Question 1
(For oral reply)
(Translation)
Measures to foster the development of the Northern Metropolis
Hon Jeffrey LAM to ask:
This year's Policy Address has proposed to accelerate the development of the Northern Metropolis. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1)
as the Government has indicated that it will adopt diversified development models including large-scale land disposal to promote market participation for expediting the development of the Northern Metropolis, and intends to roll out the Hung Shui Kiu pilot area for large-scale land disposal in the fourth quarter of this year, as well as the pilot areas in Fanling North New Development Area and San Tin Technopole next year, of the specific tendering procedures for these three pilot areas, and when the relevant timetable will be announced;
(2)
as it has been reported that the Government plans to adopt the "two-envelope approach" in the tender exercises for certain land projects in the Northern Metropolis, so that factors such as the technical, economic and tax contributions of the bidding enterprises can be considered at the same time during the assessment process, of the specific scoring criteria for such tender exercises (including the respective weightings for the technical and price aspects); how the Government will ensure the openness and transparency of the assessment process; and
(3)
of the latest leasing position of the Hong Kong Park of the Hetao Shenzhen-Hong Kong Science and Technology Innovation Co-operation Zone in the Northern Metropolis, including the number of enterprises that have signed leases to date, and the expected date of commencement of operation of the first batch of tenants; the further supporting and preferential measures put in place by the authorities to attract high-end innovation and technology enterprises to the Park?
Question 2
(For oral reply)
(Translation)
The BUD Fund
Hon Sunny TAN to ask:
The 2025 Policy Address announced an injection of $1.43 billion into the Dedicated Fund on Branding, Upgrading and Domestic Sales ("BUD Fund") and an expansion of its geographical scope. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1)
as some members of the trade have relayed that the simplified application track under the BUD Fund ("Easy BUD") is very popular among the trade, whether the Government will consider raising the funding ceiling for each Easy BUD project from $100,000 to $300,000; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that;
(2)
whether the Government will consider further expanding the application scope of the BUD Fund to cover all markets outside Hong Kong, so as to align with the application scope of the SME Export Marketing Fund which will be consolidated into the BUD Fund next year, thereby better supporting the trade in developing domestic sales, as well as traditional and emerging markets; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; and
(3)
given that the Government's Operating Account is expected to record a surplus in the next financial year, whether the Government will consider adjusting the matching ratio of the BUD Fund to 1:1 of the total approved expenditure between the Government and the enterprises, so as to assist the trade in upgrading their operations; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?
Question 3
(For oral reply)
(Translation)
Mobile applications launched by government departments
Ir Hon LEE Chun-keung to ask:
There are views that the functions of mobile applications launched by the Government are fragmented, and that members of the public often need to download multiple applications to access various government information and services, which in effect results in a waste of time and public money. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1)
of the 10 government mobile applications with the lowest number of downloads in each of the past five years and their respective download figures; whether the numbers of downloads of these applications have met the targets set at the time of their launch;
(2)
of the 10 government departments that have provided the largest number of mobile applications for public download in each of the past five years, and set out the key functions of these applications and their respective annual maintenance costs; and
(3)
as the Government has indicated that it aims to migrate all services provided by various government mobile applications into the "iAM Smart" mini-program platform by the end of this year to achieve a "single portal for e-government services", and reduce the number of government applications by half within the coming two years, of the specific details and progress of such exercises, including whether it will integrate the newly launched "Electronic Driving Licence" mobile application from the Transport Department into "iAM Smart" to reduce maintenance costs?
Question 4
(For oral reply)
(Translation)
Clearing obstructions which pose hazards to road safety
Hon Stanley LI to ask:
Two incidents occurred respectively last month, including a case in which a bus driver was injured while driving by a metal rod propelled into the air from the road surface after being run over by vehicles, and another where a bus was struck by road debris on its windscreen. These incidents have aroused grave public concern about the risks posed by obstructions on road surface to road users. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1)
whether it will take measures to step up clearance of obstructions on highways, such as by increasing inspection frequency, installing additional closed-circuit televisions along the roads, improving clearance procedures, etc., so as to effectively ensure the safety of all road users; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that;
(2)
whether the Government will review the existing legislation to impose additional fines and other heavier penalties on behaviours concerning depositing or leaving objects on carriageways which may pose hazards to road safety, with a view to enhancing the deterrent effect; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; and
(3)
whether it will review the existing mechanism for members of the public to report road obstructions, establish more convenient channels for reporting potential road safety hazards, such as by setting up dedicated hotlines and online platforms, etc., and step up road safety publicity and education efforts to encourage members of the public to proactively report potential road safety hazards and remove them under safe circumstances, thereby jointly preventing the recurrence of related accidents; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?
Question 5
(For oral reply)
(Translation)
Preventing abuse of the talent admission schemes
Dr Hon Hoey Simon LEE to ask:
It is reported that some individuals come to Hong Kong under the talent admission schemes but leave after giving birth to their children, with the sole purpose of obtaining the Hong Kong permanent resident status for their children, rather than a true intention to pursue their career in Hong Kong. There are views pointing out that such practice not only goes against the original intent of the talent policy, but also creates uncertainty to resource planning of various social services in Hong Kong. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1)
whether there is any mechanism under the current talent policy to prevent situations where individuals come to Hong Kong under the guise of career development but actually just to give birth;
(2)
to avoid the recurrence of a large number of doubly non-permanent resident children (i.e. children born in Hong Kong but whose parents are non-permanent residents of Hong Kong), whether the Government has considered establishing a mechanism requiring talents coming to Hong Kong and their dependants to sign a declaration confirming their intention to remain in Hong Kong for career development when making delivery bookings at public or private medical institutions in Hong Kong, or requiring them to submit supporting documents (such as proof of employment in Hong Kong or immigration records) to confirm that they have met the requirement of staying in Hong Kong for a certain number of days; and
(3)
whether it has assessed the impact of the talent admission schemes on Hong Kong's long-term population scale and structure, with a view to precisely controlling the allocation of resources for public services such as social welfare, housing, healthcare and education?
Question 6
(For oral reply)
(Translation)
Elderly Health Care Voucher Greater Bay Area Pilot Scheme
Hon Stanley NG to ask:
The Government launched the Elderly Health Care Voucher Greater Bay Area Pilot Scheme ("the Pilot Scheme") in June last year to extend the coverage of the Elderly Health Care Vouchers ("EHCVs") to suitable medical institutions in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area ("GBA"). The Pilot Scheme has now been extended to nine Mainland cities in GBA, with the number of service points increased to a total of 21 after the addition of five pilot medical institutions in August this year, further enhancing the coverage of cross-boundary healthcare services. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1)
as the Secretary for Health has previously indicated that the Government is considering progressively extending the Elderly Health Care Voucher Scheme to Fujian Province, of the relevant idea, specific arrangements and timetable;
(2)
of the number, and the number of person-times, of Hong Kong elderly persons who have used EHCVs in GBA under the Pilot Scheme to date, with a breakdown by city and medical institution; whether the Government has analysed the relevant utilization rates and trends; and
(3)
whether, during the implementation of the Pilot Scheme, the SAR Government has established a coordination mechanism with the relevant Mainland authorities in respect of the sharing of medical records, payment procedures, medical dispute resolution mechanisms, the collection of feedback from the elderly, etc., and formulated specific agreements or cooperation arrangements?
Question 7
(For written reply)
(Translation)
Safety of hikers
Dr Hon SO Cheung-wing to ask:
It has been reported that quite a number of members of the public like hiking alone, but accidents involving lone hikers have occurred from time to time in recent years. There are views that lone hikers are often unable to report to the Police for assistance promptly after accidents, causing delays in search and rescue ("S&R") operations, and in the absence of reminders from companions, they are susceptible to underestimating trail risks or overestimating their physical fitness, thus resulting in accidents. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1)
of the number of requests for assistance involving lone hikers in the past three years; the number of casualties in such cases requesting assistance, and the government expenditures involved in the relevant S&R operations;
(2)
whether it has studied the main causes of hiking accidents in the past three years; whether it has compiled statistics on the proportion of lone hikers and group hikers in such accidents, and the differences in the difficulty and duration of search and rescue between the two; and
(3)
whether it will step up publicity to encourage hiking in groups, and classify dangerous paths as "accident black spots for lone hikers" to alert hikers not to go there alone?
Question 8
(For written reply)
(Translation)
South Island Line (West) project
Hon Duncan CHIU to ask:
The Government announced in December last year that it would adopt smart and green mass transit system ("SGMTS") to take forward the South Island Line (West) ("SIL(W)") as an alternative to the original heavy rail scheme. Detailed planning and design are scheduled to begin within this year, with the aim of striving to start the preliminary construction work in 2027. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1)
of the latest progress of the planning and design work for the SIL(W) project, and the expected announcement date for the specific details of the entire project, including the estimated start and completion dates, as well as manpower and expenditure involved;
(2)
regarding the introduction of SGMTS, advanced technologies and management models adopted in the Chinese Mainland or overseas for the SIL(W) project, of the relevant feasibility studies that have been conducted by the Government and the findings of these studies; whether the Government has reached preliminary inclination or decision based on the study findings; and
(3)
given that, according to Government information, SIL(W) will pass through core innovation and technology development areas and institutions, such as Cyberport and the University of Hong Kong, whether the Government has holistically reviewed the project's construction plan and timetable to facilitate its early commencement and completion, with a view to promoting the sustainable development of innovation and technology in Hong Kong; if so, of the details (including how the entire project will be carried out in phases, which work procedures can be streamlined and compressed, the relevant construction costs, the earliest expected commissioning date, and other specific measures to enhance speed and efficiency of the project)?
Question 9
(For written reply)
(Translation)
Stepping up efforts to combat fraud
Hon Carmen KAN to ask:
According to data from the Hong Kong Police Force, there were 20 760 deception cases in Hong Kong in the first half of this year, representing a 4.3% increase compared to the same period last year, and accounting for about 48% of the overall crime figure. Regarding stepping up efforts to combat fraud, will the Government inform this Council:
(1)
of the number of telephone fraud cases reported to the police annually since the implementation of the Real-name Registration Programme for Subscriber Identification Module ("SIM") Cards, with a breakdown by whether the SIM cards held by the fraudsters were registered to Hong Kong residents, and the age groups and occupational backgrounds of the victims; the publicity strategies adopted by the authorities to prevent fraud among different groups of people and whether an assessment has been conducted on their effectiveness;
(2)
as some members of the industry have pointed out that the frequent occurrence of fraud cases stems from vulnerabilities in the first line of defence where telecommunications operators verify the identities of SIM card users, whether the authorities will study ways to strengthen the relevant identity verification requirements, such as mandating that telecommunications operators must verify original copies of customers' identity documents on the spot before issuing SIM cards, and explore feasible solutions to effectively detect the authenticity of the identity documents used by customers for registration; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that;
(3)
as the Government indicated at the meeting of the Panel on Information Technology and Broadcasting of this Council on 14 July this year that it intended to amend legislation to combat the improper use of registered SIM cards, of the current progress of the legislative amendment exercise and the legislative timetable;
(4)
when carrying out the legislative amendment exercise as mentioned in (3), whether the Government will study setting separate upper limits on the total number of SIM cards that can be registered by Hong Kong and visitors, in order to step up the combat against telephone fraud; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that;
(5)
as it is learnt that places such as the Mainland and Singapore have enacted specific legislation to prohibit activities such as the sale or rental of SIM card accounts in order to step up the combat against stooge accounts, whether the authorities will make reference to such experiences and study the feasibility of enacting specific legislation; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that;
(6)
as the Law Reform Commission ("LRC") recommended the extra-territorial application of Hong Kong law to certain offences in the Consultation Paper on Cyber-Dependent Crimes and Jurisdictional Issues published in 2022, and in order to combat cross-border crimes more effectively, including the resale of SIM cards to lawbreakers outside Hong Kong, whether the authorities will make reference to LRC's recommendations to incorporate an "extraterritoriality" provision into relevant legislation as appropriate; if so, of the details; if not, what other effective strategies the authorities have in place to address cross-border fraud crimes;
(7)
as the Banking (Amendment) Ordinance 2025, which took effect on 3 November this year, introduces a voluntary mechanism for banks to share information of corporate and individual accounts via electronic means with other banks and relevant law enforcement agencies through secure platforms designated by the Hong Kong Monetary Authority ("HKMA") when they become aware of suspected prohibited conduct (e.g. money laundering), thereby better protecting the public from fraud, of the details of the secure platform designated by the HKMA (including the current progress of the system's preparation); the number of institutions that have so far confirmed their participation in this mechanism to share account information; and
(8)
to effectively assist Hong Kong banks in verifying the identities of Mainland residents and enterprises in Hong Kong and properly carrying out the "Know Your Customer" procedures, so as to prevent individuals from opening accounts and obtaining fraudulent loans through unlawful means, what is the current progress of implementing "Cross Boundary Credit Referencing" and the "Shenzhen-Hong Kong cross-boundary data validation platform", and whether any performance indicators have been set for these initiatives?
Question 10
(For written reply)
(Translation)
Community Dental Support Programme
Hon CHAN Pui-leung to ask:
Since 26 May this year, the Government has launched the Community Dental Support Programme ("the Programme") in collaboration with non-governmental organizations ("NGOs") to promote early identification and timely intervention of dental diseases among the underprivileged groups with financial difficulties through provision of subsidized services. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1)
of the respective numbers, genders and ages of participants, as well as the distribution of their selected NGO-operated dental clinics (broken down by the 18 districts across the territory) since the launch of the Programme; the respective numbers of participants who have received the following specified subsidized dental services: (i) oral health assessment, (ii) medication for dental pain relief, (iii) X-ray examination and (iv) dental filling or extraction, and among which the number of participants who have used up the three "Teeth Filling/Extraction Quotas" within the 180-day cycle;
(2)
of the respective (i) number of participating NGOs, and (ii) the number of dental service points and their distribution in the 18 districts across the territory since the launch of the Programme;
(3)
of the financial provision earmarked by the Government for the Programme and the specific expenditure incurred since the launch of the Programme;
(4)
whether the Government has received complaints from participants since the launch of the Programme; if so, of the main issues involved, as well as the Government's handling procedures; and
(5)
whether the various indicators have met the Government's expectations since the launch of the Programme; of the measures put in place by the Government to encourage more NGOs and dental service points to participate, so that the service points can be distributed more evenly across districts to meet the demand for dental services from eligible persons?
Question 11
(For written reply)
(Translation)
2025 Legislative Council General Election
Hon CHAN Yung to ask:
Regarding the 2025 Legislative Council General Election ("LCGE"), will the Government inform this Council:
(1)
of the preparations for the 2025 LCGE, including the key stages of work, current progress and subsequent material junctures;
(2)
of the specific new measures the Government has put in place to promote the 2025 LCGE, and of the progress of preparation and expected outcomes of the relevant publicity work;
(3)
of the measures the Government has put in place to provide further convenience to electors, so as to enhance their voting desire and improve their voting experience;
(4)
in respect of the application of technologies, whether the Government has plans to introduce more technology initiatives in public elections to further improve electoral processes and efficiency; if so, of the current progress of the study on this front; and
(5)
given that during the 2023 District Council Ordinary Election, the Government had encouraged civil servants to duly fulfil their civic responsibilities and vote on polling day through various activities, how the Government will further encourage civil servants to actively participate in voting during the 2025 LCGE so as to set a good example in society?
Question 12
(For written reply)
(Translation)
Public landing steps in Tsim Sha Tsui East
Hon Frankie YICK to ask:
The Government has devoted considerable efforts to promoting tourism, with Victoria Harbour tours being one of the most popular activities among tourists. However, it is learnt that currently Victoria Harbour tours mainly take place along the promenade of Tsim Sha Tsui East, where there is an excessive demand for the limited number of public landing steps. Some industry players have further pointed out that some vessels occupy the berths at the landing steps, forcing other vessels to wait for an extended period of time for berthing. This often leads to competition for berths and even dangerous situations, raising concerns about maritime safety. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1)
of the respective usage and queuing arrangements for the various public landing steps in Tsim Sha Tsui East during weekdays, weekends and Mainland public holidays (particularly during evening hours);
(2)
whether it has compiled statistics on visitors joining Victoria Harbour tours; if so, of the respective numbers of those joining through tour groups and as individual travellers;
(3)
what measures are in place by the authorities to optimize the use of public resources, prevent vessels from occupying the public landing steps in Tsim Sha Tsui East, and maintain order for berthing of vessels and for passengers boarding the vessels for Victoria Harbour tours; and
(4)
as it is learnt that nowadays the number of restaurants and shops near Kowloon City Pier catering to tour groups has significantly dwindled and crowds of tourists no longer exist there, resulting in extremely low usage of the public landing steps at King Wan Street, Kowloon City, whether the authorities will consider gradually reactivating the public landing steps there under controlled circumstances, for example, by first allowing access during specified times on weekdays or weekends, or even during Mainland public holidays, so as to divert some of the visitors of Victoria Harbour tours from the promenade of Tsim Sha Tsui East; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?
Question 13
(For written reply)
(Translation)
Promoting the development of artificial intelligence
Prof Hon William WONG to ask:
There are views pointing out that artificial intelligence ("AI") is advancing at a rapid pace and a number of countries such as Singapore and South Korea have formulated their AI development strategies. In parallel, this year's Policy Address has proposed various initiatives to promote the development and application of AI. The State Council also issued in August this year the Opinions on Further Implementing the "Artificial Intelligence Plus" Action ("the Opinions") setting out phased objectives including realization of extensive and in-depth integration of AI with six key areas by 2027, full AI empowerment for high‑quality development by 2030, and full entry into a new stage of intelligent economic and societal development by 2035. Furthermore, the Opinions propose accelerating the implementation of six key actions, including "Artificial Intelligence Plus" in scientific and technology, industrial development, consumption upgrades, people's livelihoods and well-being, governance capacity, and global cooperation. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1)
whether it will, by drawing on the practices of other countries and regions, comprehensively review the promotion of AI development in Hong Kong and map out future strategies;
(2)
whether it will establish a phased target for Hong Kong to take forward the "Artificial Intelligence Plus" action by drawing reference from the objectives and key actions set out in the Opinions;
(3)
whether it will formulate policy initiatives to, apart from providing support to individual enterprises, proactively promote the application of AI technology in various industries, thereby enhancing the overall competitiveness of various industries in Hong Kong; and
(4)
whether it has reviewed if existing efforts to nurture AI talent are adequate to meet future demand, and whether targets have been set for manpower training in relation to the development of AI in Hong Kong?
Question 14
(For written reply)
(Translation)
Ensuring local workers' employment priority and labour rights
Hon TANG Fei to ask:
Various sectors in the community have all along been concerned about the impact of labour importation policy on local workers' employment opportunities and labour rights, and the Supplement to the 2025 Policy Address also states that the Government will announce the findings of the review of the Enhanced Supplementary Labour Scheme in the second quarter of 2026, including measures to safeguard employment priority for local workers. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1)
of the monthly number of applications received and approved under various labour importation schemes since 2023, with a breakdown by (i) type of industry of the applicant companies (based on the industry section defined by the Census and Statistics Department for labour statistics), (ii) classification of occupations, and (iii) the number of imported workers involved in each application (e.g. 1 to 10 persons, 11 to 20 persons, etc.);
(2)
as there are views pointing out that the Labour Department ("LD") has closed three job centres since April last year, which has significantly reduced the network of job centres and industry-based recruitment centres and made it difficult for some local job seekers to obtain immediate and comprehensive employment support services, prompting the chances of getting on-the-spot interviews by attending job fairs to reduce correspondingly, of the reasons for making such arrangements; given that unemployment rate in Hong Kong has rebounded since the beginning of this year, and the increase was particularly notable in some industries such as construction, and on the other hand some companies have continuously applied for labour importation, indicating that there is considerable needs for employment and recruitment in Hong Kong, whether LD will consider reinstating the number of job centres and industry-based recruitment centres (or at least maintaining the current number) and appropriately increasing the number of job fairs to enhance support for local workers in job-seeking;
(3)
of the respective number of service users of LD's job centres and industry-based recruitment centres in each year since 2023, the number of job fairs organized, the number of attendances and employers participating in the job fairs, the average number of interviews offered in each job fair, and the respective rates of change of such numbers in each year;
(4)
as it is learnt that apart from the explicit requirement for applicant companies to arrange recruitment days under the Labour Importation Scheme for the Construction Sector and the requirement for employers of the catering industry to organize job fairs at LD's job centres when importing workers for designated posts, there is no such mandatory requirements for other labour importation schemes/industries, of the reasons for that;
(5)
whether it has considered requiring all employers applying for labour importation (regardless of industry, job category and number of workers applied for) to arrange recruitment days and register available jobs at LD's job centres and industry-based recruitment centres so as to facilitate local job seekers to apply for such vacancies and ensure fairness and sincerity in the local recruitment process, thereby eliminating "bogus recruitment";
(6)
of the number of complaints received by the authorities regarding the displacement of local workers with imported workers in each year since 2023 and the industries involved; of the progress and findings of the investigations into such complaints; of the authorities' measures in place to further prevent employers from displacing local workers with imported workers; and
(7)
given that intermediaries/organizations (including unlicensed employment agencies) in the market have claimed to assist local companies in applying for labour importation subject to a charge, whether the authorities have plans for regulation in this regard to protect the rights of local workers, imported workers and applicant employers?
Question 15
(For written reply)
(Translation)
Measures in the Northern Metropolis to support upward mobility for young people
Hon Maggie CHAN to ask:
The Government has indicated in the 2025 Policy Address that the Northern Metropolis ("NM"), which covers a land area and planned population intake accounting for about one-third of Hong Kong's total, is our city's strategic development area. There are views that the development of NM provides opportunities for young people in Hong Kong to achieve upward mobility and build a happy life. Regarding measures in NM to support upward mobility for young people, will the Government inform this Council:
(1)
whether the Government has planned an upward mobility ecological chain for young people, covering such areas as education, employment, home ownership and entrepreneurship, in relation to the future development of NM; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that;
(2)
given the projection in the 2025 Policy Address that NM will create about half a million new job opportunities, of the distribution and proportions of such jobs by type; whether it has formulated training programmes and strategies for nurturing local talent in close alignment with such new jobs to assist young people in seizing the relevant opportunities;
(3)
in light of the population influx into NM brought by the aforementioned half a million new job opportunities, whether it has assessed the sufficiency of residential units in NM to meet the demand of young families; if so, of the housing plan formulated based on the assessment results, as well as the respective numerical proportions of public housing units, Home Ownership Scheme units and private residential units therein; and
(4)
whether it has planned to build facilities (including youth hostels, "Youth Post" hostels, childcare service centres, kindergartens, and primary and secondary schools) in NM to support the working youth and their families; if so, of the details of the plan; if not, the reasons for that?
Question 16
(For written reply)
(Translation)
Measures to facilitate the entry of performing groups into Hong Kong
Dr Hon CHAN Han-pan to ask:
As announced by the Government, with effective from 26 February this year, a new application fee of $600 has been introduced for various admission schemes for talents and capital investors ("specified admission schemes"), and the visa/entry permit issuance fees have been raised to $600 (with a limit of stay of 180 days or below) and $1,300 (with a limit of stay of 181 days or more) respectively. There are views relaying that the aforesaid visa fees have put heavy financial pressure on performing groups coming from other places to Hong Kong and relying on donations to maintain their operation (e.g. Shengong opera troupes performing at the Yu Lan Festival), thus affecting the transmission and exchange of traditional cultures. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1)
of the number of Chinese Mainland traditional folklore performing groups (including Shengong opera troupes) admitted to Hong Kong under the specified admission schemes in each of the past three years, as well as their members involved (set out in a table);
(2)
as it is learnt that quite a number of district organizations will invite Chinese Mainland performing groups to perform in Hong Kong during celebration events to promote cultural exchanges, whether the Government will consider waiving visa application and issuance fees or introducing a tiered fee system for members of those performing groups which do not charge the public for their performances, so as to encourage cultural exchanges in the community and promote the transmission of cultural heritage;
(3)
of the number of Chinese Mainland performing groups permitted under the Immigration Facilitation Scheme for Visitors Participating in Short-term Activities in Designated Sectors ("the STV Scheme") to participate in specified short-term activities in the arts and cultural sector during their stay as visitors since the regularization of the scheme in 2024; and
(4)
as there are views pointing out that although there is strong demand from district organizations for performances by traditional folklore performing groups, the visits of performing groups to Hong Kong via the STV Scheme are subject to the endorsement of the authorized host organizations (e.g. the Culture, Sports and Tourism Bureau) by way of invitation letters, which involves some difficulties in the process, whether the Government will consider further streamlining the relevant application procedures to enable more performing groups to come to Hong Kong for exchanges without having to apply for employment visas?
Question 17
(For written reply)
(Translation)
Implementation of national education and national security education in schools
Hon Jimmy NG to ask:
The 2024 Policy Address sets out a series of task indicators for patriotic education. These include the launch of the "Love Our Home, Treasure Our Country 3.0" series of inter‑school national education activities, the provision of training places within three years for about 1 000 junior secondary Chinese History teachers who are not major in History, and the provision of at least 1 000 training places within two years in learning circles for senior secondary Chinese History teachers. Furthermore, this year's Policy Address states that the Government will promote patriotic education facilities in the Mainland, making them the patriotic education bases of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region ("HKSAR"), and that the Education Bureau ("EDB") will also design itineraries for students to experience the founding history of our country. The latest status of the Government's implementation of national education and national security education in schools has drawn significant public attention. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1)
of the latest status of the implementation of various patriotic education measures, and among them, the number of measures that have meet their targets; whether higher targets will be set for those that have already met their targets; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that;
(2)
given that national education covers a broad range of areas, and that relevant learning elements are embedded across multiple academic subjects, whether the authorities will include more academic subjects when setting new indicators for patriotic education in the future; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that;
(3)
given that EDB has administered multiple rounds of the Basic Law and National Security Law Test for teachers, of the respective pass rates for these test rounds;
(4)
of the number of schools applied for the Enhanced "My Pledge to Act" Funding Programme in the past three years, so that these schools are provided with additional resources to strengthen the implementation of national education and national security education in schools; the proportion of successful applications under the Programme and the average amount of funding granted per approved application;
(5)
as it is reported that EDB has recently updated the national security curriculum framework for primary and secondary schools to highlight the concept of "comprehensive security", and will organize briefing sessions and teacher training courses to provide support for schools in implementing national security education, of the respective details of those briefing sessions and training courses, including the estimated number of sessions to be held and the number of teachers expected to receive training;
(6)
of the details regarding the promotion of patriotic education facilities in the Mainland, including the estimated number of such facilities that will become the patriotic education bases of HKSAR, and the names of these facilities; and
(7)
of the estimated time and manpower required by EDB to design itineraries for students to experience the founding history of our country; the expected timeline to make these itineraries available for schools to register for participation?
Question 18
(For written reply)
(Translation)
Legislation related to protecting children
Hon Judy CHAN to ask:
There are views that safeguarding children's safety and well-being is of paramount importance, but as the scope of Hong Kong's legislation related to protecting children and the age ceilings for children stipulated therein are inconsistent, a review is warranted. For example, under the Employment of Children Regulations (Cap. 57B), persons who have attained 13 and 15 years may be employed in non-industrial establishments and in industrial work respectively; under the Marriage Ordinance (Cap. 181), persons who have attained 16 years may marry upon production of written consent from their parents or guardians; while under section 27 of the Offences against the Person Ordinance (Cap. 212), the age ceiling for children stipulated in respect of the offence of "ill-treatment or neglect by those in charge of child or young person" is 16, and parents may breach the law by leaving children aged below 16 unattended at home. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1)
of the number of persons convicted for contravening section 27 of Cap. 212 in each of the past five years, and among them, the number of cases involving leaving children unattended at home;
(2)
as it is learnt that some schools have informed parents that students in primary three or above may travel to and from school by themselves without parental escort, whether the authorities know about this situation, and whether clear guidelines regarding the requirements of relevant legislative provisions under Cap. 212 are issued to schools, with a view to preventing the occurrence of accidents;
(3)
whether it has plans to comprehensively review the legislation related to safeguarding children's safety, with a view to standardizing the standards and better safeguarding the well-being of children; and
(4)
as the Chief Executive announced in the 2025 Policy Address that the School-based After School Care Service Scheme would be enhanced by uncapping the number of places to expand support for primary students and parents in need, but there are views pointing out that the scheme only covers primary students, and under the existing provisions of section 27 of Cap. 212, it implies that parents with children aged 12 to below 16 still face difficulties in going out to work, whether the Government has policy initiatives in place to assist such parents, so as to encourage childbearing and unleash the labour force?
Question 19
(For written reply)
(Translation)
Upgrading facilities at Kowloon Park
Hon Doreen KONG to ask:
There are views that as one of Hong Kong's major urban parks, Kowloon Park is rich with historical heritage and well located. However, with the changes in time, some facilities in the park have become outdated and underutilized, and the overall development potential has yet to be fully realized. Regarding the upgrading of facilities at Kowloon Park, will the Government inform this Council:
(1)
of the numbers of users and utilization rates of various major facilities at Kowloon Park (such as swimming pool, sports centre, children's playground, discovery playground) in each of the past three years, as well as the results of satisfaction surveys, with a breakdown by type of facility;
(2)
as there are views pointing out that Victoria Park, which is a major urban recreational space like Kowloon Park, has become a popular destination for members of the public and visitors due to its frequent hosting of diversified large-scale events, of the comparison of the utilization of similar facilities between these two parks (such as swimming pool, sports centre/sports venue, children's playground) in the past three years; whether it has specifically analysed the main reasons for the differences in the utilization rates of facilities at these two parks;
(3)
of the regular mechanisms and specific measures put in place by the authorities to regularly inspect, maintain and revamp the facilities at Kowloon Park to ensure that such facilities meet the needs of the public and remain in good condition; whether it has formulated enhancement plans to raise Kowloon Park's attractiveness to locals and visitors (such as improving spatial planning and design in the park, organizing more diversified events), thereby increasing the utilization rates of facilities in the park;
(4)
whether the authorities will consider adopting a "public-private partnership" model for the renovation works of Kowloon Park, allowing the private sector to participate in the design, operation and maintenance of specific areas in the park, so as to alleviate the Government's financial burden and accelerate the revamp of facilities; and
(5)
given that the Government announced last year the conversion of Block 58 of the former Whitfield Barracks in Kowloon Park into a Chinese Culture Experience Centre, and the construction of an Annex Block at the nearby Hong Kong Observatory Headquarters, Tsim Sha Tsui to provide facilities including a Public Information and Education Concourse, etc., how the Government integrates the above projects with the existing facilities and activities in Kowloon Park to create a unified space for recreational, cultural and tourism experience; whether it will establish an inter-departmental collaboration mechanism for the above projects and integration efforts to create synergy effects, thereby enhancing visitor flow and public participation in the area?
Question 20
(For written reply)
(Translation)
Implementation of the Youth Hostel Scheme
Hon Vincent CHENG to ask:
It has been over 13 years since the Government launched the Youth Hostel Scheme. Of the seven youth hostel projects whose construction is fully funded by the Government, only two have been put into service. Furthermore, the Government expanded the Scheme in 2023 by subsidizing non-governmental organizations in renting suitable hotels and guesthouses for use as youth hostels ("the Subsidy Scheme"), with six projects approved to date. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1)
of the latest progress of the five youth hostel projects whose construction is fully funded by the Government but not yet put into service, and whether there have been any delays in these projects; if so, of the reasons for that; 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 two projects at Castle Peak Road and Salvation Army Street, Wan Chai were respectively at the "pre-construction works" and "technical feasibility studies" stages, whether the Government will continue with these two construction projects;
(2)
of the latest room occupancy rate and number of tenants of the six youth hostel projects under the Subsidy Scheme respectively;
(3)
given that it is stipulated under the Subsidy Scheme that youth tenants of youth hostel projects shall participate in no less than 200 hours of community or volunteer services each year to give back to the community, of the attainment rates of youth tenants in terms of the above requirement (set out by project); as it is learnt that some young people have refrained from applying for youth hostels due to concerns about failing to meet the community service hour requirement, whether the Government has assessed the effectiveness of this requirement in encouraging young people to give back to the community; and
(4)
as it has been reported that the rent of some hostel places in the first youth hostel project converted from private residential housing located at Tung Chau Street ranges between $7,600 and $7,800, and it is learnt that that although the rental levels are higher than those stipulated under the policy (i.e. rental levels being within 60% of the market rent for similar flats in nearby areas of the same district), the response from the community to the quality of hostel in this project has been positive, whether the Government will accept further applications for converting private properties into youth hostels in the future, or whether it has already received other similar applications; whether it has assessed if there is room for reducing the rent of such projects in the future?
Question 21
(For written reply)
(Translation)
Treatment and support for achondroplasia patients
Hon Elizabeth QUAT to ask:
It is learnt that achondroplasia is a complex and rare hereditary skeletal disorder that affects patients' growth and development, as well as multiple systemic functions. Some experts have pointed out that this disease has a prevalence of approximately 1 in 20 000 in Hong Kong, with patients having to face a long and painful treatment process alongside substantial medical expenses. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1)
whether it has compiled statistics on the total number of achondroplasia patients currently in public hospitals, with a breakdown by age group (aged below 15, 15 to below 18, and 18 or above);
(2)
whether it knows if the Hospital Authority ("HA") has established an expert group or allocated dedicated resources for achondroplasia to support patients' long-term treatment process; if HA has, of the details; if not, the reasons for that;
(3)
whether the Government has estimated the lifetime medical costs for achondroplasia patients, including the provision of conventional bone-lengthening surgery treatment and related medical follow-up, such as hospitalization, surgery, post-operative care and rehabilitation training;
(4)
as some patient groups have pointed out that achondroplasia patients (particularly adult patients) are currently scattered across different public hospital clusters and receive follow-up services of varying standards, whether the Government knows if HA has developed unified and comprehensive treatment guidelines for this disease;
(5)
as it is learnt that a new C-type natriuretic peptide ("CNP") drug has been introduced in recent years which can promote cartilage growth in achondroplasia patients through subcutaneous injection and help mitigate the impact of severe complications on patients, and that several places have included this drug in their national insurance scheme or as a subsidized item, whether the Government will draw reference from the relevant experiences and study the inclusion of this drug in the Drug Formulary and the scope of the safety net subsidies;
(6)
whether the Government will consider enhancing the transparency of the criteria for evaluating the cost-effectiveness of new drugs to expedite the process of including new drugs (especially those for treating rare diseases) in the safety net; and
(7)
whether the Government will draw reference from the supplementary medical insurance for major diseases launched by the country (such as People-Benefit Insurance) in recent years, and study improving the Voluntary Health Insurance Scheme or establishing a separate insurance product for major diseases with the characteristics of "no age limit, no medical history restrictions and universal participation", so as to encourage members of the public to take out insurance policies, thereby alleviating the financial pressure on medical institutions when introducing new drugs to treat rare diseases?
Question 22
(For written reply)
(Translation)
Support for the exhibition industry
Hon YUNG Hoi-yan to ask:
To support the exhibition industry in Hong Kong, the SAR Government provides funding to organizers and exhibitors through schemes such as the Incentive Scheme for Recurrent Exhibitions ("ISRE"), ISRE 2.0, and the SME Export Marketing Fund ("EMF"). In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1)
of the following information (i) since the launch of ISRE, and (ii) since the introduction of special measures under EMF on 30 April 2021: the respective numbers of applications received and approved, together with the names of the organizers of the subsidized eligible exhibitions, their exhibition content, dates, venues, amounts of funding received, numbers and proportions of local and overseas exhibitors, numbers and proportions of local and overseas visitors, and the regions of origin of overseas exhibitors and visitors (set out in a table);
(2)
as some members of the industry have relayed that ISRE 2.0 launched by the Government on 1 July this year does not have a specified end date, which affects the industry's cost budgeting for organizing exhibitions, when the Government will announce the end date of ISRE 2.0, and whether it will optimize ISRE 2.0 by, for example, adjusting the quota for non-local participants and relaxing requirements such as the gross floor area used for demonstrating or displaying products, materials and services; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that;
(3)
given that EMF will be consolidated into the Dedicated Fund on Branding, Upgrading and Domestic Sales after 30 June 2026, with adjustments to the funding ceiling, matching ratio, etc., whether the Government has assessed the impact of these adjustments on the industry (e.g. the number of applications and the scale of activities); if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; and
(4)
apart from the aforementioned funding schemes, whether the Government has other policy measures to support the exhibition industry, with a view to maintaining its competitiveness and encouraging further investment; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?