Question 1
(For oral reply)
(Translation)
Eradicating youth consumption of "space oil drug"
Hon Kenneth LAU to ask:
Government statistics show that 128 young people aged under 21 were reported to have consumed "space oil drug" in the first quarter of this year, accounting for over 67% of all reported cases. The youngest among them was just 12 years old. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1)
of the respective numbers of cases of young people possessing and consuming space oil drug received by the authorities in the past three years; the specific measures in place to assist them in drug treatment and rehabilitation, and the total number of young people who have quit space oil drug with such assistance to date;
(2)
whether it will establish a regular mechanism for primary and secondary schools in Hong Kong to handle cases of young people consuming space oil drug, while strengthening training for frontline personnel, including teachers and social workers, in order to enhance their ability to identify, handle, and prevent cases of students consuming space oil drug; and
(3)
given that the Government launched the "Healthy School Programme" some years ago to establish a healthy and drug-free culture in schools by organizing personal growth activities and voluntary school drug testing, whether the authorities will step up the promotion of this programme in primary and secondary schools in Hong Kong, so that teachers and social workers can have opportunities to identify those young people who consume space oil drug at an early stage and provide them with immediate and appropriate assistance?
Question 2
(For oral reply)
(Translation)
Capacity Building Mileage Programme
Prof Hon CHOW Man-kong to ask:
There are views that the Government should optimize the Capacity Building Mileage Programme ("CBMP") to enhance women's personal development skills and competitiveness. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1)
of the numbers of persons enrolling in CBMP courses and the amounts of bursary approved in each of the past three years, together with a breakdown by the five learning domains (i.e. Personal Development, Health and Care, Applied Science and Technology, Wisdom of Life, and Arts and Culture);
(2)
as it was stated at the meeting of the Panel on Home Affairs, Culture and Sports of this Council on 28 May last year that the Women's Commission would explore and study how to keep CBMP abreast of the times and benefit more women, of the concrete progress and proposed direction of the relevant work at present; and
(3)
whether it will consider exploring with the organizers of CBMP courses to refine the curriculum by incorporating more knowledge in areas such as e-commerce, community services, and public relations, and consolidating related courses for inclusion into the Qualifications Register, as well as providing more flexible funding arrangements, with a view to elevating women's workplace skills and overall competitiveness; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?
Question 3
(For oral reply)
(Translation)
Developing low-altitude economy
Hon Elizabeth QUAT to ask:
Hong Kong is pressing ahead with the promotion of low-altitude economy ("LAE"), which is one of the growth engines of new quality productive forces. The Chief Executive announced in the 2024 Policy Address the establishment of the "Working Group on Developing Low-altitude Economy" and the introduction of a series of measures to unlock the low-altitude airspace as a new production factor for our economy. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1)
as there are views that Hong Kong can contribute its scientific research strengths in LAE, and three local universities have established their LAE research centres, will the Government consider allocating additional resources to support the research and development work related to LAE, and establish a scientific research fund for LAE to provide funding and support for relevant scientific research projects;
(2)
as there are views pointing out that low-altitude technology can effectively enhance the efficiency of urban management, will the Government take the lead in promoting and encouraging various departments to make full use of low-altitude technology, and establish a shared drone inspection system for use and data sharing by different departments to enhance governance efficacy; and
(3)
whether it will step up efforts to admit and nurture low-altitude professional talents, including improving the relevant curriculum system, admitting and nurturing teaching staff, and enhancing industry awareness, etc., and establish a mutual recognition mechanism with Mainland LAE talents, thereby building a LAE talent pool?
Question 4
(For oral reply)
(Translation)
Smart estate management
Hon Vincent CHENG to ask:
In order to enhance management efficiency and service quality of public rental housing ("PRH") estates, the Government is actively promoting smart estate management and has selected ten PRH estates (including Hoi Ying Estate in Sham Shui Po) as pilot sites ("pilot estates") for smart estate management. According to an opinion poll, over 90% of the responding PRH tenants hope that the Housing Department expeditiously introduces smart management into the estates where they live. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1)
of the details and timetable for implementing smart estate management in various pilot estates;
(2)
given that the Government will utilize the Internet of Things and artificial intelligence to facilitate daily management in the pilot estates, and will also introduce robots to carry out tasks such as security patrol and cleansing, of the criteria based on which the Government decides to try out such smart equipment and technologies in the pilot estates; whether it will introduce robots into estates other than the pilot estates, and whether it will consider introducing robots of a more interactive nature to act as goodwill ambassadors to residents by answering their daily enquiries; and
(3)
whether it will extend the Smartcard Access Control System for buildings to all PRH estates, enabling residents to enter their buildings with smartcards or personalized QR codes and thus reducing the security risk of leaking building access codes, and install smart home monitoring systems for elderly residents; if so, of the details?
Question 5
(For oral reply)
(Translation)
Family offices
Hon TANG Fei to ask:
According to a consultancy study commissioned by InvestHK, it was estimated that around 2 700 single family offices were operating in Hong Kong as at end-2023. However, it has recently been reported that quite a number of "fake family offices" have emerged in the market and some of them may even be involved in money laundering or illegal fund-raising activities. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1)
whether it will consider drawing up a clear official definition and establishing a regulatory regime for family offices, and stepping up regulation through legislation or administrative measures to prevent money laundering and other financial crimes; if so, of the specific details; if not, the reasons for that;
(2)
whether it has developed corresponding monitoring mechanisms or regulatory measures when considering enhancing the preferential tax regimes for family offices and funds, so as to prevent the relevant regimes from being abused as tax avoidance tools; if so, of the specific details; if not, the reasons for that; and
(3)
whether it has plans to provide more systematic training and accreditation schemes for professional talents to meet the demand from family offices for multi-disciplinary professionals, and whether it will regularly assess the effectiveness of the implementation of the policies relating to family offices, including market responses, economic contributions and potential risks; if so, of the specific details; if not, the reasons for that?
Question 6
(For oral reply)
(Translation)
Improve the accessibility of West Kowloon Cultural District
Hon YIU Pak-leung to ask:
There are views that the road ancillary facilities and experience of walking to the West Kowloon Cultural District ("WKCD") are not satisfactory at present, and during festivals, holidays and large-scale activities, congestion often occurs on the roads in the vicinity. On improving the accessibility of WKCD, will the Government inform this Council:
(1)
as it has been reported that the southern landing facility of WKCD is expected to come into operation in the fourth quarter of this year, of the specific timetable; of the specific measures in place to expedite the development of waterborne transport there, and whether it has studied developing the area into one of the distribution points for marine tours;
(2)
as some members of the public and tourists have reflected that the current experience of walking from the Xiqu Centre along Austin Road West to the area around the M+ is not satisfactory, whether the authorities will consider prioritizing the creation of a pleasant harbourfront promenade from the Xiqu Centre to WKCD to facilitate access of members of the public and tourists to the area; and
(3)
as there are views that the existing road design of Museum Drive outside the Hong Kong Palace Museum is unsatisfactory and prone to causing traffic congestion, and the authorities are conducting a road network study in the vicinity of Museum Drive, including a study on the construction of additional slip road exits to the West Kowloon Expressway, of the details of the study and whether the relevant works can commence as soon as possible?
Question 7
(For written reply)
(Translation)
Safety of building works
Hon LAM Chun-sing to ask:
The Buildings Ordinance (Cap. 123) regulates building contractors registered under the Ordinance ("registered contractors") to ensure the safety of building works. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1)
given that under section 13(1) of Cap. 123, the Buildings Department ("BD") can refer convicted cases involving building works by registered contractors to the Registered Contractors Disciplinary Board ("Disciplinary Board") for its consideration of taking disciplinary actions against the contractors, of the number of convicted cases, which involved injuries and deaths at the sites of the building works, referred by BD to the Disciplinary Board for follow-up in each of the past 10 years and this year to date; among such referral cases, of the following information on each of those cases where disciplinary proceedings were completed: (i) the date of incident, (ii) the nature of incident, (iii) the number of injuries and/or deaths involved, (iv) the name of the contractor involved, (v) the type of registration of the contractor involved, (vi) the date on which the court handed down its judgment, (vii) the penalties imposed by the court, (viii) the date on which BD commenced examination of the case, (ix) the date on which BD referred the case to the Disciplinary Board, (x) the date on which the Disciplinary Board commenced a hearing of disciplinary proceedings, (xi) the date on which the Disciplinary Board made its determination, and (xii) the penalties imposed by the Disciplinary Board (if applicable);
(2)
given that the Government has established a referral mechanism for the Hong Kong Housing Authority and the Development Bureau to refer cases of registered contractors with poor performance in public sector projects to BD for disciplinary actions, of the number of referral cases received by BD in each of the past 10 years and this year to date, and among such cases, the number of those involving poor performance in construction safety;
(3)
in respect of the referral cases involving poor performance in construction safety mentioned in (2), of the criteria based on which BD considers whether or not to take disciplinary actions against the contractors involved, and whether any indicator is set on the time required for handling such cases; the number of cases in which disciplinary actions were required upon BD's consideration in each of the past 10 years and this year to date, as well as the longest, shortest and average time taken from BD's receipt of such case referrals to its official commencement of disciplinary proceedings;
(4)
given that BD can institute criminal prosecutions against registered contractors for offences relating to building works under Cap. 123, of the number of cases in which BD instituted prosecutions against registered contractors involving injuries and deaths at the sites of the building works in each of the past 10 years and this year to date; among such prosecution cases, the following information on each of the convicted cases: (i) the date of the incident, (ii) the nature of the incident, (iii) the number of injuries and/or deaths involved, (iv) the name of the contractor involved, (v) the type of registration of the contractor involved, (vi) the date on which BD commenced its investigation, (vii) the date on which BD instituted prosecution, (viii) the date on which the court handed down its judgment, (ix) the penalties imposed by the court, (x) whether the authorities have lodged appeals against the penalties imposed, and (xi) the penalties imposed by the court following the appeal (if applicable);
(5)
given that in the reply to a question raised by a Member of this Council on 15 November 2023, the Government indicated that the authorities would review Cap. 123 to study the feasibility of undertaking prosecution and disciplinary actions in parallel against registered contractors involving in building works safety incidents, of the progress and outcome of the relevant study;
(6)
as there are views that the practice of submitting supplementary information repeatedly by some contractors when applying for renewal of registration is suspected to be delaying the vetting and approval process, which may enable contractors with poor performance in construction safety to continue to carry out works during the vetting and approval process and hence pose risks to the occupational safety and health of frontline workers, whether the Government will consider reviewing and enhancing the relevant application procedures for renewal of registration, so as to enhance the processing efficiency; and
(7)
given that the authorities indicated in the paper submitted to this Council in December last year that they would amend Cap. 123 to enhance building safety by, among others, enhancing the registration and disciplinary systems for registered contractors, etc., with the target of introducing the relevant bill into this Council in the first half of next year, whether the authorities will explore expediting the relevant legislative amendment work?
Question 8
(For written reply)
(Translation)
White Form Secondary Market Scheme
Ir Hon Gary ZHANG to ask:
The Hong Kong Housing Authority ("HA") launched the Interim Scheme of Extending the Home Ownership Scheme ("HOS") Secondary Market to White Form Buyers ("the Interim Scheme") in January 2013, which was subsequently regularized and launched as the White Form Secondary Market Scheme ("WSM") since 2018. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1)
of the following information since the launch of the Interim Scheme and WSM: (i) the number of applications, (ii) the number of Certificate of Eligibility to Purchase ("CEP") issued (and its percentage in (i)), (iii) the number of Letter of Nomination ("LN") issued (and its percentage in (ii) as well as the average monthly number of LN issued), and (iv) the number of completed transactions (and its percentage in (iii)), and set out in the table below a breakdown by (a) family applicants and (b) one-person applicants;
Year of the Scheme | (i) | (ii) | (iii) | (iv) |
(a) | (b) | Total | (a) | (b) | Total (Percentage in (i)) | (a) | (b) | Total (Percentage in (ii)) | Average monthly number of LN issued | (a) | (b) | Total (Percentage in (iii)) |
The first Interim
Scheme 2013 |
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The second Interim
Scheme 2015 |
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WSM
2018 |
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WSM
2019 |
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WSM
2020 |
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WSM
2022 |
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WSM
2023 |
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WSM
2024
(Ordinary Quota) |
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WSM
2024
(Quota of "Youth Scheme (WSM)") |
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(2)
of the percentage of completed transactions under WSM in the total number of flats with premium unpaid in the HOS Secondary Market in each of the past 10 years (set out in a table);
(3)
of the number of Certificate of Availability for Sale issued by HA, and the actual transaction volume of Green Form and White Form flats in the HOS Secondary Market in each of the past 10 years (set out in a table);
(4)
of the policy basis and factors of consideration of the Government in determining the quotas for WSM in the past three years, and how such factors affected its decision in setting the quotas;
(5)
as there are views that given the persistently low success rate in winning the WSM ballot drawing, whether the Government has considered further increasing the quotas for each WSM exercise, so as to further promote the recovery and turnover of public rental housing units and revitalize the HOS Secondary Market; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; and
(6)
as there are views that the decrease in the number of applications from around 78 000 in the previous WSM 2023 to some 34 000 in the latest WSM 2024 is due to the market overlap between HOS and private housing amidst the downturn of the property market, whether the Government has considered increasing the efforts in providing subsidies or optimizing the existing home ownership ladder, including clearly defining the market positioning of HOS and private housing to avoid overlap in their target buyers and functions, thereby enhancing the attractiveness of WSM to eligible applicants; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?
Question 9
(For written reply)
(Translation)
Preventing employees from suffering heat stroke at work
Hon KWOK Wai-keung to ask:
Hong Kong has become increasingly hot during summer in recent years, and workers who have to work in a hot environment for long hours are at risk of heat stroke at any time. In the reply to this Council on the Estimates of Expenditure 2025-2026, the Government has indicated that the number of heat stress-related work injury cases registered by the Labour Department ("LD") from 2022 to 2024 has shown a rising trend. There are views that the existing Guidance Notes on Prevention of Heat Stroke at Work ("GN") is still advisory in nature and there is no mandatory requirement for strict enforcement by employers, so the occurrence of heat stroke-related accidents may not be effectively minimized if there is a lack of compliance of enterprises with GN. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1)
among the cases of "Occupational Injuries in All Workplace - analysed by Type of Accident" in LD's Occupational Safety and Health Statistics in each of the past three years, of the number of heat stroke-related cases under "Others" and, among them, the number of cases which deaths were caused by heat stroke, together with a breakdown by industry; whether "heat stroke" will be separated as a standalone type of accident;
(2)
while the optimized Heat Stress at Work Warning ("warning") is now linked with the "Extremely Hot" special alert of the Hong Kong Observatory ("HKO"), some members of the trade have relayed that HKO's data relating to heat stress has deviated from the actual temperature at workplaces (i.e. the temperature may not be the same in different districts), coupled with the deviation between the actual temperature of construction site at height and the ground level monitoring data, whether the Government will lower the benchmark of the Hong Kong Heat Index which corresponds to the three warning levels of amber, red and black, and at the same time enhance the Smart Site Safety System by leveraging technologies for real-time monitoring of the temperatures in various districts, so as to give accurate advance warnings and reduce the risk of employees suffering from heat stroke; and
(3)
as there are views that the existing GN is not legally binding and the warning mechanism not only lacks stability, but also fails to cover all working environments, whether the Government will further refine GN or consider mandating the implementation of the workplace heat stress risk assessment through legislative approach, so as to ensure that workers can work in a safe environment; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?
Question 10
(For written reply)
(Translation)
Promoting the development of the popular artistic toy industry
Hon Jeffrey LAM to ask:
It has been reported that in recent years, the popular artistic toy industry and the "goods economy" (i.e. economic activities relating to intellectual property ("IP") peripheral products of animation, comics, games, idols, etc.) have expanded rapidly worldwide. Last year, the global market of "blind boxes" (i.e. sealed boxes whose IP peripheral products are not made known to consumers in advance) reached US$14.5 billion (approximately HK$113.1 billion), with some IP merchandise created by Hong Kong designers generating hundreds of millions of dollars in value in the international market. However, there are views that the popular artistic toy industrial chain in Hong Kong is not yet mature and requires precise policy support. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1)
whether it has compiled statistics for the period between 2022 and 2024 on (i) the number of companies registered in Hong Kong that were involved in the design, production or sale of popular artistic toys, (ii) the contribution of the popular artistic toy industry to the Gross Domestic Product, (iii) the number of professional practitioners in the popular artistic toy industry, and (iv) among the projects approved under the Government's funding schemes or funds for driving the development of the cultural and creative industries (e.g. the CreateSmart Initiative), the proportion of projects related to the popular artistic toy industry and the total amount of funding involved; if such data is unavailable, whether the Government will review if this emerging industry is outside the scope of the existing policy;
(2)
whether it has compiled statistics on the number of registrations filed with the Intellectual Property Department by local designers for artistic toy character designs from 2022 to 2024, and the number of cases in which Hong Kong enterprises have successfully turned local IP into mass-produced merchandise;
(3)
of the number of pop-up stores or exhibitions relating to the theme of popular artistic toys that were approved to be held in public venues (e.g. the West Kowloon Cultural District and galleries of the Leisure and Cultural Services Department) in the past year, and the average duration of such exhibitions;
(4)
among the events supported by the Mega Events Coordination Group last year, of the proportion of mega events that had the theme of popular artistic toys (e.g. designers' autograph and sale sessions and blind box bazaars), as well as the data on the number of people who attended such events; and
(5)
as the Financial Secretary pointed out earlier on in a blog post that some IP with Hong Kong elements created by Hong Kong designers has generated hundreds of millions of dollars in value, and there are views that this reflects that the calibre of the local creative industry is of an international standard, whether the Government has formulated specific measures to assist in the development of the industrialization of Hong Kong's IP and to promote the maximization of the value of local IP; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?
Question 11
(For written reply)
(Translation)
Site safety and contractor management
Hon Carmen KAN to ask:
It is reported that fatal industrial accidents and incidents of serious non-compliance committed by contractors have repeatedly occurred in the construction industry in recent years. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1)
of the following information on the contractors with poor performance in relation to industrial accidents and site safety in the construction industry in each of the past five years (set out in a table):
(i)
the numbers of fatal and non-fatal industrial accidents (set out by type of operations) and, among which, the numbers of those involving "bamboo scaffolding" or "metal scaffolding" works (set out by cause of accidents);
(ii)
in respect of public works projects, the number of government project consultants/contractors with performance ratings of (a) "poor" or "very poor" in site safety and (b) "poor" or "very poor" in overall performance, and among which, the number of consultants and contractors who have been suspended from tendering or removed from the lists concerned (set out by type of non-compliance);
(iii)
the numbers of prosecutions instituted by the Government in respect of fatal industrial accidents and the cases convicted and the penalty imposed on each of the convicted cases; and
(iv)
the application situation for legal aid in each case of industrial accident involving civil claims (set out by fatal and non-fatal accidents);
(2)
given that according to the direct investigation operation report of the Office of The Ombudsman released in April this year in relation to the Government's regulation of occupational safety and health in the construction industry, from 2018 to 2023, fatal industrial accidents in the construction industry accounted for more than 80% of fatal industrial accidents in all industries, and the Office found that some "competent persons" have failed to properly inspect the safety of bamboo scaffolds before signing the prescribed form (i.e. Form 5), how the authorities will improve the monitoring mechanism and step up enforcement efforts to ensure that the competent persons will strictly discharge their duties;
(3)
given that according to the report mentioned in (2), the industrial accidents involving bamboo scaffolding works are related to the unauthorized issue of the prescribed form, whether the Government will review afresh the policy direction of reducing the use of bamboo scaffolds in public works projects; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that;
(4)
in respect of cases of public works projects in which contractors/consultants with performance ratings of "poor" or "very poor" in overall performance were not suspended from tendering in the end, of the Government's reasons for making such decisions (set out by cases); whether it will, from the perspective of value for money, review the weightings of the various scores for assessing the performance of contractors/consultants; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; and
(5)
of the measures in place to prevent the relevant personnel of contractors who were removed from the register of general building contractors by the Government due to serious non-compliance from undertaking the Government's public works projects by means of setting up new companies?
Question 12
(For written reply)
(Translation)
Tax concessions and subsidy policies for non-profit organizations
Dr Hon TIK Chi-yuen to ask:
The Budget for the current fiscal year has proposed to cut recurrent government expenditure by a cumulative 7% from 2024-2025 to 2027-2028, and resources for non-profit organizations subsidized by the Government have also been reduced. There are views that the relevant situation has led to severe shortage in social welfare resources, rendering the underprivileged groups always unable to receive appropriate services. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1)
it is learnt that, under the current arrangements, some government- subsidized non-profit organizations are still required to pay taxes (including property tax or profits tax), whether the Government has assessed if such tax burdens may lead to further financial difficulties for such organizations; if the Government has, of the assessment results;
(2)
of the total amount of taxes collected by the Government from subsidized non-profit organizations over the past five years, and the types of taxes included;
(3)
whether it has examined if the current tax arrangements for non-profit organizations under the Inland Revenue Ordinance (Cap. 112) are appropriate; whether the Government will consider reviewing the relevant legislation to provide non-profit organizations with clearer or further tax exemptions;
(4)
apart from the tax relief measures provided under Cap. 112, whether the Government currently has other administrative arrangements in place to alleviate the tax burdens on non-profit organizations (e.g. paying part of their taxes or providing relevant subsidies); if so, of the scope of such arrangements; if not, whether it will consider introducing relevant administrative measures; and
(5)
whether the Government will refer to tax concessions or subsidy policies for non-profit organizations in other regions and introduce relevant measures to minimize the tax burdens on non-profit organizations in Hong Kong and enhance their operational efficiency?
Question 13
(For written reply)
(Translation)
Cross-boundary public transport services
Hon CHAN Hak-kan to ask:
Regarding cross-boundary public transport services, will the Government inform this Council:
(1)
of the respective design flows, including passenger and vehicular flows, and actual flows (set out by weekdays and holidays) of various land boundary control points ("BCPs") (excluding rail-based ones) at present (set out in a table);
(2)
it is learnt that the Government has currently granted franchised bus services travelling to and from Tuen Mun/Yuen Long and Heung Yuen Wai BCP, but not between the North District/Tai Po and Shenzhen Bay Port ("SBP"), whether the Government will encourage and invite franchised bus operators to operate routes between the North District/Tai Po and SBP; of the factors of consideration for introducing franchised bus services travelling to and from various land BCPs at present;
(3)
given that according to government information, the new Huanggang Port building will be completed by the end of this year, and the Port will have a design flow of approximately 200 000 passenger trips per day, of the measures that the Government will put in place to divert the cross-boundary passenger flows from other land BCPs to the new Huanggang Port as appropriate;
(4)
as the Government indicated in its reply to a question raised by a Member of this Council on 7 May this year that the Government would, with reference to the case of SBP, arrange various local public transport services (including franchised buses, green minibuses and taxis (including urban, New Territories and taxi fleet taxis)) at the new Huanggang Port to meet the transportation needs of passengers travelling to and from the Port, of the respective numbers and shares of passenger trips for the various public transport services as projected by the Government;
(5)
whether the Government has plans to arrange franchised bus services between the North District/Tai Po and the new Huanggang Port; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; and
(6)
whether it has studied the current positioning of the various local land BCPs connecting Shenzhen in the light of the changes in the development of various Shenzhen districts; whether the Government will adjust the cross-boundary franchised public transport services at such BCPs in the light of the actual situation; if it will, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?
Question 14
(For written reply)
(Translation)
Public toilet projects in Hong Kong
Hon Maggie CHAN to ask:
It has been learnt that, in recent years, the Government has been actively promoting construction of public toilets (including refurbishment or facelifting) projects in Hong Kong, with the aim of improving the quality of public sanitary facilities. According to the information provided by the Government in reply to a question raised by a Member of this Council on the Estimates of Expenditure for the financial year 2025-2026, the Enhanced Public Toilet Refurbishment Programme for that financial year covers 110 public toilets and involves a total project estimate of about $460 million. According to the Government's paper submitted to the Panel on Development of this Council regarding funding for the Capital Works Reserve Fund for 2025-2026, the total budget for the four public toilet projects in Lei Yue Mun (Ling Nam San Tsuen) in Kwun Tong, Ha Ma Tseuk Keng Leng in North District, Ha Tsuen Shi Vegetable Market Office in Yuen Long, and Fraser Village in Yuen Long, is as high as about HK$87 million. In particular, the reprovisioning of Lei Yue Mun (Ling Nam San Tsuen) public toilet in Kwun Tong has been budgeted at about HK$38 million. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1)
of the reasons why the project estimates of the above four public toilets are higher than those of public toilets in general;
(2)
of the overall planning for public toilet projects in Hong Kong; the factors considered by the authorities when deciding to commence the public toilet projects (including the requirements for male-to-female toilet compartment ratio, site selection criteria, pedestrian flow density and district distribution ratios);
(3)
it has been learnt that at the end of 2023, the proportion of female population in Hong Kong is about 54.5%, which is 9% higher than the male population, but the existing supply of female toilets often falls short of demand, resulting in females often having to wait for a long time for their turn to use them, whether the authorities will consider adjusting the male-to-female toilet compartment ratio and increasing the number of female toilet compartments in planning for public toilet projects; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that;
(4)
whether the authorities have compiled statistics and assessed the demand for the use of public toilets, the actual utilization rates and the public satisfaction levels, etc. at various tourist attractions and border control points; if it has compiled such statistics, of the details;
(5)
of the distribution of the proportions of the various expenditures (e.g. design, salaries of works personnel and construction costs) in the project estimates for all public toilet projects in Hong Kong at present; and
(6)
whether the authorities have a dedicated department responsible for monitoring and managing the progress of public toilet projects, as well as providing temporary public toilet services while the works are in progress; if so, whether they will announce the details of the progress of the relevant works in a timely manner?
Question 15
(For written reply)
(Translation)
Special education
Hon LAI Tung-kwok to ask:
Although the Government has substantially increased its expenditure on special education in recent years, there are views that when special school students leave the school upon graduation, the support provided for them and their carers is significantly reduced immediately, which is not conducive to school leavers adapting to social life. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1)
whether it has conducted surveys on the post-graduation status of special school students in each of the past five years, including whether they are currently in employment, pursuing further studies, or receiving vocational rehabilitation services or day training, together with a breakdown of the number of students by status; if not, how the Government obtains information on these special school graduates so as to render appropriate support;
(2)
how it strengthens support for special school graduates in transitioning to post-school social life, for example, whether arrangements will be made for students to experience and adapt to social life at an earlier stage of their education, or whether the collaboration between the Education Bureau, the Labour and Welfare Bureau, and the Social Welfare Department will be enhanced, so as to ensure that these graduates and their carers can access adequate support; and
(3)
whether it has plans to combine Hong Kong's software such as talents and experience in special education, etc., with the hardware of other Mainland cities in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area such as land and facilities, etc., and collaborate with the Mainland authorities in establishing pilot special education schools in the Mainland, with a view to concurrently admit students in need from Hong Kong and the Mainland?
Question 16
(For written reply)
(Translation)
Manpower of lifeguard
Hon CHAN Hok-fung to ask:
It is learnt that, due to the shortage of lifeguard manpower, some gazetted beaches managed by the Leisure and Cultural Services Department ("LCSD") have been unable to provide lifeguard services during the swimming season. This includes Cheung Sha Beach on Lantau Island (comprising Upper Cheung Sha Beach and Lower Cheung Sha Beach), which the Hong Kong Tourism Board ("HKTB") recommends on its website as an ideal location for water sports. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1)
which gazetted beaches under LCSD's management were unable to provide lifesaving services for the entire swimming season over the past three years due to a shortage of lifeguard manpower, together with a tabulated breakdown by the 18 districts in Hong Kong;
(2)
given that LCSD provides lifesaving services at its gazetted beaches daily from 9am to 6pm during the swimming season (i.e. from April to October), which of these beaches were unexpectedly closed for half a day or longer last year due to insufficient lifeguard manpower, together with the total number of closure days for each of such beaches;
(3)
given that, in the face of the lifeguard manpower shortage, LCSD has been outsourcing lifesaving and first aid services at public swimming pools on a trial basis since September 2024, whether the Government has studied the possibility of outsourcing the operation of beaches with greater potential for water sports development to private organizations, including the provision of water sports facilities, beach umbrellas for hire, as well as life-saving and first-aid services; if such studies have been conducted, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; and
(4)
whether the authorities will coordinate their efforts more effectively to prevent the temporary closure of beaches recommended by HKTB due to a shortage of lifeguard manpower (for example, Cheung Sha Beach has been unable to provide lifeguard services for the past two swimming seasons), so as to avoid an adverse impact on visitors' experiences?
Question 17
(For written reply)
(Translation)
Tackling very hot weather
Ir Hon LEE Chun-keung to ask:
It has been reported that the Hong Kong Observatory ("HKO") recorded a high temperature of 35.6 degrees Celsius early this month, and according to HKO data, the average annual total number of very hot days observed since 2021 has exceeded 50, the highest figure since records began. Moreover, a study has predicted that extreme heat will occur more frequently in Hong Kong. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1)
of the number of days on which various temporary night heat shelters ("heat shelters") under the Home Affairs Department were open and the average number of occupants per night in the past year; whether the authorities have plans to open more heat shelters to meet public demand for sheltering from heat under very hot weather conditions; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that;
(2)
as there are calls in the community urging the authorities to introduce additional heat relief measures for those living in various forms of inadequate housing, including subdivided units, cage homes and rooftop structures, whether the authorities have considered providing air-conditioning subsidies and free cooling facilities (e.g. mist fans) to such households; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that;
(3)
whether it will study the use of brand new cooling technologies and renewable energy, drawing on foreign cities' research experience and practices in cooling, so as to tackle the problem of very hot urban weather; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; and
(4)
given that in the reply to a question from a Member of this Council on 6 June 2018, the Government indicated that it would introduce green design in government buildings, of the details of the introduction of green design in government buildings in the past three years (including whether it has used building materials that enable green cooling and how such designs have mitigated the urban heat island effect)?
Question 18
(For written reply)
(Translation)
Licence for billiard establishment
Hon YUNG Hoi-yan to ask:
Under the Places of Amusement Regulation (Chapter 132BA), places of amusement licence ("license") must be obtained for the operation of billiard establishment with four tables or more. However, it is learnt that some billiard establishments without the required license are operating inside industrial buildings, evading the licensing requirement by adopting such operating practices as providing three or fewer tables in subdivided or sub-let units. There are views that such practices may contravene the deeds of mutual covenant of the buildings and create an unfair advantage over other billiard establishments that are licensed. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1)
whether it has compiled the following information on billiard establishments that currently provide three or fewer tables but have not obtained the license: (i) the number of billiard establishments, (ii) the number of units involved, (iii) the duration of operation, and (iv) whether the deeds of mutual covenant of the buildings occupied by such establishments have been contravened, together with a breakdown by the 18 districts across the territory; if not, whether it has plans to start compiling and maintaining such information from now on;
(2)
of the following information on complaints received by the Leisure and Cultural Services Department ("LCSD") regarding illegal operation of billiard establishments each year over the past five years: (i) the number of complaints received, (ii) the number of complaints found to be substantiated, (iii) the number of prosecutions initiated, (iv) the number of successful prosecutions, (v) the number of persons prosecuted, (vi) the offences involved, and (vii) the number of billiard establishments involved;
(3)
whether it has plans to step up efforts in combatting billiard establishments operating illegally, and those adopting the aforesaid practices to evade the licensing requirement, such as stepping up law enforcement actions, amending relevant laws, and imposing harsher penalties; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; and
(4)
as some members of the industry have relayed that currently applications for the license for billiard establishments need to be vetted and approved by different government departments such as LCSD, the Fire Services Department, and the Buildings Department, and it has taken over nine months for some cases to be processed (meaning that the applicants have to pay nine months' rent for premises not yet placed in service but intended for operating the billiard establishment, amounting to several million dollars), whether the Government has plans to expedite the vetting and approval process for the licence; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?
Question 19
(For written reply)
(Translation)
Preventing dog excreta from fouling public places and streets
Hon Judy CHAN to ask:
At present, the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department and the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department have both drawn up guidelines for people walking dogs on cleaning up dog excreta in public places and on streets. However, there are views that the cleaning methods set out in such guidelines are inadequate. For example, people walking dogs are advised to use paper to wrap up dog faeces and deposit it in rubbish bins or dog excreta collection bins, and rinse the floor with water only, which are all ineffective in cleaning up dog excreta and removing its lingering odour, thereby affecting the cityscape. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1)
of the number of cases and total amount of fines imposed in each of the past three years for allowing dogs to foul (i) the streets or public places with faeces, and (ii) the common parts of buildings with excreta;
(2)
of the number of surprise inspections conducted by the authorities in each of the past three years to address the issue of dogs excreting indiscriminately (broken down by the 18 districts across the territory);
(3)
given that the existing legislation does not impose penalties on people walking dogs who allow their dogs to urinate and foul the streets, whether the Government has plans to amend the legislation to impose regulation; and
(4)
whether the authorities have plans to update the guidelines on cleaning up dog excreta (e.g. instructing people walking dogs to use cleaning agents with deodorizing and stain-removing properties to rinse the areas where their dogs excrete); if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?
Question 20
(For written reply)
(Translation)
Members of government advisory and statutory bodies
Hon Mrs Regina IP to ask:
There are views that the current practice of the Government repeatedly appointing the same group of individuals to its advisory and statutory bodies ("ASBs") has failed to engage new members, including foreign nationals who are Hong Kong permanent residents. This approach runs counter to the principle stated by the State President in 2022 at the meeting to celebrate the 25th anniversary of Hong Kong's return to the motherland and the inaugural ceremony of the sixth-term Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region that everyone in Hong Kong who genuinely supports the principle of "one country, two systems", loves Hong Kong, and abides by the Basic Law and the laws of the special administrative region, can do his or her bit for the region's development. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1)
of the respective numbers of non-official members serving on various government ASBs in each of the past 10 years, together with a breakdown by ASB;
(2)
of (i) the number of non-official members appointed by the Government in each of the past 10 years and, among them, the respective numbers of those who were (ii) re-appointed and (iii) appointed for the first time;
(3)
of the respective numbers of (i) foreign nationals being Hong Kong permanent residents, (ii) ethnic minorities holding Chinese nationality, and (iii) other foreign nationals being non-Hong Kong permanent residents who were appointed by the Government as non-official members of ASBs in each of the past 10 years, together with a breakdown by the ASB to which they belonged;
(4)
as there are views that foreign nationals who are Hong Kong permanent residents have unique advantages (e.g. enhancing the Government's understanding of the Islamic culture so as to attract Islamic tourists to visit Hong Kong, etc.) in assisting the Government in taking forward policy initiatives under specific portfolios, but such persons are often excluded from the lists of candidates for non-official members due to their illiteracy in Chinese, what specific measures the Government has put in place to enhance the participation of such persons in ASBs;
(5)
given that the Government has all along been adopting the "six-year rule" (i.e. a non-official member should not serve on the same ASB in the same capacity for more than six consecutive or cumulative years) and the "six-board rule" (i.e. a non-official member should not serve on more than six ASBs at any one time), so as to ensure a reasonable turnover of members and distribution of work, yet as at 30 June last year, 12 non-official members have been appointed to more than six ASBs and 227 non-official members have served in the same capacity of an ASB for over six years, of (i) the average number of ASBs to which such persons have been appointed as non-official members, (ii) the highest number of appointment as non-official members made to such persons, (iii) the average duration of such persons serving in the same capacity in an ASB, and (iv) the maximum duration of such persons serving in the same capacity in an ASB; whether the Government has assessed if the appointments concerned have violated the six-year rule; and
(6)
given that in its reply to a question raised by a Member of this Council on 3 July 2024, the Government indicated that some non-official members also possessed experiences in other professional areas and these diverse experiences enhanced and broadened the discussion at ASBs, but there were views that these diverse experiences might constitute potential conflicts of interest, how the Government ensures that the business undertaken by such persons in their professional areas does not constitute a direct conflict of interest with the duties of the relevant ASBs when appointing non-official members to ASBs?
Question 21
(For written reply)
(Translation)
Enhancing the Cantonese proficiency of non-ethnic Chinese
Hon Dominic LEE to ask:
It has been learnt that with the continuous increase in the Cantonese proficiency requirements for job seekers in various trades and industries in Hong Kong, quite a number of non-ethnic Chinese people face difficulties in securing employment due to the language barrier, and in particular, the limited availability of Cantonese courses is further restricting their learning channels. Some self-financing programmes offered by higher education institutions have been cancelled one after another due to under-enrolment, hindering non-ethnic Chinese people from enhancing their language proficiency and integrating into the community. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1)
whether it will communicate with the universities funded by the University Grants Committee to encourage them to offer more Cantonese courses (such as those similar to the courses offered by the Yale-China Chinese Language Academy of the Chinese University of Hong Kong), particularly those designed specifically for non-ethnic Chinese people; if so, of the details (e.g. the estimated cost of the courses); if not, the reasons for that;
(2)
whether it has plans to collaborate with self-financing institutions and other educational institutions to offer more Cantonese learning courses targeting non-ethnic Chinese people, so as to enhance their language proficiency and employment competitiveness; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that;
(3)
whether it will consider setting up dedicated scholarships or subsidy schemes to encourage and assist non-ethnic Chinese people in enrolling in the relevant courses offered by various major Cantonese learning centres in Hong Kong; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that;
(4)
whether it will consider launching summer Cantonese courses for non-ethnic Chinese youths, with a tailored design for the contents and mode of teaching and learning of such courses, so as to enhance their language proficiency and social confidence; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; and
(5)
whether the Government has conducted any study or assessment in the past five years to analyse the actual Cantonese proficiency levels required by different industries in Hong Kong of their employees, as well as the impact on the employment of non-ethnic Chinese people; if so, of the findings of the relevant studies or assessments; if not, whether it will consider conducting relevant studies, so as to facilitate the formulation of corresponding policies?
Question 22
(For written reply)
(Translation)
Technology Voucher Programme
Hon Paul TSE to ask:
The Innovation and Technology Commission ("ITC") launched the Technology Voucher Programme ("TVP") in 2016 to subsidize enterprises in using technological services on a matching basis to enhance their productivity. It has been reported that since the launch of TVP, a total of nearly 35 000 projects involving a total of over $6.2 billion of public funding have been approved. However, suspected abuse cases have been found in a number of projects, including: (i) individuals with the same name registering with different companies and repeatedly applying for subsidies for the research and development of the same projects, (ii) nearly 2 000 projects and over 1 000 projects being approved with the same funding amount (accurate to one decimal place and some economists have described the figures as rather "statistically odd"), (iii) some applicant companies are suspected of having no actual operational activity or having already closed down, and (iv) there are doubts about the time taken to complete the development of the approved projects (e.g. $180,000 was granted to a company that updated its website and developed its mobile phone application in a speedy manner within two days; there was also a case in which a company developed an "Intelligent Anatomical Model Measurement System" in 27 days and was granted $480,000), etc. This has aroused suspicion that there are loopholes in the monitoring of TVP. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1)
whether the authorities have conducted random checks for subsidized projects granted under TVP in the past three years; if so, of the number and content of the random checks conducted and, among them, the respective numbers of applications suspected and confirmed to be abusive; if not, whether it will expeditiously activate the investigations in the light of the aforesaid media reports;
(2)
in respect of each application involving abuse of public subsidies or even fraud under TVP, of the follow-up actions actually taken by the authorities and the respective amounts of subsidies successfully and unsuccessfully recovered in such cases;
(3)
as the aforesaid reports have pointed out that some companies funded under TVP closed down shortly after receiving grants, of the measures put in place by the authorities to eradicate this situation; whether enterprises receiving approved grants will be required to regularly submit data on the use of technology projects/systems for monitoring purposes; and
(4)
whether the authorities will conduct a comprehensive review of TVP's effectiveness since its implementation; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; whether they have assessed the actual increase in productivity, competitiveness and entrepreneurial return achieved by enterprises that applied for subsidies after upgrading their technological level?