Question 1
(For oral reply)
(Translation)
Ensuring the driving ability of elderly professional drivers
Revd Canon Hon Peter Douglas KOON to ask:
It has been reported that in August this year, a taxi driver in his eighties struck and killed a Filipino tourist in Tsuen Wan, arousing concerns among various sectors in the community about the driving ability and safety of elderly professional drivers. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1)
given that the Government has yet to implement the proposals put forward in 2023 to lower the age threshold of commercial vehicle drivers submitting physical fitness certification to the age of 65 and to require them undergoing a medical examination once every year, of the resistance the Government encounters when implementing these proposals, and whether it can commit to a specific implementation timeline;
(2)
as there are views that the current physical fitness certification requirements and the examination items for driving licence applicants and holders are overly simplistic and fail to ensure the fitness of elderly professional drivers for driving, whether the authorities will review the requirements for medical examination of elderly professional drivers by drawing reference from practices on the Mainland or Taiwan, such as introducing more stringent examination items, including reaction tests and screening for chronic diseases, as well as formulating detailed assessment guidelines for doctors; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; and
(3)
whether it will draw on practices on the Mainland, Taiwan region or Japan to set a mandatory retirement age for professional drivers; if so, of the details; if not, how it will ensure the driving ability of elderly professional drivers?
Question 2
(For oral reply)
(Translation)
Combating illegal workers
Hon SHIU Ka-fai to ask:
As reported, the problem of illegal workers has emerged in many industries in Hong Kong, including illegal employment involving visitors holding an "endorsement for business visit" in Hong Kong, and enterprises' solicitation of business by offering a low price through channels such as cross-border e-commerce platforms and their subsequent arrangement for the provision of services in Hong Kong by holders of an "endorsement for individual visit" that allows multiple entries. The situation concerned has affected the livelihood of local workers and caused unfair competition to local enterprises. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1)
whether it has compiled statistics on the monthly number of holders of an "endorsement for individual visit" with unusually frequent visits to Hong Kong (such as travelling to Hong Kong for four to five weekdays a week) since December last year; whether the authorities have taken the initiative to ascertain their purpose of visiting Hong Kong; of the number of visitors holding an "endorsement for business visit" who have been arrested for illegal employment in each month of the past two years, with a tabulated breakdown by type of employment;
(2)
whether it will consider the introduction of new measures to combat illegal workers, such as implementing a reward system for reporting illegal workers, and enhancing publicity for the general public that if a service provider employs illegal workers, the customer may also have to bear criminal liability and offer compensation in case of accidents or incidents; and
(3)
whether it will strengthen cooperation with the Mainland authorities in combating illegal workers, including eliminating information involving travelling to Hong Kong and providing services against the law from online platforms on the Mainland, removing non-compliant accounts, stepping up the penalty for offences involving illegal workers, and reminding Mainland residents of the criminal liability for engaging in illegal employment in Hong Kong, so as to prevent them from mistakenly believing in erroneous information?
Question 3
(For oral reply)
(Translation)
Improving procurement processes of the Government and public organizations
Hon SHANG Hailong to ask:
It has been reported that a government department was recently found to have serious oversights and deficiencies in implementing its procurement process. There are views that the incident reflects the Government's failure to exercise rigorous supervision at the implementation level. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1)
how it will step up supervision of government departments' procurement processes to ensure strict adherence to procurement guidelines; whether it will introduce more frequent third-party audits or digital monitoring systems to promptly identify and rectify anomalies in procurement processes;
(2)
when reviewing the existing procurement processes, whether it will consider optimizing aspects such as contract management, supplier performance evaluation and price-quality balancing mechanisms, introducing more flexible and competitive procurement models (e.g. electronic tendering or dynamic pricing systems), and enhancing the transparency of procurement information (e.g. regularly submitting summaries of government departments' procurement contracts and supplier ratings to this Council, so that this Council can more effectively monitor the procurement processes); and
(3)
whether it will formulate clearer operational guidelines on procurement for public organizations (e.g. the Hospital Authority and the Hong Kong Housing Authority), and provide regular training and technical support to reduce procurement issues arising from errors in implementation details?
Question 4
(For oral reply)
(Translation)
Population policy planning and resource allocation
Hon Kenneth LEUNG to ask:
According to the statistics of mid-year population for 2025 released by the Census and Statistics Department, Hong Kong's overall population has shown slight growth, benefiting from various measures on talent attraction. On the other hand, society is also concerned about the integration of immigrants and the related issues of social resource allocation. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1)
of the number of persons who came to Hong Kong as dependants under various talent admission schemes in each of the past three years and this year to date; whether the authorities have projected the potential increase in population in the coming years as a result of such schemes;
(2)
as it is learnt that in recent years, hundreds of thousands of immigrants have come to Hong Kong through various talent admission schemes, of the measures put in place by the authorities to coordinate policies and supporting arrangements in areas such as education, healthcare, housing and employment to meet the needs of both the local and immigrant populations; whether tracking surveys and studies and analysis of admitted talents will be strengthened so as to optimize the effectiveness of various talent admission schemes; and
(3)
when formulating the indicators for the new round of talent admission policies, whether the Government will simultaneously consider the overall impact of the relevant talent admission schemes on the population structure, and formulate policy planning and allocate public resources from a high-level and macro perspective; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?
Question 5
(For oral reply)
(Translation)
Providing treatment for patients experiencing relapses or deterioration of rare diseases
Hon CHAN Hoi-yan to ask:
It is learnt that the Hospital Authority ("HA") is developing the Rare Diseases Database by referencing the Mainland's National Lists of Rare Diseases which contains 207 rare disease entries, with a view to facilitating the identification of the relevant patients and retrieval of their clinical records. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1)
whether it knows, according to the definitions under HA's Rare Diseases Database, the number of cases in which rare disease patients attend the accident and emergency ("A&E") departments of public hospitals for treatment in each of the past five years, and among those cases, the number involving relapses or deterioration of the diseases and the number of patients concerned, as well as the top five rare diseases with the highest number of attendances; whether it has compiled statistics on the longest and median time taken from patients arriving at the A&E departments to receiving treatment;
(2)
whether it knows how HA's healthcare staff make use of the Rare Diseases Database to assist in the diagnosis and treatment of rare disease patients in terms of clinical applications, in particular those patients seeking treatment without scheduled appointments due to relapses or deterioration of the diseases; and
(3)
given that irreversible damage could be caused to patients suffering from certain rare diseases with high relapse rates (such as neuromyelitis optica) if timely medical treatment is not administered, whether the Government knows if HA will set up a multi-specialty expert panel in respect of such rare diseases to regularly review treatment protocols and the procedures for handling the patients concerned by the A&E departments, as well as to formulate the relevant clinical guidelines and define the golden hours for treatment so as to expedite diagnosis and treatment for such patients?
Question 6
(For oral reply)
(Translation)
Development of telemedicine services
Prof Hon CHAN Wing-kwong to ask:
Regarding the development of telemedicine services, will the Government inform this Council:
(1)
as it is learnt that the Hospital Authority ("HA") provides telemedicine services through the "HA Go" mobile application and the clinical management system used by healthcare professionals, whether the Government knows the number of tele-consultation services provided by HA through these channels to date, the number of patients involved as well as the respective feedback from healthcare professionals and patients on these services;
(2)
whether it knows the number of complaints concerning telemedicine services received by the Government and relevant public organizations in the past three years, and the content and follow-up situations respectively of those complaints; and
(3)
as a study released earlier on by the Consumer Council has pointed out the privacy risks involved when consumers receive telemedicine services through applications such as WhatsApp and Zoom nowadays, whether the authorities will consider strengthening the functionality of the eHealth or HA Go mobile applications, so that private healthcare service providers can provide telemedicine services to patients through these platforms and applications, so as to enhance the protection of personal information and health data, and promote the development of telemedicine services?
Question 7
(For written reply)
(Translation)
Promoting carbon inclusive initiatives
Dr Hon Hoey Simon LEE to ask:
During the debate on the Member's motion on "Expeditiously kick-starting the construction of a carbon inclusive market" in this Council on 20 November last year, the Under Secretary for Environment and Ecology stated that the Administration would draw reference from the development and experiences of carbon inclusive initiatives in different provinces and municipalities to explore the possibility of expanding schemes such as the GREEN$ scheme in Hong Kong, with a view to further encouraging members of the public to practise a green and low-carbon lifestyle. There are views that the current GREEN$ scheme, which aims to encourage public participation in resource separation and recycling activities in daily life, has yet to be developed into a more comprehensive, mature and systematic carbon inclusive mechanism. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1)
given that members of the public can currently earn GREEN$ Points by participating in recycling activities for redeeming gifts, and that different types of recyclables yield similar number of GREEN$ Points per kilogram or per piece, of the criteria the authorities have adopted to determine the number of GREEN$ Points for various types of recyclables;
(2)
as it is learnt that some private organizations currently reward members of the public for their pro-environmental behaviour, such as recycling, by calculating the corresponding carbon reduction, so as to better incentivize the public, whether the authorities will consider drawing on such a practice to base GREEN$ Points on the carbon reduction of recyclables, thereby enhancing the appeal and effectiveness of the GREEN$ scheme;
(3)
whether it will consider making reference to the Mainland mobile applications that record public carbon reduction behaviours, and expanding the scope of the GREEN$ scheme to incorporate various green and low-carbon behaviours across the categories of "clothing, food, accommodation and transport" into GREEN$ Points, so as to create a multi-dimensional carbon inclusive ecosystem;
(4)
whether it will consider encouraging more businesses to participate in the GREEN$ scheme, such as by allowing GREEN$ Points to be used for redeeming shopping vouchers or enabling point interoperability with more reward platforms, so as to strengthen incentives for public participation in the scheme and stimulate local retail consumption while encouraging carbon reduction; and
(5)
whether it will collaborate with other Mainland cities in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area to introduce a common carbon inclusive strategy or mechanism?
Question 8
(For written reply)
(Translation)
Promoting the implementation of the Belt and Road Initiative
Hon MA Fung-kwok to ask:
Hong Kong has been actively participating in the development opportunities presented by the Belt and Road Initiative ("B&RI"). The SAR Government regularly organizes official and business delegations to conduct visits to relevant countries/regions, and has hosted the Belt and Road Summit in Hong Kong for 10 consecutive years. Regarding the promotion of the implementation of B&RI, will the Government inform this Council:
(1)
whether the SAR Government has plans to organize delegations in the coming year; if so, of the details, and whether there are plans to conduct visits to over 70 countries/regions along the Belt and Road;
(2)
given that the SAR Government is actively pursuing the establishment of Economic and Trade Offices ("ETOs") in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia and Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, of the progress of the relevant work; whether the authorities have provided training on Islamic culture for personnel intending to apply for posts at these two ETOs, or recruited Muslim personnel to be posted to these two ETOs;
(3)
to enhance the understanding of Hong Kong people and enterprises about the Belt and Road countries/regions, apart from hosting the Belt and Road Summit, whether the Government has plans to organize introductory courses on the politics, economy, society, and cultural customs of the countries/regions along the Belt and Road;
(4)
as there are views that the Belt and Road countries/regions possess their own unique cultural and artistic heritage, whether the SAR Government engaged in cultural and artistic exchanges with these countries/regions in each of the past three years, so as to establish Hong Kong's role as an East-meets-West Centre for international cultural exchange; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; and
(5)
of the achievements made by the Belt and Road Office over the past year in promoting the cooperation and exchanges, as well as the economic ties between Hong Kong and countries/regions along the Belt and Road?
Question 9
(For written reply)
(Translation)
Hotel accommodation tax
Hon YIU Pak-leung to ask:
The Government has resumed the collection of hotel accommodation tax ("HAT") at a rate of 3% on the accommodation charges with effect from 1 January this year. However, some members of the hotel and guesthouse industry are of the view that, given the rising operating costs, fierce competitions from the nearby markets and the significantly heightened sensitivity to hotel accommodation charges among visitors, the Government should continue to pay attention to and assess the impact of reinstating HAT on the industry. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1)
whether it has compiled statistics on the following information regarding hotels and guesthouses in Hong Kong in each month from January to June this year: (i) the number of hotels and guesthouses and (ii) the total number of rooms provided (broken down by whether or not HAT has been charged), as well as (iii) the amount of HAT collected by the Government (set out in a table);
(2)
whether it has compiled statistics on the number of rooms which are considered as long-term accommodations among those set out in (1) on which HAT is not charged (set out in a table on a monthly basis);
(3)
whether it has reviewed if the collection of HAT after its reinstatement meets expectations, and how it assesses the impact of reinstating HAT on the competitiveness of hotels in Hong Kong;
(4)
as it is learnt that the authorities have indicated that HAT is not part of the hotel room tariffs, and they have urged online travel platforms ("OTP(s)") not to calculate the commissions payable by hotels and guesthouses based on the room rates with HAT, whether the authorities have compiled statistics on the number of OTPs which are still calculating the commissions concerned based on the tax-loaded room rates at present; of the measures put in place by the authorities to promote OTPs to calculate commissions based on the room rates without HAT;
(5)
whether it will consider introducing electronic filing of documents to facilitate hotels and guesthouses in making returns in respect of their payable HAT, thereby reducing the administrative workload of the industry;
(6)
whether it has plans to make good use of the HAT revenue to promote the upgrading and transformation of hotels and guesthouses to enhance competitiveness of the industry; if so, of the details of the plans; if not, the reasons for that; and
(7)
since some members of the hotel industry are of the view that they are facing intense competition and have proposed reduction or suspension of the collection of HAT by the Government, will the Government consider such proposals; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?
Question 10
(For written reply)
(Translation)
Regulation of digital assets
Dr Hon TAN Yueheng to ask:
Since the Stablecoins Ordinance (Cap. 656) ("the Ordinance") came into effect on the first of last month, non-permitted offerors have been prohibited from offering stablecoins to retail or professional investors. However, it has been reported that as virtual asset over-the-counter ("OTC") trading institutions (including money changers) are currently not classified as permitted offerors under the Ordinance, some OTC trading institutions can take advantage of the grey areas of the Ordinance, such as through passive trading or customer-initiated quotes, to continue operation while circumventing the Ordinance, hence posing risks to investors and increasing industry uncertainty. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1)
of the current measures in place to prevent, address, and regulate the aforesaid circumvention of the Ordinance by non-permitted offerors; whether it will release specific guidelines or examples to further clarify what constitute transactions or operational activities that are not explicitly defined in the Ordinance;
(2)
as it has been reported that under the current regulatory framework, retail investors may switch to trading on offshore platforms not regulated by the Ordinance or using P2P transactions, hence subjecting them to higher investment risks, how the Government will strike a balance between strict regulation and market demand, including improving the regulatory regime, expediting licensing approvals, strengthening investor education, and broadening the scope of tradable assets (e.g. compliant stablecoins), to protect the interests of retail investors; and
(3)
given that the Government issued a consultation paper in June this year on legislative proposals for regulating digital asset dealing and custodian services, of the progress of the establishment of the licensing regime and the legislative timetable; if there is a legislative timetable, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?
Question 11
(For written reply)
(Translation)
Handling of waste vehicle tyres
Hon LAM So-wai to ask:
There are views that the disposal of large quantities of waste vehicle tyres at landfills in Hong Kong constitutes a waste of resources. Converting such tyres into rubber powder and adding it to conventional bitumin as a road paving material ("rubberized bitumin") can facilitate the handling of waste tyres, enhance environmental benefits and also reduce costs of public works projects. In addition, in a blog post on 17 August last year, the then Secretary for Transport and Logistics indicated that the Highways Department ("HyD") had achieved satisfactory results in its research on the application of rubberized bitumin in road paving and was exploring the wider use of this material in road maintenance works. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1)
of the number of waste vehicle tyres disposed of at landfills since last year;
(2)
of the total consumption of bituminous materials in road works across the territory and the quantity of waste tyres recycled for use in rubberized bitumin in each of the past three years; whether the authorities have plans to fully adopt rubberized bitumin for road paving, and whether an assessment has been conducted on the potential waste reduction benefits of using this material for road paving (including the additional quantity of waste tyres that could be handled annually after its full adoption); if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; and
(3)
given that according to the information on HyD's web page, the government has fully adopted a low noise road paving material called "Highly Modified Stone Mastic Asphalt" for road paving since April this year. However, HyD has also stated that it has been conducting site trials on rubberized bitumin to formulate criteria for future application of this material in road paving, of the authorities' major considerations when deciding on the choice of road paving materials (e.g. whether technical and cost differences are included)?
Question 12
(For written reply)
(Translation)
Enhancement of cross-boundary remittance arrangements
Hon Dennis LEUNG to ask:
There are views pointing out that the demand for cross-boundary remittances between Hong Kong and the Mainland is increasing, yet restrictions on remittance limits and channel regulation remain imperfect. Regarding the enhancement of cross-boundary remittance arrangements, will the Government inform this Council:
(1)
whether it has compiled statistics on (i) the number of agencies providing cross-boundary remittance services between Hong Kong and the Mainland, (ii) the total amount of remittance involved, and (iii) the total amount of banks' revenue from the provision of the relevant cross-boundary remittance services under the Qualified Foreign Institutional Investor ("QFII") scheme in each of the years between January 2016 and June 2025 (set out in Table 1);
Table 1
| Year | (i) | (ii) | (iii) |
| 2016 | | | |
| …… | | | |
2025
(January to June) | | | |
(2)
whether it has compiled statistics on the respective numbers of (a) transactions and (b) remittances in total (including telegraphic transfers) from Hong Kong to the Mainland ("northbound") through banks by (i) individuals and (ii) institutions in each year from January 2019 to June 2025 (set out in Table 2);
Table 2
| Year | (i) | (ii) |
| (a) | (b) | (a) | (b) |
| 2019 | | | | |
| …… | | | | |
2025
(January to June) | | | | |
(3)
whether the Government has requested that remittance agencies compile statistics on the use of remittances by individuals/institutions; if so, of the details (including a breakdown of the data on the use of remittances); if not, whether it will request that remittance agencies compile the relevant data and standardize the category of the relevant uses;
(4)
whether it has compiled statistics on the remittance handling fee structure (including the actual fee charged for each remittance) of the various legal and authorized remittance agencies (such as banks) providing northbound cross-boundary remittance services in Hong Kong and the Mainland to individuals from January 2019 to June 2025, as well as the total amount of proceeds earned from remittance services provided by such agencies;
(5)
as there are views that the Mainland's facilitative foreign exchange arrangement subject to an annual quota of US$50,000 per person has not been adjusted in light of market developments, whether the Government has plans to discuss with the State Administration of Foreign Exchange the adjustment of this quota against the background of the ongoing deepening of the financial cooperation between Hong Kong and the Mainland as well as the joint promotion of cross-boundary financial interconnection and mutual access in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area;
(6)
whether the Government will consider encouraging banks to adjust their fees and charges for cross-boundary remittances and stepping up public education and publicity to encourage members of the public to remit money through legal and compliant channels; if not, of the reasons for that; and
(7)
whether it will consider further regulating the operations of non-banking agencies involved in cross-boundary remittance services (e.g. money changers, etc.), including requiring such agencies to transfer fund through legal and compliant channels, and setting up mechanisms on minimum capital requirements, risk reserve standards and daily operational monitoring; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?
Question 13
(For written reply)
(Translation)
Promoting the development of the yacht industry
Hon Benson LUK to ask:
In the second quarter of this year, the Guangdong Maritime Safety Administration issued the "Implementation Plan for the Free Flow of Yachts among Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao (Draft for Comments)" ("the Plan") with the aim of promoting the synergistic development of the yacht industry in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area ("GBA") and facilitating the flow of yachts in GBA. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1)
whether the SAR Government has plans to formulate measures to dovetail with the proposals for the free flow of yachts in the Plan, so as to expedite the promotion of the yacht industry's development in Hong Kong; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that;
(2)
whether it has plans to permit non-Hong Kong yachts to enter and exit Hong Kong waters for multiple times within a specified period upon entering Hong Kong without having to undergo port formalities again, and to hold discussions with the Government of Guangdong Province on streamlining the immigration arrangements for yachts, so that non-Hong Kong yachts with the permission to enter Hong Kong waters may also sail to other Mainland cities in GBA; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that;
(3)
whether it has plans to streamline the existing immigration and customs clearance procedures for yacht crew and passengers entering and exiting Hong Kong, such as streamlining the existing requirement that yacht masters or their agents must undergo formalities such as immigration inspection and customs declaration at different locations; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that;
(4)
given that under the law, non-Hong Kong yachts must obtain the permission of the Director of Marine in order to navigate in Hong Kong waters, whether the authorities have plans to streamline the vetting and approval procedures for such vessels to navigate in Hong Kong waters; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; and
(5)
of the ways to motivate enterprises to organize more yacht exhibitions and sales fairs in Hong Kong, and to attract more overseas and Mainland yacht builders and manufacturers of yacht accessories to establish branch offices in Hong Kong, so as to promote the development of the yacht industry?
Question 14
(For written reply)
(Translation)
Building a data trading ecosystem
Hon Martin LIAO to ask:
The Financial Secretary has indicated in the 2024-2025 Budget that the Government has commissioned an expert group to undertake an in depth study on how to develop a robust data trading ecosystem in Hong Kong. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1)
given that the facilitation measure on the Standard Contract for the Cross-boundary Flow of Personal Information Within the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (Mainland, Hong Kong) ("the GBA Standard Contract") has been extended to all sectors since 1 November last year to facilitate the safe cross-boundary flow of personal information within the GBA, of the current number of enterprises participating in the GBA Standard Contract and the details of their respective industries;
(2)
whether the Government will explore the setting up of a data exchange in Hong Kong and the development of a comprehensive data market trading system, including standardized data format, data pricing mechanisms, categorized and hierarchical rules for data protection, data security protection mechanisms, definition of data ownership, etc., with a view to enhancing the marketization of data elements; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; and
(3)
as there are views that, following the active development of the data trading market in the Mainland, more legal disputes relating to cross-boundary data trading (such as those concerning data storage, processing, ownership, and trading) may arise constantly, how will the Government capitalize on Hong Kong's strengths as a "super connector" and an international arbitration centre to establish a cross-boundary data trading dispute resolution mechanism, thereby laying a solid foundation for developing a robust data trading ecosystem?
Question 15
(For written reply)
(Translation)
Non-local people coming to Hong Kong to participate in short-term activities and receive training
Hon Sunny TAN to ask:
It is learnt that with Hong Kong advancing the development of the "eight centres", an increasing number of non-local people are participating in activities held in Hong Kong. However, under the current system, non-local people coming to Hong Kong at invitation to participate in short-term or one-off activities, such as seminars, talks, contract signings and internships, must apply for employment or training visas. Although the Immigration Facilitation Scheme for Visitors Participating in Short-term Activities in Designated Sectors ("the STV Scheme") launched by the Government can provide immigration facilitation for visitors coming to Hong Kong to participate in short-term activities, the Scheme is only for persons invited/sponsored by authorized host organizations. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1)
as some members of the industry have relayed that although the Immigration Department states the standard processing time for visa applications for employment, investment, training, etc. in Hong Kong is typically four weeks, their past experience shows that the relevant procedures take about six to eight weeks, and that there have even been instances where guests were unable to attend activities due to the unduly long time required for processing visa applications, whether the authorities will consider setting a more specific timeframe for processing visa applications for those coming to Hong Kong to participate in short-term or one-off activities, so as to enable applicants and activity organizers to make more accurate plans;
(2)
of the up-to-date number of persons who have come to Hong Kong to participate in specified short-term activities through the STV Scheme, and set out in the table below a breakdown by the 12 designated sectors under the Scheme;
| Designated sector | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 to date |
| Medical and healthcare | | | | |
| Higher education | | | | |
| Arts and culture | | | | |
| Sports | | | | |
| Heritage | | | | |
| Creative industries | | | | |
| Innovation and technology | | | | |
| Hong Kong Laureate Forum | | | | |
| Aviation | | | | |
| International / Mega events | | | | |
| Finance | | | | |
| Development and construction | | | | |
(3)
as there are views that with an increasing number of mega events being held in Hong Kong, the current practice of having statutory bodies and government departments as the main authorized host organizations under the STV Scheme can hardly meet development needs, whether the authorities will consider optimizing the Scheme, for example by phasing in the expansion of the list of authorized host organizations to include commercial organizations as necessary, requiring such organizations to sign declarations pledging not to abuse the mechanism, and enlisting authoritative organizations in various industries to assist the authorities in processing visa applications, so as to meet the development needs of the "eight centres"; and
(4)
as there are views that with more and more Mainland enterprises "going global" through Hong Kong, many Mainland residents will need to receive training in Hong Kong, whether the authorities will consider extending the eligibility criteria for visas to undergo training in Hong Kong to cover all Mainland residents, so as to further enhance the competitiveness of Hong Kong's professional services in assisting enterprises to expand overseas?
Question 16
(For written reply)
(Translation)
Prevention of traffic accidents on expressways
Hon CHAN Yuet-ming to ask:
There are views that expressways such as Tuen Mun Road, Tolo Highway and San Tin Highway are traffic black spots in Hong Kong, on which light goods vehicles use the right most lane from time to time, affecting traffic flow capacity and obstructing the view of drivers of following vehicles, thereby posing traffic safety hazards. In view of this, the Government may review the arrangements for the right to use the right most lane of an expressway, with a view to reducing traffic accidents. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1)
of the numbers of traffic accidents involving various types of vehicles on expressways and the related casualties in each of the past five years;
(2)
as there are views that quite a number of traffic accidents are caused by overtaking, of the respective numbers of prosecutions instituted by the Police in each of the past five years against vehicles for prolonged occupation of the right most lane on an expressway, as well as for illegal use of such traffic lane;
(3)
as the existing legislation provides that medium goods vehicles, heavy goods vehicles and buses are prohibited from using the right most lane of an expressway where the carriageway has three or more traffic lanes available unless they are heading for a right side exit, but such restriction does not apply to light goods vehicles, of the means by which the Government distinguishes the classes of vehicles on traffic lanes in the course of enforcement, for example, only by visual observation or by using other auxiliary methods; and
(4)
to avoid traffic accidents on expressways caused by goods vehicles obstructing the view of drivers of following vehicles, whether the Government has plans to further prohibit goods vehicles from using the right most lane of expressways, for example, whether it will consider restricting goods vehicles exceeding a certain height from using such lane; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?
Question 17
(For written reply)
(Translation)
Mortgage terms for aged buildings
Dr Hon Wendy HONG to ask:
It is learnt that in recent years, the Government has actively promoted urban renewal, replacing large-scale redevelopment with a "rehabilitation first" strategy to improve building structural safety and prolong their lifespan. Members of the public have recently relayed to me that, even when rehabilitation works have been completed for the buildings and safety standards met to prolong their service life, banks still adopt the "75 minus building age" calculation method (i.e. residential properties over 55 years old can only be granted a maximum mortgage term of 20 years) when assessing mortgage applications. This not only adds to the burden of down payments and monthly mortgage payments on members of the public, but also reduces the liquidity of old buildings. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1)
as it is learnt that the Government is vigorously promoting building rehabilitation as an alternative to redevelopment, whether the authorities have discussed with the Hong Kong Monetary Authority the possibility of appropriately extending the mortgage term for buildings that have completed rehabilitation and passed safety inspections; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that;
(2)
whether the Government will consider establishing a certification mechanism for buildings that have completed prescribed inspections and prescribed repairs, so that banks may consider extending the mortgage term when approving mortgages for such buildings; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; and
(3)
whether it has compiled statistics on the following information of residential properties currently aged 50 years or above: (i) the total number, (ii) the number of households having mortgages among them, and (iii) their median monthly mortgage payments and loan repayments; if it has not compiled statistics, of the reasons for that?
Question 18
(For written reply)
(Translation)
Prevention of mosquito-borne diseases
Hon LEUNG Man-kwong to ask:
The Centre for Health Protection of the Department of Health ("DH") has pointed out that, with the increase in temperature and rainfall in summer, the risk of transmission of mosquito-borne diseases (including chikungunya fever ("CF") and dengue fever ("DF")) increases. It has been reported that outbreaks of CF have occurred in neighbouring areas of Hong Kong, and local outbreaks of DF were seen in past summers. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1)
of the respective numbers of CF and DF cases recorded in Hong Kong in each of the past five years, and among them, the respective numbers of local and imported cases;
(2)
of the number of fever cases detected in the health screening work at various boundary control points ("BCPs") in the past three months, and among them, the number of cases eventually confirmed to be mosquito-borne diseases;
(3)
how DH will strengthen the health screening work for travellers from areas with high risk of mosquito-borne diseases at various BCPs (including all land BCPs and the airport), for example, whether it will consider conducting rapid tests on travellers showing relevant symptoms and passengers on relevant flights, so as to shorten the time required for confirming mosquito-borne diseases;
(4)
how the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department and relevant government departments will step up mosquito control efforts in areas with serious mosquito infestation in Hong Kong, and of the details of such mosquito control work so far this year; and
(5)
whether the Government will consider introducing new technologies to enhance the effectiveness of mosquito control work?
Question 19
(For written reply)
(Translation)
Support for construction industry talents
Hon Tony TSE to ask:
With the endeavours made by me and the industry, the Government launched a subsidy scheme in 2020 ("the 2020 Scheme") as a means of encouraging and supporting private organizations to employ graduates and assistant professionals of the engineering, architectural, surveying, town planning and landscape ("EASTL") sectors, so as to enable them to acquire necessary work experience in order to obtain professional qualifications and to alleviate the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on the industry. As the impacts of the pandemic on the job market remained, the Development Bureau further launched in 2021 an initiative called "Support for Engineering, Architectural, Surveying, Town Planning and Landscape Sectors 2.0" ("the 2021 Scheme") to assist the industry in tiding over the difficult times and reducing its manpower drain. In view of the recent downturn in the construction industry, the Government announced in the Budget of this year that the Construction Industry Council ("CIC") would allocate around $150 million to subsidize the construction industry to provide on-the-job training for about 2 500 graduates of EASTL degree programmes ("the 2025 Scheme") and provide a monthly subsidy of $5,000 to each eligible/approved young talent for a period of 12 months. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1)
of the following details about the 2020 Scheme and the 2021 Scheme: (i) the number of applications for subsidy places, (ii) the number of approved subsidy places, (iii) the number of employees to whom salary subsidies were actually disbursed, and (iv) the total amount of salary subsidies eventually disbursed, with a breakdown by professional sector;
(2)
of the following details about the 2025 Scheme: (i) the number of applications for subsidy places, and (ii) the number of approved subsidy places, with a breakdown by professional sector;
(3)
as some members of the industry have expressed that with the severe downturn in the construction industry, it is expected that many companies will be unable to increase their employment of graduates, whether the Government and CIC will take account of the actual circumstances and, without the need for additional resources, appropriately increase the monthly subsidy amount under the 2025 Scheme, so as to enhance the industry's motivation to employ more graduates; and
(4)
as there are views suggesting that the downturn in the construction industry is expected to persist for quite some time, and massive development projects (including the Northern Metropolis) will require a substantial amount of related professional talents in the future, whether the Government will consider the provision of additional subsidies and an extension of the relevant subsidy scheme?
Question 20
(For written reply)
(Translation)
Reclamation project for the Kau Yi Chau Artificial Islands
Ir Dr Hon LO Wai-kwok to ask:
The SAR Government has earlier on indicated that the Government would first concentrate its efforts on pressing ahead the development of the Northern Metropolis, while the pace to take forward the reclamation project for the Kau Yi Chau Artificial Islands ("KYCAI project") could be slowed down. Nevertheless, the authorities would prudently complete the necessary preparatory work in the study stage. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1)
given that in the reply to a question raised by a Member of this Council on the Estimates of Expenditure for the financial year 2025-2026, the Government indicated that the Civil Engineering and Development Department was reviewing and fine-tuning the relevant background information and project description in the Environmental Impact Assessment report for the KYCAI project, and would make the report available for public inspection in a timely manner, of the latest progress of the relevant work;
(2)
of the studies being undertaken by the Government on the KYCAI project which seek to ensure that the construction works of the project can be commenced swiftly at appropriate times in the future; and
(3)
whether a development timetable has been drawn up for the KYCAI project at present; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?
Question 21
(For written reply)
(Translation)
Handling of flooding in Islands District
Hon Kenneth LAU to ask:
The Hong Kong Observatory has recently issued the Black Rainstorm Signal on multiple occasions. It is learnt that consecutive rainstorms have caused serious flooding in a number of rural areas, including South Lantau Road on Lantau Island, Ham Tin Kau Tsuen and Ham Tin San Tsuen (collectively referred to as "Ham Tin Tsuen"), Shap Long Kau Tsuen and Shap Long San Tsuen (collectively referred to as "Shap Long Tsuen"), and Yung Shue Wan on Lamma Island. After the consecutive black rainstorms, I have visited Ham Tin Tsuen and Shap Long Tsuen, where a relatively large number of elderly persons reside. Local villagers have relayed that flooding into houses occurred during every rainstorm, causing all their electrical appliances and wiring to be soaked and posing dangers; however, when villagers telephoned the relevant government departments for assistance, no immediate handling was provided, resulting in heavy losses on their part and leaving them at a loss. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1)
of the numbers of flooding reports from villages in South Lantau received by the authorities in each of the past five years; the main causes for the occurrence of flooding in such cases; the handling time required and outcome for each case respectively;
(2)
regarding the situation of flooding into houses and damage to wiring and electrical appliances occur during every rainstorm relayed by the aforesaid villagers, of the immediate or long-term remedial measures that the Government will adopt;
(3)
whether it has regularly (for example, annually or quarterly) inspected and cleared the drainage channels in the aforesaid areas to ensure proper functioning of the drainage systems; if so, of the situation of blockage of drainage channels found during the inspections, as well as the respective numbers of relevant inspections and clearances; and
(4)
in the face of increasingly frequent extreme weather events, of the measures in place to assist villagers in the aforesaid areas (especially elderly persons) to enhance their capabilities in coping with rainstorms and flooding; whether it will strengthen the support for them under rainstorms and flooding in future (for example, setting up a dedicated hotline or a response team)?
Question 22
(For written reply)
(Translation)
Elderly Health Centres
Hon CHAN Chun-ying to ask:
The Department of Health has 18 Elderly Health Centres ("EHCs") in Hong Kong. Elderly aged 65 and above can be enrolled as members of EHCs. However, it is learnt that the current waiting time for membership is relatively long. As at June this year, these 18 centres were still processing applications submitted in 2023 or earlier. On the other hand, to minimize service duplication, the Primary Healthcare Commission plans to migrate EHC services to District Health Centres ("DHCs") in various districts in phases. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1)
of the following information about the EHC in various districts in each of the past three years: the number of membership applications received, the number of new members and total membership, the average waiting time for membership applications, and the average waiting time for major services such as health screening, medical treatment, injection and dressing;
(2)
whether it has examined the reasons for the lengthy processing time for membership applications at EHCs; whether it has taken measures to enhance the speed and efficiency of processing membership applications; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; and
(3)
of the timetable and transitional arrangements for migrating EHC services to DHCs?