Question 1
(For oral reply)
(Translation)
Enhancing the Leisure and Cultural Services Department's SmartPLAY system
Hon Carmen KAN to ask:
The Leisure and Cultural Services Department ("LCSD")'s intelligent sports and recreation services booking and information system, SmartPLAY, which was developed at a cost of $500 million, was launched in 2023. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1)
of the number of complaints it has received and investigated since the launch of SmartPLAY in relation to hirers profiting from touting their booked sessions for use of recreation and sports facilities ("touting activities"); among these cases, of the respective numbers of those being punished according to LCSD's penalties, prosecuted according to the law, and convicted; whether it has examined the effectiveness of SmartPLAY in combating touting activities, including whether its anti-bot solution can effectively block plug-in programmes from snatching up booking sessions;
(2)
as some members of the public have reflected that the e-payment method for LCSD venues allows non-hirers to pay venue hire charges, making it possible for touting agents to book the venues on others' behalf, whether there are any countermeasures in place; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; apart from the fact that minors may have their parents book recreation and sports facilities on their behalf, whether there are any other exceptional circumstances where third-party bookings are permitted; and
(3)
as there are views that the current approach to allocation of venues (e.g. grass soccer pitches) by ballot is more effective than the first-come-first-served approach in combating touting activities, whether the authorities will consider allocating all recreational and sports facilities by ballot; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?
Question 2
(For oral reply)
(Translation)
Child allowance
Hon Nixie LAM to ask:
Under the Inland Revenue Ordinance, all eligible child allowances for married couples residing together can only be claimed by one of them, and they must decide on their own who should make the claims. There are views that such arrangement may give rise to disputes within the family. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1)
given that modern married couples usually share the responsibility of taking care of their children (both financially and in terms of care), of the reasons why child allowances can only be claimed by one of them at present;
(2)
whether it has studied amending the legislation to stipulate that married couples with children may allocate child allowances equally or claim child allowances separately; if so, of the specific plan and timetable, including whether it will consider introducing a default allocation mechanism (such as allowing a choice of equal allocation of allowances or automatic allocation of allowances according to the ratio of the married couples' incomes, empowering the Inland Revenue Department to make rulings or setting clear criteria on the priority of making claims); if it has not studied amending the legislation, of the reasons for that; and
(3)
whether, in the absence of legislative amendments at present, the Government will consider drawing up a set of reference guidelines on child allowances, e.g. the order of claims may be handled according to the ratio of family incomes, major child-rearing roles or previous claiming practices, etc., as well as stepping up public education, so as to assist families in making proper arrangements for claiming allowances; if so, of the specific plan and timetable; if not, the reasons for that?
Question 3
(For oral reply)
(Translation)
Prevention of elderly suicide
Dr Hon TIK Chi-yuen to ask:
Regarding the prevention of elderly suicide, will the Government inform this Council:
(1)
whether it has compiled detailed statistics on elderly suicide over the past five years, including but not limited to the annual number of suicide cases, the comparison of suicide rates between persons aged above 60 and other age groups, the gender, age and geographical distribution of elderly suicide victims, and the proportion of cases involving mental health issues; whether it has conducted in-depth study on the issue of elderly suicide in Hong Kong; if so, of the main triggering factors for suicide and their respective proportions, as well as the characteristics of high-risk groups; if not, the reasons for that;
(2)
what specific measures are currently in place to address the mental health of the elderly and prevent suicide, particularly tailor-made support measures for high-risk elderly persons, and the allocation of resources concerned; whether it has assessed the effectiveness of such measures; if so, of the details; and
(3)
given that some members of the social welfare sector have suggested that the Government should establish a "register of high-risk singleton and doubleton elderly households," whether the Government will consider the suggestion; if so, of the details, including the frequency of updating the register, the support provided to the elderly on the register, and whether the Government will share data with, among others, the Hospital Authority and non-governmental organizations to collaborate in supporting the elderly persons concerned?
Question 4
(For oral reply)
(Translation)
Promoting cross-boundary eco-tourism
Hon Dominic LEE to ask:
It has been reported that the Dapeng Peninsula of Shenzhen, which is adjacent to Yan Chau Tong of Hong Kong, possesses rich ecological resources, and both Shenzhen and Hong Kong have expressed intentions in recent years to strengthen cooperation in eco-tourism and marine conservation. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1)
of the details of cooperation projects commenced and cooperation agreements reached between the SAR Government and the relevant government departments of Dapeng New District, Shenzhen in terms of, among others, eco-tourism, green economy, and marine conservation; whether it has compiled statistics on the specific data and effectiveness of such cooperation projects over the past five years;
(2)
whether it has plans to promote cross-boundary eco-tourism from Kat O and Tung Ping Chau to the Dapeng Peninsula and devise related sea routes, including the construction of piers for "co-location arrangement" in such areas; if so, of the details and progress of the ongoing negotiations with Shenzhen authorities, including technical feasibility, estimated timetable, and related ancillary facilities; if not, the reasons for that; and
(3)
whether the Government has assessed the expected benefits of the aforementioned cross-boundary eco-tourism routes for Hong Kong's tourism industry and local economy, as well as the potential risks involved in environmental conservation; if so, of the assessment results, and the policy directions determined in response to such results?
Question 5
(For oral reply)
(Translation)
Measures to monitor the condition of water mains
Hon YUNG Hoi-yan to ask:
The earlier fresh water quality incidents at Queen's Hill Estate and Shan Lai Court, as well as the water mains burst incident in Tuen Mun, have aroused public concern about the condition of water mains. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1)
of the staff establishment and work details of the working group established in connection with the water quality incidents at Queen's Hill Estate and Shan Lai Court, including the estimated number of times that the water tanks will be cleansed and the water quality will be tested, as well as the expenditures involved; whether the group will investigate if the incidents involved human negligence; of the total number of enquiries or requests for assistance from residents on water quality problems received by the offices of the two housing estates/housing courts so far;
(2)
as the Water Supplies Department has indicated that it will replace all pipes in Hong Kong which are still coated with bitumen, of the distribution of the pipes concerned in various districts in Hong Kong at present, the names of the housing estates/housing courts involved, as well as the timetable for the relevant pipe replacement work; whether it has plans to inspect the fresh water supply systems of all housing estates/housing courts in Hong Kong to ascertain that they will not accumulate bitumen, resin or other impurities; if so, of the details (including the timetable, the manpower and the expenditure involved); if not, the reasons for that, and the measures in place to prevent similar incidents; and
(3)
whether it has plans to enhance the application of technology and artificial intelligence to conduct 24-hour continuous monitoring and analysis of the conditions of water mains and water quality, so as to identify abnormalities in water mains at an early stage and carry out repairs; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?
Question 6
(For oral reply)
(Translation)
Safeguarding the employment priority for local workers
Hon CHAN Hak-kan to ask:
The number of imported workers approved under the Enhanced Supplementary Labour Scheme ("ESLS") has exceeded 50 000 to date. On the other hand, the latest unemployment rate announced by the Government is 3.4%, the highest in 27 months. Regarding the safeguarding of the employment priority for local workers, will the Government inform this Council:
(1)
as it has been reported that some applicant enterprises have set unreasonable criteria to exclude local applicants when conducting local recruitment under ESLS, of the number of complaints or reports involving non-compliant local recruitment procedures in the past three years and, among them, the number of substantiated cases and the relevant penalties; of the mechanism in place for proactively reviewing the reasonableness of such recruitment criteria;
(2)
as it has been reported that since ESLS requires enterprises to maintain a manning ratio of imported labour to local labour of no less than 1:2, some enterprises have employed local workers on a part-time basis or arranged for imported workers to take up positions inconsistent with those they applied for, whether the Government has looked into such situations; and
(3)
of the number of illegal workers arrested in the past three years, together with a breakdown by the trade in which they were engaged; whether it has assessed if the existing penal measures against employers of illegal workers and the intermediaries concerned have sufficient deterrent effect?
Question 7
(For written reply)
(Translation)
Measures to combat telephone fraud
Hon Duncan CHIU to ask:
In recent years, the SAR Government has adopted diversified measures to actively combat telephone fraud, including introducing the Real-name Registration Programme for Subscriber Identification Module ("SIM") Cards ("RNR Programme") and the Hong Kong Police Force's "Scameter+" and requiring local telecommunications service providers ("TSPs") to play a voice alert message for calls made from newly activated pre-paid SIM ("PPS") cards and block suspicious calls, as well as strengthening cooperation with Mainland and international law enforcement agencies. However, there are views pointing out that local telephone fraud cases have not shown a decreasing trend, causing inconvenience and disturbance to the public in their daily lives. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1)
of the number of telephone fraud cases received by the Police from January to May this year, as well as the amount of money involved in such cases, the number of victims and their age distribution;
(2)
of the total number of PPS cards which have been rejected as the clients failed to provide information in compliance with the registration requirements since the introduction of the RNR Programme; the total number of the registration records of non-compliant PPS cards which have been cancelled by TSPs, together with a breakdown and percentage by reason for non-compliance;
(3)
whether it has estimated the number of registered PPS cards resold in the market under the RNR Programme; of the authorities' countermeasures currently in place against the resale practice concerned, and how they follow up cases of members of the public purchasing and using PPS cards that have long been registered by other persons;
(4)
as the 2024 Policy Address has mentioned that the Government would introduce a legislative amendment proposal into this Council to prohibit the resale of registered SIM cards with a view to further enhancing the RNR Programme, of the latest progress of such work and the legislative timetable;
(5)
of the accumulated downloads of "Scameter+" since its launch by the Police in February 2023 and the respective numbers of call alerts issued to users and local and non-local suspicious telephone numbers which TSPs have been required to block; of the details and outcome of the Police's follow-up actions in respect of such suspicious and blocked telephone numbers; and
(6)
whether it has comprehensively reviewed the effectiveness of the various measures introduced by the Government to combat telephone fraud; if so, of the results, and the measures in place to cope with the situation where the number of telephone fraud cases has not decreased, including whether it will adjust the existing overall strategy for combating telephone fraud, as well as introduce relevant enhancement measures and new measures?
Question 8
(For written reply)
(Translation)
Non-elderly one-person applicants waiting for public rental housing
Hon KWOK Wai-keung to ask:
I have contacted a group of grass-roots households in recent months, several of whom are young people who have been waiting for public rental housing ("PRH") under the Harmonious Families Priority Scheme for years. Unfortunately, their family members passed away before they were allocated PRH, leaving them to continue waiting for PRH as "non-elderly one-person applicants". In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1)
of, in each year between 2022 and 2024, (i) the number of score points that non-elderly one-person applicants needed to obtain to be arranged for detailed vetting (commonly known as "being interviewed by an officer"), (ii) the respective ages of the oldest and the youngest non-elderly one-person applicants at the time when they were allocated PRH, and (iii) the quota of PRH units for allocation to non-elderly one-person applicants and its share in the total number of PRH units supplied for that year;
(2)
as the 2024 Policy Address has proposed that the total public housing supply from 2025-2026 to 2029-2030 will reach 189 000 units, which is about 80% higher than that of the first five-year period since the current-term Government took office (i.e. 2022-2023 to 2026-2027), and in the past two years, the average waiting time for PRH dropped from the peak of 6.1 years to the current 5.5 years, whether the Government has plans to increase the quota of PRH units reserved for non-elderly one-person applicants; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; and
(3)
to enable non-elderly one-person applicants to consider whether they should continue waiting for PRH, whether the Government can provide them with more information on the Points System in a timely manner, such as by dividing the non-elderly one-person applicants into 10 groups evenly according to their score points and publishing the highest and lowest score points of applicants in each group, so that the applicants will know which group they are in and their waiting status, thereby helping them to assess their waiting time?
Question 9
(For written reply)
(Translation)
Holding of large-scale concerts
Dr Hon Kennedy WONG to ask:
It is learnt that a number of large-scale concerts have been held recently at the Kai Tak Sports Park ("KTSP"), the AsiaWorld-Expo, the Hong Kong Coliseum and the Queen Elizabeth Stadium respectively, attracting tens of thousands of local and overseas "fans", and large-scale music events will also be held at KTSP's Main Stadium one after another. Some commercial tenants in Kai Tak have pointed out that their sales volume surged by three times on the days of the aforesaid concerts, while the business of some catering establishments in Kowloon City District also increased by more than 30%. On the other hand, there were cases in which a large number of Mainland fans had to wait for a long time before they could cross the border via the Huanggang Port after the aforesaid concerts. In this connection, will the authorities concerned inform this Council:
(1)
in view of the successive holding of large-scale music events and concerts as mega events, whether the Government has established a regular inter-departmental collaboration mechanism to assess and make preparations before the holding of each of the large-scale activities concerned, as well as to make a summary afterwards and announce the situation in a timely manner; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that;
(2)
given that large-scale concerts were held at the AsiaWorld-Expo and various sports venues before and after the opening of KTSP, whether the Government has compiled statistics on the attendances of such concerts and, among them, the respective ratios of local, overseas and Mainland audiences; and
(3)
whether the Government has assessed the economic benefits in promoting the growth of the hotel, catering, retail and transportation industries, etc., as well as creating job opportunities and so on during the aforesaid large-scale concerts; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?
Question 10
(For written reply)
(Translation)
Crackdown on illegal workers
Hon Edmund WONG to ask:
It has been reported that various law enforcement agencies have recently discovered illegal workers using online car hailing or delivery platforms to work as drivers or food delivery workers, and have taken enforcement actions against them. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1)
of the numbers of illegal workers and employers of illegal workers who were prosecuted in the past three years, together with a quarterly breakdown of such figures;
(2)
as it is learnt that engaging in work through digital platforms does not involve employment procedures such as job interviews, whether the authorities have assessed if the activities on such platforms are more susceptible to involving illegal workers; whether it has found any criminal syndicate specializing in acquiring the personal data of some Hong Kong residents for the purpose of registering work accounts on such platforms and subsequently making profits by employing illegal workers to provide services with these accounts; if so, of the details;
(3)
whether the authorities have contacted such digital platforms to ascertain if there are loopholes in their operations from which criminal syndicates and illegal workers may benefit; if so, of the details; and
(4)
whether it has studied enacting legislation to step up the crackdown on illegal workers using such digital platforms to work for reward?
Question 11
(For written reply)
(Translation)
Application fee and visa fee for talent admission schemes
Ir Dr Hon LO Wai-kwok to ask:
The Financial Secretary announced in the 2025-2026 Budget that an application fee of $600 would be charged for various talent and capital investment admission schemes. The visa fee for approved applications would also increase based on the length of limit of stay of the visa/entry permit, rising from the original flat rate of $230 to $600 (not more than 180 days) or $1,300 (181 days or more). In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1)
of the number of persons charged a visa fee of $230 by the Immigration Department for visa applications under various talent admission schemes over the past three years, with a breakdown by length of stay of the visa/entry permit (i.e. seven days or less, eight days to one month, two months to six months, and over six months);
(2)
whether it has estimated the respective numbers of persons who will pay $600 and $1,300 visa/entry permit issuance fees each year under the new fee structure, as well as the corresponding total amount of application and visa fees received by the Government accordingly; if it has, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; and
(3)
as there are views that the new visa fee (with a limit of stay of not more than 180 days) together with the application fee, has actually increased from $230 to $1,200, which will greatly impact those coming to Hong Kong for short-term work (e.g. musicians coming to Hong Kong to compose and perform music for Cantonese opera performances for one to two days), and it is not conducive to the implementation of the policy objectives on culture and tourism, such as the integrated development of culture and tourism in the Greater Bay Area, whether the authorities will consider waiving the relevant visa fees for persons coming to Hong Kong for short-term employment; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?
Question 12
(For written reply)
(Translation)
Repair and maintenance of public roads
Ir Hon CHAN Siu-hung to ask:
It is learnt that the Highways Department ("HyD") adopts innovative technologies and promotes management digitalization to enhance the efficiency in road repair and maintenance services. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1)
of the total length of public roads in Hong Kong, the total length of public roads repaired and the total project cost for repair of public roads in each of the past three years; the respective details of the contracts awarded for repair and maintenance of such roads (including but not limited to the names of contractors, districts involved, contract periods, length of the roads involved and contract values);
(2)
as the Government indicated in its reply to a question from a Member of this Council on 27 March last year that HyD aimed to digitalize most inspection and supervision procedures in all road maintenance contracts in 2024, of the progress of the relevant work; whether it has assessed how the adoption of innovative technologies help enhance the efficiency and cost-effectiveness of road inspection, including the savings in manpower expenditure and project cost; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that;
(3)
given that, according to the information from HyD, HyD is using the Road Defect Detection System ("RDDS") and the Road Condition Assessment System ("RCAS") for inspection of road conditions, of the respective application scenarios, stages of application (e.g. at trial stage or being converted to regular use), efficiency of inspection and cost-effectiveness of the two systems;
(4)
given that, according to the estimation of HyD, the introduction of RCAS will be able to free up about one-fourth of the manpower of the contractors' road inspection teams, and HyD is now evaluating the effectiveness of RCAS and will consider in due course the full scale application of the technology and its incorporation into the standard operating procedures for future road inspections, of the latest progress of the relevant work, and whether it has studied if future deployment will be implemented by adopting both systems, namely RDDS and RCAS, or either one of them; and
(5)
given that HyD is one of the selected applicants for the first batch of low-altitude economy Regulatory Sandbox pilot projects, of the details of HyD's pilot projects involving road repair and maintenance as well as road inspection (including but not limited to the contents of the projects, application scenarios, flight paths, route plans and flight distances)?
Question 13
(For written reply)
(Translation)
Separation of prescribing from dispensing of drugs
Hon SHIU Ka-fai to ask:
It is learnt that the system of separating prescribing from dispensing of drugs ("SPD") (i.e. doctors are responsible for consultation and prescription while patients go to community pharmacies for dispensing of drugs with their prescriptions) has been implemented worldwide for many years. There are views that such a system has the positive effects of enhancing drug safety and professional segregation of duties, avoiding limitations in the use of drugs, promoting patient triage, reducing conflicts of interests and lowering healthcare costs, etc. However, despite local pharmacies and the pharmaceutical trade as well as members of the community have been striving for implementing the system in Hong Kong for more than two decades, the Government has not given definite responses so far. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1)
whether it has studied which places in the Mainland and overseas have already implemented or are currently planning to implement SPD and its effectiveness;
(2)
as there are views pointing out that the arrangement of doctors being responsible for consultation and prescription and pharmacists for dispensing drugs has already been implemented in public and private hospitals in Hong Kong, and that pharmacists, who are the last professional gatekeepers for members of the public before taking drugs, have greatly reduced the risk of drug-related medical incidents, of the reasons for not extending the arrangement to all levels of the healthcare system by the authorities (including allowing the dispensing of drugs in qualified community pharmacies to patients with prescriptions by doctors in public hospitals or private medical practitioners);
(3)
whether it studied or took specific actions in the past decade to implement SPD in Hong Kong; if so, of the details (including the reasons for not implementing the relevant system in Hong Kong over the years); if not, the reasons for that; and
(4)
whether it will make reference to the successful experience of other places where SPD has been implemented, with a view to implementing the system in Hong Kong as early as possible; if so, of the details and implementation timetable; if not, the reasons for that?
Question 14
(For written reply)
(Translation)
Family-friendly facilities in public and private premises
Dr Hon NGAN Man-yu to ask:
It is learnt that the research team of the Equal Opportunities Commission has conducted an access audit of babycare and lactation ("B&L") facilities in shopping malls and government premises in Hong Kong, with the findings revealing that some shopping malls and government premises has not yet provided B&L rooms, and some existing babycare areas do not comply with the suggested size set out in the Buildings Department's Practice Note on "Provision of Babycare Rooms and Lactation Rooms in Commercial Buildings" ("Practice Note"). As regards family-friendly facilities in public and private premises, will the Government inform this Council:
(1)
whether it knows the number, distribution and floor area ratio of B&L facilities in public and private premises, and the proportion of such facilities that complies with the suggested size in the Practice Note, together with a breakdown of such figures by the 18 districts across the territory;
(2)
whether it has already commenced a study on measures to promote the provision of B&L facilities in public premises, including introducing mandatory requirements for newly-built public facilities (e.g. libraries, parks, beaches, sports venues, etc.) to provide B&L facilities, and motivating existing public facilities to renovate and retrofit B&L facilities as appropriate; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; and
(3)
whether, in addition to providing floor area ratio concessions, it has considered implementing policy incentives to encourage private premises to provide B&L facilities and family-friendly parking spaces, as well as using administrative measures or legislation to promote the development of such facilities in the long term; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?
Question 15
(For written reply)
(Translation)
Providing support for non-local students
Hon Kenneth LEUNG to ask:
In recent years, Hong Kong has spared no effort in building the "Study in Hong Kong" brand to develop Hong Kong into an international hub for post-secondary education, and has been gradually enhancing support measures for non-local students while they are studying in Hong Kong. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1)
of the respective numbers of non-local students applying through different ways for studying full-time locally-accredited programmes in Hong Kong who have obtained bachelor's degrees or higher qualifications and those who have eventually been admitted, as well as the percentages of non-local students in the number of places of the relevant programmes, in each of the past three years;
(2)
given that full-time non-local undergraduate and postgraduate students were required to obtain a "No Objection Letter" ("NOL(s)") issued by the Immigration Department before they were allowed to take up part-time jobs in Hong Kong in the past, of the number of non-local students who took up part-time jobs after obtaining NOLs in each of the past three years and, among them, the respective numbers of those who were pursuing undergraduate and postgraduate studies;
(3)
given that the Government temporarily exempted full-time non-local postgraduate and undergraduate students from the restrictions on taking up part-time jobs in November 2023 and November last year respectively ("the temporary exemption arrangements"), whether the authorities have compiled statistics afterwards on the number of non-local students who have taken up part-time jobs under the temporary exemption arrangements; if they have not compiled the statistics, whether they will collect the relevant data and review the effectiveness of such measure in future; whether they will consider regularizing the temporary exemption arrangements in the long run;
(4)
as some non-local students have relayed to me that some local employers are deterred from employing non-local students to take up part-time jobs because they are not clear about the temporary exemption arrangements, how the authorities will publicize and promote the temporary exemption arrangements, and whether they have cooperated with the relevant tertiary institutions to provide non-local students with the relevant employment information and support services; and
(5)
as it has been reported that the Chief Executive has indicated earlier that Hong Kong fully welcomes students who suffer from unfair treatment as a result of the policies of the United States to study in Hong Kong, and that he will do his best to provide the most appropriate support and assistance to students in collaboration with the local universities, of the work progress made by the authorities in supporting such students so far; whether they have set up task forces with various local universities to provide one-stop transfer services for such students, e.g. expediting their admission, transfer of credits, as well as urgent support measures such as providing accommodation arrangements, so as to attract more outstanding students to Hong Kong?
Question 16
(For written reply)
(Translation)
Opening of bank accounts by non-commercial organizations
Dr Hon CHAN Han-pan to ask:
I have received a number of requests for assistance involving the opening of bank accounts by non-commercial organizations and, among them, some "three-nil buildings" are still unable to open bank accounts six to eight months after the formation of owners' corporations ("OCs"), rendering the OCs unable to raise funds for their operation. On the contrary, it takes only one to two months on average for commercial organizations to open accounts. There are views that the difficulties encountered by OCs in opening accounts have seriously affected the livelihood of the grass roots and run counter to the Government's objective of improving the community. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1)
whether it knows the total number of complaints received by the Hong Kong Monetary Authority ("HKMA") in the past three years about non-commercial organizations encountering difficulties (e.g. excessively long processing time) in opening bank accounts;
(2)
whether it knows if HKMA has put in place measures to streamline the requirements for banks in vetting and approving applications from non-commercial organizations for opening accounts (in particular social service accounts such as those for OCs), so as to shorten the processing time;
(3)
whether it will amend the Banking Ordinance (Cap. 155) or the licensing guidelines to expressly require banks to provide social service organizations with convenient procedures for opening accounts; and
(4)
whether it knows if HKMA will set indicators to increase banks' incentive to process applications from organizations such as OCs for opening accounts, or impose penalties on banks against which complaints have been repeatedly lodged?
Question 17
(For written reply)
(Translation)
Consolidating Hong Kong's status as an international financial centre
Hon Robert LEE to ask:
There are views that Hong Kong should continue to consolidate and enhance the development of an international financial centre, further dovetail with the national development strategies, expand various mutual access mechanisms, and enhance Hong Kong's functions in the overall development of the country, so as to attract more Mainland and international capital to Hong Kong. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1)
as some members of the industry have relayed that at present, under the Cross-boundary Wealth Management Connect ("WMC") in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, products under the Southbound Scheme cannot be directly promoted in the Mainland by Hong Kong financial institutions, and products under the Northbound Scheme cannot be directly promoted in Hong Kong by Mainland financial institutions, whether the authorities will discuss with Mainland regulators enhancement measures on cross-boundary sales and promotion, so as to enable practitioners in both places to fully launch their businesses;
(2)
as it is learnt that under the existing arrangements for mutual recognition of professional qualifications with the Mainland, Hong Kong practitioners holding the relevant licences of the Hong Kong Securities and Futures Commission are still required to pass the examination on relevant Mainland laws and regulations before they are allowed to practise in the Mainland, whether the authorities will further discuss with the Mainland regulators to explore the streamlining or exemption of the examination on relevant laws and regulations, so as to facilitate Hong Kong practitioners to develop their business in the Mainland;
(3)
given the views relayed by some members of the industry, whether the authorities can expand the scope of investment products under the WMC Scheme, including providing additional investment options other than those with low or medium risk, including but not limited to alternative investments or private equity funds, so as to meet the diversified risk management needs of both Mainland and overseas investors; and
(4)
as it has been mentioned in this year's Budget that the Government will actively enhance the mutual market access mechanism with the Mainland, including the plan for the issuance of offshore Mainland government bond futures in Hong Kong, and implementing block trading of stocks as soon as possible, what measures the authorities have in place to further improve market liquidity and facilitate market transactions when exploring further expansion initiatives in the future?
Question 18
(For written reply)
(Translation)
Bona vacantia properties
Hon Doreen KONG to ask:
There are views that along with the demographic changes in Hong Kong, it is expected that the number of bona vacantia properties will continue to increase, which could pose potential challenges to the allocation and management of social resources. It has been reported that in recent years, some gangs have exploited bona vacantia properties to obtain benefits illegally, such as by committing unlawful alienation of the properties, using them for loans or even applying for adverse possession of them, indicating that there are gaps in the regulation of bona vacantia properties. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1)
of the specific number of bona vacantia properties currently under the management of the Lands Department (i.e. those properties originally held by a company that has been dissolved under the Companies (Winding Up and Miscellaneous Provisions) Ordinance (Cap. 32) or the Companies Ordinance (Cap. 622)); the details of the Government's disposal of such properties in the past five years (including the progress of disposal);
(2)
whether it has compiled statistics on the number of bona vacantia properties in Hong Kong which were once held in personal names; whether the Government has currently put in place a relevant mechanism to dispose of such properties; if not, whether it will consider introducing dedicated measures or mechanisms to prevent such bona vacantia properties from being used for unlawful acts; if so, of the details, and whether the Government will impose administrative charges in the process of disposing of such bona vacantia properties and set clear charging standards in this regard; and
(3)
as there are views that the management of bona vacantia properties (including those bona vacantia properties which were once held by private individuals or companies) involves the powers and responsibilities of a number of government departments, whether the Government has put in place a cross-departmental coordination mechanism to enhance the efficiency of such work; if not, whether it has plans to further strengthen the cross-departmental collaboration on such work?
Question 19
(For written reply)
(Translation)
Facilitating the admission of high-calibre overseas students and scholars to Hong Kong
Hon TANG Fei to ask:
It has been reported that the United States ("US") Government has recently barred Harvard University from enrolling international students. There are views that, due to political factors, it is expected that more top-tier institutions will face restrictions on international student recruitment in the future. This could lead to significant shifts in the global talent mobility within the higher education sector. As such, Hong Kong, as an international education hub, should seize the opportunity to actively attract and retain high-calibre international students and scholars, so as to consolidate its position as a regional hub for knowledge, innovation and technology. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1)
whether, in the face of the aforesaid abrupt change in overseas higher education policies, the Government has formulated a systematic plan to assist Hong Kong institutions in attracting high-calibre students affected by the turbulent international situation to pursue studies in Hong Kong, and to ensure that they can stay in Hong Kong for career development after graduation; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that;
(2)
how the University Grants Committee ("UGC") will avoid resource misallocation and vicious competition in the course of promoting talent competition among the eight UGC-funded universities, and whether UGC will take the lead in establishing a unified platform to foster collaboration among institutions, so as to enhance their overall international competitiveness; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; and
(3)
whether, in the face of the China-US confrontation and competition, the Government will introduce specific policy measures to encourage Hong Kong's higher education institutions to capitalize on new opportunities arising from the shifting geopolitical landscape, with a view to further strengthening Hong Kong's position as an international education hub; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?
Question 20
(For written reply)
(Translation)
Carbon emission reduction
Hon Adrian HO to ask:
In October 2021, the Government announced Hong Kong's Climate Action Plan 2050, which aims to reduce Hong Kong's carbon emissions by half from the 2005 level before 2035 and outlines four major decarbonization strategies, namely net-zero electricity generation, energy saving and green buildings, green transport and waste reduction. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1)
whether it will duly adjust its green policies in response to Hong Kong's actual carbon emissions in recent years to accelerate the overall pace of decarbonization in Hong Kong and thus achieve its carbon reduction targets as scheduled;
(2)
of the respective performances of various government departments over the past five years in key carbon reduction measures, such as energy saving, emission reduction, consumption and carbon emission reduction, as well as green procurement; whether government departments have set carbon reduction targets and timetables for the series of policy measures implemented in recent years, including the establishment of the Green Technology and Finance Development Committee and the implementation of the Uncertificated Securities Market initiative;
(3)
as there are views that the broad participation of businesses in decarbonization efforts is vital for Hong Kong to achieve carbon neutrality, how many businesses and organizations have, as of May this year, joined the "Green Hong Kong • Carbon Audit" campaign by signing the Carbon Reduction Charter and agreeing to undertake and implement activities in support of reducing greenhouse gas emissions; whether it has assessed the effectiveness of the participating businesses and organizations in formulating and implementing carbon reduction measures;
(4)
as it is learnt that the Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing Limited established the Hong Kong International Carbon Market Council and subsequently launched an international carbon marketplace "Core Climate" in 2022, whether Government is aware of the current operational status of both the Council and Core Climate, as well as their respective effectiveness in promoting the implementation of decarbonization measures among businesses in Hong Kong; and
(5)
given that green transport is one of the Government's decarbonization strategies, which includes achieving zero vehicular emissions and zero carbon emissions in the transport sector before 2050 through promoting the electrification of vehicles, and ceasing new registrations of fuel-propelled and hybrid private cars in or before 2035, whether the Government has assessed if the current progress of such efforts will enable the carbon reduction targets to be achieved on schedule?
Question 21
(For written reply)
(Translation)
Resumption of public rental housing units and Well-off Tenants Policies
Hon Elizabeth QUAT to ask:
According to government information, 15 000-odd public rental housing ("PRH") units were recovered by the Housing Department for various reasons in 2023, which was 55% more than the annual number of about 10 000 units in the past. Regarding the recovery of PRH units and the "Well-off Tenants Policies", will the Government inform this Council of the following information in the past five financial years:
(1)
the number of PRH units recovered each year for the following reasons:
(i)
death of principal tenants or principal tenants being admitted to residential care homes;
(ii)
principal tenants having purchased subsidized sale flats;
(iii)
tenants moving out due to breach of tenancy agreements (e.g. accruing 16 points within two years under the Marking Scheme for Estate Management Enforcement or defaulting on rent payment);
(iv)
tenants moving out due to failure or refusal to return the declaration form on income and assets as required;
(v)
tenants moving out as their family income/total household net asset value exceeded the limits prescribed under the Well-off Tenants Policies;
(vi)
tenants were asked to move out as their household members owned domestic properties in Hong Kong;
(vii)
voluntary surrender of units by tenants (including moving to other regions/countries, moving to other residences, or for unknown reasons);
(viii)
tenants moving out upon application for transfer; and
(ix)
other reasons;
(2)
the number of recovered PRH units used for allocation to applicants on the PRH Waiting List each year;
(3)
the number of Notices-to-quit ("NTQs") issued by the Hong Kong Housing Authority ("HA") to PRH tenants each year and, among them, the number of tenants who lodged appeals in this regard, together with a breakdown by the outcome of the appeals (e.g. cancellation of NTQs, amendment of NTQs and setting of conditions for the tenants lodging appeals to rectify the violations, as well as unsuccessful appeals);
(4)
the number of cases received by HA in which applications for granting of new tenancy agreements were made by authorized members of the units due to the death or moving out of the original principle tenants and, among such cases, the number of those which were approved and rejected; among the approved cases, the number of those in which the PRH units involved were granted approval for addition of household members to the tenancy in the past three years;
(5)
the number of PRH tenants who had successfully applied for deletion of household members from the tenancy each year and, among them, the number of those who were well-off tenants; and
(6)
the respective numbers of PRH tenants who were required under the Well-off Tenants Policies to pay (i) 1.5 times net rent plus rates and (ii) double net rent plus rates each year?
Question 22
(For written reply)
(Translation)
Ancillary transport facilities for the Hong Kong Science Park
Prof Hon William WONG to ask:
According to the information of the Hong Kong Science and Technology Parks Corporation ("HKSTPC"), the working population in the Hong Kong Science Park ("HKSP") has increased substantially from 13 500 to 24 000 over the past three years. Regarding the ancillary transport facilities for HKSP, will the Government inform this Council:
(1)
whether comprehensive assessment and adjustment relating to the ancillary transport facilities in HKSP have been made by the authorities in the past three years in response to the growth of the working population in HKSP; if so, of the details; if not, whether such assessment and adjustment will be made;
(2)
given that, according to the paper submitted by the Innovation, Technology and Industry Bureau and the Innovation and Technology Commission to the Panel on Commerce, Industry, Innovation and Technology of this Council on 16 July last year, the works of Batch 1 of Stage 2 of the Science Park Expansion Programme is expected to be completed in the first quarter of this year, whether the works have been completed, and of the details of the relevant additional transport planning support facilities;
(3)
whether it has compiled statistics on whether the on-time performance of the public bus and minibus routes in HKSP is up to standard; if it has compiled the statistics and the outcome is in the negative, of the measures to improve the on-time performance of the relevant services;
(4)
whether it knows if HKSTPC has regularly collected feedback from the people working in and business operators in HKSP on the ancillary transport facilities in HKSP; if HKSTPC has, of the details; if not, whether HKSTPC will make the relevant arrangements;
(5)
as quite a number of people working in HKSP have relayed that they have wasted considerable time waiting for buses since the waiting time for a number of public bus routes in HKSP during non-peak hours is 15 to 30 minutes, whether the authorities will discuss with the franchised bus companies to increase bus service frequencies during non-peak hours;
(6)
whether it knows if HKSTPC has considered increasing the shuttle bus service frequencies for staff members working in HKSP; and
(7)
as it has been reported that the Transport Department is taking forward the project on automated light buses travelling between HKSP and the MTR University Station, whether the authorities have confirmed the specific implementation timetable for the project; of the routes of the automated light buses, and whether such routes will run through the various buildings and major facilities in HKSP, so as to facilitate mobility of the people working in and visitors to HKSP?