Hong Kong's Secretary for Labor and Welfare Matthew Cheung said Saturday the subsidiary legislation proposal on minimum wage rate will be submitted to the Legislative Council (Legco) in mid-November.

Speaking on a radio show, Cheung said he expected to receive the first recommendation on the minimum wage rate soon.

He said once the minimum wage rate has been confirmed, the government will start research on standard working hours, which will take about a year to complete.

Although eight hours of work a day is ideal, he said, the policy should balance the overall business environment and people' s life quality.

The Labor & Welfare Bureau is working on the details of the improved Work Incentive Transport Subsidy Scheme which will be expanded to cover all 18 districts, he said.

The bureau chief said the time limit for receiving the monthly allowance of 600 HK dollars will be lifted and the scheme will be reviewed three years after its implementation. The expanded scheme will involve at least 1 billion HK dollars in government expenditure.