Council Meeting (Agenda) 2 July 2025

(1)

of the number of participants or visitors to the various activities of the first Hong Kong ICH Month, and the proportion of travellers among them; whether an assessment has been conducted on the effectiveness of Hong Kong ICH Month;

(2)

as it has been reported that the Government will announce a system for designating Hong Kong ICH bearers this year, whether the system will cover designation for both categories of bearer and bearer organization; whether a mechanism will be established to revoke the status of bearers, ensuring that ICH remains vibrant and relevant over time, as well as maintaining the vitality of the transmission system and the enthusiasm of bearers; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; and

(3)

as it is learnt that the rapid development of IP of ICH in the Mainland has generated considerable economic benefits, of the mechanism put in place by the Government to regularly follow up on, incubate, support, protect and compile statistics on cultural and creative IP projects derived from Hong Kong's ICH, so that they can sustainably create cultural value and economic benefits?

(1)

whether it has examined the reasons for the occurrence of underground water mains burst incidents one after another after the completion of the establishment of WIN, and whether it has explored improvement proposals;

(2)

whether it has plans to establish more discrete DMAs within the fresh water distribution network in Hong Kong as well as install more high-technology monitoring and sensing equipment in WIN, so as to identify abnormalities in underground water mains at an early stage and strengthen the effectiveness of monitoring; and

(3)

of the measures in place to minimize the impact of large-scale water mains burst incidents, including whether consideration has been given to installing backup water supply networks in districts with ageing water mains (e.g. Tuen Mun District), so as to minimize the impact of water outage on local residents and businesses in the event of the occurrence of incidents?

(1)

as it has been reported that Japan has relaxed its regulations on home-stay lodgings in recent years to focus more on management requirements than on strict hardware facility standards for hotels and guesthouses, whether the Government has studied regulating home-stay lodgings in this direction; if so, of the details;

(2)

as there are views that Hong Kong has many rural locations with natural scenic beauty and potential for developing home-stay lodgings, such as Pui O and Mui Wo, whether the Government will study allowing village houses in such locations that have been issued with a Certificate of Compliance to automatically be eligible to operate as home-stay lodgings, in order to streamline the administrative procedures for applying to operate home-stay lodgings; if so, of the timetable; and

(3)

as it has been reported that a private kitchen in rural areas has encountered considerable difficulties when applying for restaurant licences, whether the Government will relax requirements in the light of the unique circumstances of rural areas, and proactively assist rural home-stay lodgings that also operate restaurants by processing licences for both simultaneously, so as to accelerate the development of home-stay lodgings?

(1)

of the number of candidates sitting for the Taxi Written Test as well as the number of candidates who passed the test and the passing rate in each of the past five years;

(2)

how the Location and Route Questions of Part B of the Taxi Written Test will be optimized to suit, in the context of driving, the new normal arising from the advancement of technology nowadays; and

(3)

whether it has any plans to assist the industry in attracting newcomers to join the industry; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?

(1)

of ways to promote the expansion of stablecoin use cases, including fostering connections between stablecoin issuers and application scenarios on the Mainland, so as to facilitate the transition of stablecoins from regulatory compliance to establishment of business ecosystems;

(2)

how the Government will leverage the implementation of the Stablecoins Ordinance to promote the openness and flexibility of Hong Kong's stablecoin laws and regulations internationally, while also synergizing with Hong Kong's advantages under "one country, two systems" as well as its status as an international financial centre which is conducive to stablecoin development, to attract global compliant stablecoin issuers and large-scale international financial institutions to issue stablecoins and establish a presence in Hong Kong; and

(3)

whether it will make preparations for the development of offshore Renminbi ("RMB") stablecoins, including seeking support from the Central Authorities so as to establish the creditworthiness of Hong Kong's offshore RMB stablecoins?

(1)

as some members of the public have relayed that uncollected yard waste is often seen on streets and in parks, whether the Government has formulated guidelines requiring the Leisure and Cultural Services Department ("LCSD"), the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department ("FEHD") and their outsourced contractors to first sort the collected yard waste and send the yard waste that can be processed by Y·PARK to the collection point of the Environmental Protection Department; if not, of the reasons for that;

(2)

according to the existing procedures, how LCSD, FEHD and their outsourced contractors handle yard waste that cannot be processed by Y·PARK; of the approximate tonnage of such yard waste in each year since 2019; and

(3)

given that Y·PARK has imposed a number of restrictions on the recovery of yard waste, and it is learnt that some companies in the Mainland and the United States adopt anaerobic digestion technology to convert yard waste into biogas for electricity generation, whether the Government will consider adopting such technology to process yard waste, so as to enhance recycling and conversion of waste into energy; if not, of the reasons for that?

(1)

of the number of MPF scheme members and their average MPF asset levels in each of the past five years, and set out in the table below with a breakdown by age group (i.e. (i) below 25, (ii) between 25 and below 30, (iii) between 35 and below 45, (iv) between 45 and below 55, (v) between 55 and below 65, and (vi) 65 or above), and MPF asset levels (i.e. (a) $200,000 or below, (b) between $200,001 and $400,000, (c) between $400,001 and $600,000, (d) between $600,001 and $800,000, (e) between $800,001 and $1,000,000, (f) ‍between $1,000,001 and $1,500,000, (g) between $1,500,001 and $2,000,000, and (h) above $2,000,000):

Members' age group	MPF asset level
	(a)	(b)	(c)	(d)	(e)	(f)	(g)	(h)	Average asset
(i)
(ii)
(iii)
(iv)
(v)
(vi)
Total

(2)

as the Government indicated in its reply to a question from a Member of this Council on 7 May this year that allowing members of the public to make early withdrawals of their accrued benefits to meet home ownership needs would result in such accrued benefits leaking from the system and failing to accumulate for growth in value, thereby undermining the integrity of the MPF system, but there are views that the Government may consider allowing members of the public to borrow the accrued benefits from their MPF accounts to fund a down payment on their first home, with repayment made in instalments over the mortgage term of the purchased property and all outstanding amounts in the MPF account to be repaid immediately upon the sale of the property, which will create a closed-loop funding mechanism to prevent funds from flowing out of the owner-occupied property market or MPF accounts, thereby maximizing the value of MPF in supporting people's retirement, whether the government will consider the aforesaid proposal; and

(3)

given that Hong Kong is about to become a super-aged society, whether the Government will consider emulating the provident fund systems of the Mainland and Singapore by setting up designated contribution accounts targeting areas such as healthcare and housing under the MPF system in the long term, and increasing the income ratio for MPF contributions to help members of the public to cope with various expenses after retirement?

(1)

given that the Code of Practice for Safety and Health at Work in Confined Spaces ("CoP") was revised last year by adding, among others, the requirement for proprietors or contractors to record videos at the entrance and exit of the confined spaces throughout the entire work period, of the number of work sites involving confined space operations that have been inspected since the revision of the CoP, and whether any violations of the CoP by proprietors or contractors have been identified during the inspections; if so, of the main nature of such violations, and the numbers of written warnings, suspension notices, and improvement notices issued in response to such violations, as well as the number of prosecutions initiated; among these prosecutions, of the number of convictions and the penalties imposed;

(2)

given that the Occupational Safety and Health Council ("OSHC") launches the "OSH Enhancement Scheme for SMEs for Safe Work at Confined Space 2.0" ("Enhancement Scheme") to subsidize eligible small and medium enterprises for purchasing equipment such as gas detectors and man-down alarm devices, of the number of application quotas available under the Enhancement Scheme and the numbers of applications received, approved, and rejected by OSHC in each of the past three years and this year to date, with a breakdown by nature of business of the enterprise (e.g. drainage services, construction, and mechanical and electrical engineering); of the average amount of subsidy for the approved applications (set out by new applicants and enterprises previously subsidized), and the main reasons for applications being rejected;

(3)

given that OSHC launches the "OSH Star Enterprise – Confined Space Safety Accreditation Scheme" ("Accreditation Scheme") to provide enterprises specializing in confined space work with, among others, occupational safety and health ("OSH") consultancy service and subsidies for purchasing safety equipment, of the numbers of enterprise applications received, approved, and currently under vetting by OSHC under the Accreditation Scheme in each of the past three years and this year to date, with a breakdown by nature of business of the enterprise (e.g. drainage services, construction, and mechanical and electrical engineering); of the average amount of subsidy for the approved applications;

(4)

of the progress of the investigation to identify the causes of the fatal industrial accident involving a manhole that occurred on Yuen Wo Road in Sha Tin on 22 April last year, and whether prosecution has been initiated against those held liable for the accident; if so, of the details;

(5)

as it is reported that the authorities indicated last year that they would study the possibility of including clauses in sewer cleaning contracts to stipulate that if workers who are originally not supposed to enter a manhole subsequently need to do so, the Drainage Services Department must be informed and its approval had to be obtained in advance, of the progress made in this regard;

(6)

given that according to a paper submitted by the Government to the Panel on Manpower of this Council in June 2022, the Labour Department ("LD") has established a notification system with key government departments/statutory bodies responsible for drainage works (including the Airport Authority Hong Kong, the Housing Department, the Highways Department and the Drainage Services Department), under which these government departments/ statutory bodies will notify LD of the date and time of all their drainage works or underground pipeworks that require workers to enter confined spaces, so as to facilitate surprise inspections by LD as appropriate according to a risk-based strategy, of the number of works notified by these government departments/statutory bodies in each year since the establishment of the notification system, and the number of these works that have been inspected by LD, with a breakdown by the notifying government department/ statutory body; during these inspections, whether there are any cases where contractors were found to have violated the CoP and/or relevant OSH legislation (including the Factories and Industrial Undertakings (Confined Spaces) Regulation (Cap. 59AE), the Factories and Industrial Undertakings Ordinance (Cap. 59), and the Occupational Safety and Health Ordinance (Cap. 509)); if so, of the details, including the number of cases and their nature, as well as the follow-up actions taken, with a breakdown by the notifying government department/statutory body; and

(7)

whether it will consider establishing a mandatory reporting mechanism for work in confined spaces, requiring contractors to report prior to commencing higher-risk work in confined space, so as to facilitate the authorities to arrange targeted inspections to enhance the safety of frontline workers?

(1)

in respect of each subsidized sale housing scheme launched by HA and HS in each of the past 10 years, of the total number of flats resold with premium (a) paid and (b) unpaid, together with a breakdown of such flats by (i) age distribution (i.e. within 5 years, between 5 to 10 ‍years and over 10 years), and (ii) distribution of transaction prices (i.e. less than $1 million, $1 million to $2 million, $2 million to $3 ‍million, $3 million to $5 million, $5 million to $7 million, and over $7 million);

(2)

of the current number of HOS flats which the alienation restriction period has expired and are eligible for application for resale upon payment of premium, and among them, the proportion of flats which have been resold with premium paid;

(3)

of the current number of HOS flats which have never been resold after purchase and its percentage in the total number of HOS flats, together with a breakdown by age of the flats; and

(4)

whether the Government will study prohibiting the resale of flats in the private market upon payment of premium in the future HOS and GHS projects, and changing to allow transactions in the secondary market of HOS flats only; if not, of the reasons for that?

(1)

as it is learnt that while the Social Welfare Department only uses identity card numbers to verify CSSA and SSA recipients' travel records with the Immigration Department ("ImmD"), some people enter and exit Hong Kong with their passports in order to circumvent checks against the absence limits, taking advantage of the loophole in the absence of connection between travel records based on identity cards and those based on passports, whether the Government has investigated the veracity of the aforesaid situation; whether the Government has assessed the annual loss of public money arising from this loophole, and whether it has enhanced the verification mechanism to plug the loophole; if it has enhanced the verification mechanism, of the details (including the effectiveness of the enhanced mechanism); if not, the reasons for that;

(2)

whether the Government has considered using biometric features (e.g. fingerprint and face) as the only proof of identification for travel records, so as to prevent individuals from taking advantage of the loophole in travel records mentioned in (1) to conceal the fact that they reside abroad; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that;

(3)

given that the Office of The Ombudsman mentioned a number of cases of "not retaining regular and continuous residence in the flats" in its report dated January this year on the direct investigation operation into the Government's work in combating abuse of public housing resources, what specific mechanisms it has currently put in place to monitor and prevent abuse of PRH by individuals residing abroad, and how the effectiveness of such mechanisms is assessed; as regards tenants who deliberately conceal their residence abroad in order to keep their PRH flats, what other legal measures the Government has put in place, apart from demanding surrender of the flats, to bring them to account, and whether it has assessed if such measures have sufficient deterrent effect; and

(4)

given that all the principal tenants and household members in the multiple cases of "not retaining regular and continuous residence in the flats" mentioned in (3) reside outside Hong Kong, whether the Government has examined the reasons for not being able to uncover their abuse of PRH in time through their travel records back then; in order to combat abuse of PRH by tenants residing abroad, whether the Government has explored setting up an cross-departmental cooperation mechanism for the Housing Department, the Hong Kong Housing Society and ImmD to carry out data sharing, so as to enhance the procedure for accessing the records of PRH residents' stay in Hong Kong?

(1)

whether it has compiled statistics on the number of visitors attracted to Hong Kong by IP projects, cultural events and mega-events with local characteristics in the past three years, as well as their places of origin, length of stay in Hong Kong, and consumption amounts and patterns; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that, and whether it will consider compiling such statistics;

(2)

as some members of the industry and academics have pointed out that tourism projects dominated by a single IP are difficult to sustain, and that the long-term strategy should be linking up multiple IPs of the same type to create synergy effects (e.g. Hong Kong can explore combining the IP of "Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In" and those of a number of classic Hong Kong films to build a "Hong Kong version of Universal Studios", with a view to maximizing the cultural benefits of Hong Kong films), whether the Government has considered formulating a strategy to promote collaboration between different IP holders and the tourism industry; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; and

(3)

whether the Government has formulated a dedicated strategy for IP tourism, such as strengthening the protection and promotion of existing distinctive IP projects and related attractions, and actively introducing measures to encourage and support IP creation and the development of related attractions; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that, and whether it will consider formulating relevant strategies?

(1)

of, each month since June last year, (i) the number of overseas travelers entering the Mainland via Hong Kong, (ii) the number of overseas travelers leaving the Mainland via Hong Kong, (iii) such travelers' average length of stay in Hong Kong, and (iv) their nationalities (i.e. the top 10 nationalities with the highest number of visitors);

(2)

in light of our country's relaxation of its visa-free transit policy for overseas travelers and extension of their maximum stay on the Mainland to 240 hours, whether the authorities have sought from the Central Government the inclusion of all Hong Kong checkpoints into the scope of the aforesaid national policy to further enhance Hong Kong's role as a tourism hub, thereby attracting more overseas travelers to enter and leave the Mainland via Hong Kong, and to travel around and consume in Hong Kong;

(3)

of the monthly number of visitors from such cities to Hong Kong and their average length of stay in Hong Kong during the period from May last year to May this year;

(4)

of the measures taken by the authorities (including publicity and promotional campaigns, encouraging airlines to increase flights between Hong Kong and such cities, and promoting cooperation between the tourism industries of Hong Kong and such cities) to attract more visitors from such cities to Hong Kong;

(5)

since the resumption and expansion of the multiple-entry IVS for Shenzhen residents in December last year, of the monthly number of Shenzhen permanent residents and Shenzhen non-permanent residents holding residence permits visiting Hong Kong and their average length of stay in Hong Kong; and

(6)

whether the Government has discussed with the Central Government and sought to open up the multiple-entry IVS for residents of Guangzhou, Beijing and Shanghai to visit Hong Kong, with the aim of promoting trade and business exchanges and attracting more overnight visitors to Hong Kong; if so, of the details and the results of the discussions; if not, the reasons for that?

(1)

of the number of overseas and Mainland sports professionals who have applied over the past five years for coming to Hong Kong for development through QMAS and TTPS respectively, and among them, the number of applications approved, together with a breakdown by the sports disciplines in which the professionals are involved; whether it has compiled statistics on the employment status of professionals in Hong Kong in the approved cases;

(2)

when sports professionals have come to Hong Kong through QMAS or TTPS, how the Hong Kong Talent Engage will follow up on their development and needs in Hong Kong (including support services and development strategies (if any) provided to such professionals);

(3)

as it has been reported that several world-renowned billiard players have become Hong Kong residents one after another through QMAS over the past year, whether the authorities will consider launching further initiatives to assist these billiard players in promoting billiards or developing their careers in billiards in Hong Kong, such as opening billiard saloons or training programs, so as to help Hong Kong become an "international billiard hub"; and

(4)

whether it will consider optimizing QMAS or TTPS, or providing incentives (such as providing tax concessions to international sports stars or sports professionals coming to Hong Kong on a short-term or long-term basis), so as to attract more international sports talents to come to Hong Kong for development?

(1)

of the number of requests for assistance relating to water seepage received by JO in each year since 2022 and, among them, the number of those in which the seepage was caused by the penetration of rainwater through roofs, flat roofs, balconies, external walls or windows of a building or from leaking water pipes, and thus could not be handled by JO;

(2)

as there are views that JO currently carries out water seepage investigations by issuing nuisance notices or orders under Cap. 132, the scope of which is confined to the wilful damage to drains, cesspools, wells or nuisance to any sanitary convenience, but the existing mechanism fails to effectively address the predicament faced by members of the public who have long been suffering from water seepage caused by defective waterproofing layers on rooftops, whether the authorities will consider amending Cap. 132 to gradually include important water seepage problems (e.g. rooftop leakage) in the definition of "nuisance", so as to expand the enforcement responsibilities of JO, such that the affected members of the public will be provided with assistance; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; and

(3)

given that under section 34H of the Building Management Ordinance (Cap. 344) concerning the "duty to maintain property", "where a person who owns any part of a building, has the right to the exclusive possession of any part of a building or has the exclusive right to the use, occupation or enjoyment of that part, as the case may be, but the deed of mutual covenant in respect of the building does not impose an obligation on that person to maintain the part in good repair and condition, that person shall maintain that part in good repair and condition", whether the authorities will consider amending the relevant provisions to stipulate that all the owners or owners' corporations owe an obligation to undertake maintenance works to keep the property in "good repair and condition", and at the same time expanding the powers of JO to issue warnings to and impose penalties on defaulters; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?

(1)

of the trend in the number of workers imported under the aforesaid two schemes since 2023, and the current latest number of imported workers;

(2)

of the respective monthly changes in the number of approved quotas and the number of quotas used under the Labour Importation Scheme for the Construction Sector, the Labour Importation Scheme for the Aviation Sector and the Labour Importation Scheme for the Transport Sector - Public Light Bus / Coach Trade since their implementation; the corresponding monthly unemployment rates for such sectors;

(3)

whether, since the implementation of the Sector-specific Labour Importation Schemes, the authorities have reduced the approved quotas in response to changes in the prevailing economic situation when vetting and approving such quotas; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that;

(4)

given that the exclusion of the 26 job categories as well as unskilled or low-skilled posts from labour importation under the Supplementary Labour Scheme was suspended following the implementation of ESLS on 4 September 2023, of the respective monthly changes in the number of approved quotas and the number of quotas used for the 26 job categories since the implementation of ESLS; the respective corresponding monthly unemployment rates for such job categories during the same period;

(5)

whether there are measures currently in place to ensure that, should the unemployment rate or underemployment situation of local workers in the relevant sectors deteriorate, the authorities will promptly adjust labour importation measures for those sectors in order to safeguard the employment priority for local workers;

(6)

whether it has considered establishing a "tiered exit mechanism" under the Sector-specific Labour Importation Schemes and ESLS, whereby a phased reduction in the labour importation quotas under these two schemes would be triggered if the overall operating environment of a specific local sector deteriorates beyond a certain threshold, or if the unemployment rate and underemployment rate of its workers worsen by a specific percentage, in order to lessen the impact on local workers in the relevant sectors; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; and

(7)

whether it has considered linking the total number of workers admitted to work in Hong Kong with the overall local unemployment rate (i.e. when the number of unemployed local workers increases, the labour importation quota will be correspondingly tightened), so as to safeguard the employment priority for local workers; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?

(1)

whether it has compiled statistics on the percentage of broadcast time in foreign languages out of the total broadcast time in respect of the public broadcasting services in Hong Kong at present, and how the relevant time and percentage compare with those in other international metropolises;

(2)

of the specific policies and whether resources have been allocated to encourage local television and sound broadcasters to produce more quality English-language programmes, especially those with contents showcasing the business environment, cultural characteristics, lifestyle, etc., in Hong Kong;

(3)

whether it has evaluated the effectiveness of the existing English media contents in attracting and retaining international talents; whether it has conducted relevant surveys to understand the information needs of international talents;

(4)

whether it will consider setting up an additional 24-hour English channel on Radio Television Hong Kong and producing more English programmes to present a soft and down-to-earth introduction of the policies and development opportunities in Hong Kong, so as to enable international talents and inbound tourists to obtain local information more conveniently; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that;

(5)

of the Government's plans to enhance Hong Kong's international image and visibility by arranging additional media coverage in English, given that the 15th National Games and other international events are about to take place; and

(6)

apart from traditional television broadcasters, whether it has plans to make use of emerging publicity channels, such as digital platforms and social media, to produce more information contents about Hong Kong in English, so as to strengthen Hong Kong's international communication capability, thereby creating a more attractive international living environment; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?

(1)

as the Independent Commission Against Corruption has indicated that it has formed a tripartite partnership with the International Association of Anti-Corruption Authorities and the Hong Kong International Academy Against Corruption, actively contributing to the advancement of the global anti-corruption cause through, among other means, exchanges and sharing of experience with other countries, as well as organizing anti-corruption training programmes, whether, in addition to the aforesaid activities, the Government will consider expanding the scale of such activities by taking the lead in organizing in Hong Kong larger-scale, integrated international events themed on anti-corruption; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; and

(2)

given that the Hong Kong Customs and Excise Department, in its capacity as the World Customs Organization ("WCO") Vice-Chair for the Asia/Pacific ("A/P") Region, successfully organized the 26th WCO A/P Regional Heads of Customs Administrations Conference in May this year, whether, in addition to actively organizing the aforesaid representative event, the Government will consider taking the opportunity of its involvement in the affairs of this international organization to invite personnel from customs-related agencies of various countries to visit Hong Kong more frequently, so as to foster exchanges and cooperation with other regions?

(1)

given that according to the information provided by the Chinese Temples Committee ("the Committee"), the annual surplus of the Che Kung Temple for the year ended 31 March last year exceeded $16 million, whether the Government knows the intended specific uses of the surplus, including whether it will be transferred to the "General Chinese Charities Fund" under the Chinese Temples Ordinance (Cap. 153) or used for community projects in Sha Tin District;

(2)

whether it knows, in respect of major decisions relating to the Che Kung Temple (e.g. the expansion project and the adjustment of fees for services provided in the temple), how the Committee seeks the views of worshippers or heritage conservation groups, and whether the Committee has held open meetings or kept records of such consultations on a regular basis; if the Committee has, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; and

(3)

whether it knows if the Committee has formulated development strategies for the Che Kung Temple for the next 10 years, including coping with the growth in visitor flow, providing digitalized services (e.g. using a platform for electronic blessings) or implementing environmental protection measures (e.g. reducing the pollution caused by joss-sticks); if the Committee has, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?

(1)

whether the aforementioned economic performance statistics will also cover Hong Kong manufacturing enterprises operating outside Hong Kong; if not, of the reasons for that;

(2)

of the expected completion time of the study, and whether the scope of the study will cover the operating situations of Hong Kong manufacturing enterprises operating outside Hong Kong; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; whether the authorities will engage consultants to conduct such a study on a regular basis in the future; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that;

(3)

whether it will compile more industrial statistics and conduct more studies at different levels in future, e.g. whether it will, by drawing reference to C&SD's statistical methodology for the statistics on offshore trade and merchanting activities, conduct a comprehensive survey on Hong Kong manufacturing enterprises operating in the Mainland and overseas, and develop regular statistical indicators on the offshore industrial sector for Hong Kong; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; and

(4)

as it is learnt that at present, the Key Statistics on Business Performance and Operating Characteristics of the Industrial Sector include statistics on import and export firms engaged in sub-contract processing arrangement and providing manufacturing-related technical support services, of the reasons why offshore sales are not covered in the aforementioned economic performance statistics?

(1)

whether the Working Group for Sha Tau Kok Co-operation Zone set up under the Task Force for Collaboration on the Northern Metropolis Development Strategy under the Guangdong-Hong Kong and Hong Kong-Shenzhen cooperation mechanism has discussed the development of the Nan'ao checkpoint and the routes to and from Hong Kong; if so, of the relevant progress; whether, in view of the opening of the Nan'ao checkpoint, it will consider setting up more sea control points in the eastern part of Hong Kong and introducing more streamlined immigration measures and policies, so as to create favourable conditions for multi-destination cross-boundary marine tourism across Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that;

(2)

as it has been reported that the Nan'ao checkpoint will set up a route connecting to Ma Liu Shui via Tung Ping Chau, which is only four kilometres away, while Tung Ping Chau, a tourist hotspot in Hong Kong, is yet to be supplied with tap water and electricity, whether the SAR Government will take advantage of the opportunity arising from the development of the Nan'ao checkpoint to work with the Shenzhen Municipality in providing Tung Ping Chau with infrastructure such as tap water and electricity to promote the development of the island; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that;

(3)

given that the Northern Metropolis Development Strategy proposes the establishment of the Mirs Bay/Yan Chau Tong Eco-‍recreation/tourism Circle, and there are views pointing out that the infrastructural facilities on the islands in such waters, particularly piers or landing facilities, are relatively outdated, whether the Government will allocate resources to upgrade the infrastructure on such islands so as to serve tourists' needs; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that;

(4)

given that the Action Plan for High-Quality Development of the Yacht Industry (2024-2027) announced by the Guangdong Provincial Government proposes to strive for the implementation of a pilot prorgamme for the free flow of yachts among Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao, of the progress of the SAR Government's discussion with the Mainland authorities on the implementation of the plan, and whether additional measures conducive to cross-‍boundary high-end marine tourism will be pursued at the same time for Hong Kong's tourism industry;

(5)

whether, in the light of the establishment of the Nan'ao checkpoint, adjustments will be made to the planning for the Northern Metropolis to dovetail with the relevant development; and

(6)

whether it will consider creating a "cross-boundary marine eco-‍tourism belt along the eastern waters of Hong Kong" through a multi-destination tourism approach, including but not limited to the development of tourism routes connecting the Nan'ao checkpoint with various scenic spots, such as Sai Kung, Lei Yue Mun (the Sam Ka Tsuen Ferry Pier), Kwun Tong (the Kwun Tong Public Pier and the Kwun Tong Ferry Pier), Kai Tak (the Runway Park Pier and the Kai Tak Cruise Terminal), the Kwun Tong Waterfront Water Sports Centre, the Kai Tak Water Sports Centre and the proposed yacht club in Yau Tong Bay, with a view to utilizing existing or planned facilities in combination with eco-tourism and water sports activities in Hong Kong's eastern waters to attract high-value added visitors to come and spend money in Hong Kong; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?

(1)

whether it will consider strengthening various government departments' awareness of being property owners, with a view to exercising stringent control over the estimates of expenditure at the upstream stage of public works projects; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that;

(2)

of the strategies and specific measures implemented by the Project Strategy and Governance Office under the Development Bureau at various stages (including upstream, midstream and downstream) of public works to reduce project cost; whether an assessment has been conducted on the respective effectiveness of these strategies and measures; and

(3)

whether it has drawn on the cost control measures adopted by the Mainland and various places in the world at the upstream stage of public works; if not, of the reasons for that; if so, the details, including whether such measures encompass a concept similar to the awareness of being property owners?

(1)

of the specific work directions and strategies of the Special Panel for Building "Zero Waste Bay Area" established by the governments of Hong Kong and Guangdong in January this year, and the latest progress of its work;

(2)

given the opportunities arising from the "Zero Waste Bay Area", how will the Government capitalize on Hong Kong's advantage of connecting the country with the world to facilitate the development of green industries and a circular economy in GBA, and whether it has assessed the difficulties and challenges that may arise in the process; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; and

(3)

whether the SAR Government has started to explore the arrangements for the cross-boundary transportation of waste to other Mainland cities in GBA, such as the mode of transport (i.e. sea or land) and daily handling capacity; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?