Hong Kong's provisional population in the middle of this year was 6,994,500, a year-on-year increase of 0.8 percent, or 58,000 people.

Figures released by the Census and Statistics Department yesterday showed that the major causes of the population increase were births and immigrants from the mainland on one-way permits.

About 59,800 births were recorded from mid-2005 to mid-2006, including those given by permanent and non-permanent Hong Kong residents. But the net natural population growth was 23,300 because 36,500 people died during the period.

The population growth was welcomed by Hong Kong Council of Social Service Business Director Chua Hoi-wai. The population increase can help solve part of the problem of an ageing population and low birth rate, he said.

External immigrants are very important to Hong Kong because they are a source of fresh labor supply and can help solve the ageing problem, he said.

Though he was happy with the higher-than-normal birth rate, he said more children being born to non-permanent Hong Kong residents was not so healthy a sign.

"Since those parents are non-permanent residents and have jobs on the mainland, they will take the children back to the mainland, and hence it would not have too many instant impacts.

"We don't know when they'll return to Hong Kong. If they do so in five or six years, the children, who are permanent residents by birth, will create pressure on our education, welfare and medical systems," he said.

So whether non-permanent Hong Kong residents' children born in the city should have the right of abode in the SAR needed to be discussed thoroughly.

(China Daily HK edition August 15, 2006)