bay Government Primary School in Shau Kei Wan, was attended by 120 people, more than 30 of whom spoke, most from pro-establishment district groups.

Lee said after the event that he and his team had enjoyed “fruitful and fulfilling interactions” with the audience. He also vowed his team would consider proposals put forward with the aim of “responding to the trust and expectations from members of the public of the government”.

The second public consultation session will be held in Sha Tin next Sunday. Lee’s second policy address will take place in October.

Authorities earlier predicted the fertility rate – the number of live births per 1,000 women – would increase to 938 in 2046 from 772 in 2021.

Are Hong Kong’s talent schemes enough for steady population growth?

But University of Hong Kong population health expert Professor Paul Yip Siu-fai said the government’s prediction was “a bit optimistic” as Hong Kong had entered “negative population growth”.

“If we want to realise the birth rate increase, we need to have at least 10,000 more babies born each year,” Yip told a radio programme. “But where will these 10,000 babies come from? They won’t just fall from the sky. They need to be born.”

“Apart from boosting training and recruiting local staff, we also need to import workers at full speed to ease the constraints brought about by a manpower shortage,” Chan wrote.

Raise Hong Kong’s storage time for eggs, sperm and embryos to 55 years: Regina Ip

He said that thousands of workers hired in the first round of a special labour recruitment scheme for the aviation sector were expected to arrive in October at the earliest.

The Airport Authority has estimated that passenger numbers would reach about 80 per cent of pre-pandemic by the end of the year and return to normal by 2024.