Council Meeting (Agenda) 22 October 2025

(1)

whether it will, in the light of enterprises from different jurisdictions, establish flexible information disclosure standards and transitional arrangements for listing to attract more international enterprises to list in Hong Kong, thereby elevating the international status of Hong Kong's capital market and drawing greater capital inflow;

(2)

whether it will continue to promote fintech development and product diversification of the exchange traded fund ("ETF") market, such as exploring innovative market infrastructure with the use of blockchain technology and offering more globalized ETF products, with a view to developing Hong Kong into a leading international ETF trading hub; and

(3)

as it has been reported that since the implementation of the GEM (formerly known as "Growth Enterprise Market") reform measures last year, a total of four enterprises have listed on GEM, and a new listing on GEM this year has even recorded an oversubscription of over 9 000 times, whether the Government knows if the Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing Limited has assessed the effectiveness of the GEM reforms, and how it will continue to refine the overall listing regime for developing a healthier and sustainable capital market?

(1)

whether it will expand the scope of the visual acuity tests provided by DH's Student Health Service ("SHS") to include detailed refraction tests for students, instead of conducting only screening tests, so as to enable students to understand their visual and myopia conditions at an early stage and prevent the progression of myopia;

(2)

as it has been reported that some parents are unable to spare the time to bring their children to undergo the visual acuity tests provided by SHS, resulting in a coverage rate of only about 65% for such tests, whether the Government has studied how to raise the coverage rate; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; and

(3)

whether it will study the promotion of emerging myopia control therapies in the primary healthcare system, such as defocus lenses, orthokeratology lenses (commonly known as "OK lenses") and low-concentration atropine eye drops, and establish relevant public-private referral and subsidy mechanisms for children from grass-roots families?

(1)

as it is learnt that there are about 210 000 holders of valid taxi driving licences in Hong Kong, but only 20% of them are active taxi drivers, whether the Government has investigated the reasons why holders of taxi driving licences do not join the taxi industry, and whether it has estimated the number of taxi drivers in shortfall in the market;

(2)

of the specific measures in place to assist taxi fleets in recruiting drivers, so that they can achieve the target of having 3 500 taxis in service four months after obtaining their licenses (i.e. by the end of November this year); and

(3)

whether it will consider introducing measures after the upcoming enhancement of the Taxi Written Test in November this year, to allow imported drivers to drive taxis in Hong Kong after meeting certain qualifications and examination requirements, and implement this on a trial basis in taxi fleets with a view to helping the trade achieve its targeted fleet size as early as possible; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that, and the other measures in place to increase the supply of taxi drivers?

(1)

whether it knows the respective numbers of complaints received from employers and Mandatory Provident Fund scheme members against the eMPF Platform since it has been launched, with a tabulated breakdown of the numbers of complaints and their average processing time by type of complaints (including difficulties in registration, failure to access enrolment status and contribution records, failure to show contribution records in user accounts, complicated procedures for handling contributions, difficulties in changing or updating information, and inefficient customer services, etc.);

(2)

whether it knows the current staffing establishment of the eMPF Platform for handling complaints, and whether there are plans to increase manpower or take alternative measures to handle complaints more effectively; if there are plans, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; and

(3)

as there are views pointing out that it takes excessively long time for the eMPF Platform to handle complaints, of the number of complaint cases which have not been resolved within the stipulated timeframe under its service delivery standards (i.e. within 12 working days) so far and the respective reasons for failing to meet the standards?

(1)

of the number of local training programmes organized for AO grade staff by the Civil Service College ("CSC") annually since its establishment, as well as the content category, and the numbers of hours and participants for each of the programmes;

(2)

of the numbers of Mainland and overseas training programmes, thematic visits and exchange activities arranged for AO grade staff by CSC in each of the past three years, as well as the numbers of hours and participants for each of the programmes or activities; and

(3)

as it is learnt that the Government has previously organized a secondment scheme jointly with the business sector to enable AOs to understand actual commercial operations, whether the current Mainland training programmes for AO grade staff include exchanges or placements in departments related to economy, finance and commerce under the Central Government, large state-owned or private enterprises, local authorities, etc., with a view to enhancing their understanding of the Mainland's economic and commercial operations, as well as local administrative practices?

(1)

of the respective numbers of student suicide cases and attempted suicide cases in the past three years, and among them, the numbers of students with special educational needs or suffering from depression or anxiety disorders, together with a breakdown by age group of students (including those aged 0 to 6, 7 to 12, 13 to 18, and above 18 years old);

(2)

whether it has conducted detailed studies on student suicide cases in recent years and analysed their causes; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; and

(3)

as the Government has implemented the Three-tier School-based Emergency Mechanism in secondary schools since 2023 for early identification of and support for students with suicidal risk, of the number of cases currently involved in each tier of the mechanism; given that the 2025 Policy Address proposed that the mechanism will be extended on a trial basis to Primary Four to Six students, of the specific implementation timetable, and whether it will consider further extending it to lower primary students, increasing the ratio of school social workers as well as guidance and discipline teachers, while strengthening home-school collaboration?

(1)

as there are views pointing out that at present, the Government has not drawn up any definition for "overexertion at work", and when an employee is suspected to have died suddenly due to overexertion at work, such cases are often classified as "fatalities at work not caused by accidents or occupational diseases", of the number of such cases recorded by the Labour Department ("LD") in each of the past 10 ‍years and this year to date, with a breakdown by the deceased's (a) sex, (b) age, (c) industry, (d) occupation, (e) average maximum working hours per month during any period of continuous employment (i.e. two or more consecutive months) in the six months prior to death (set out by (i) less than 256 hours, (ii) 256 to 279 hours, (iii) 280 to 299 hours, (iv) 300 to 319 hours, (v) 320 to 339 hours and (vi) 340 hours or more), (f) total working hours in the month prior to death (set out by (i) 276 hours or less, (ii) 277 to 299 hours, (iii) ‍300 ‍to 319 hours, (iv) 320 to 339 hours and (v) 340 hours or more), and (g) cause of death (e.g. heart disease, brain disease, etc.), together with their respective percentages;

(2)

in respect of the cases mentioned in (1), of the number of those in which the authorities have provided assistance to or conducted follow-up actions for claims lodged by the families of deceased employees against the relevant employers; the up-to-date number of cases in which the handling has been completed, with a breakdown by claim status (including deceased employees' families who have (i) withdrawn their claims for compensation, (ii) reached settlement agreements with the employers, and (iii) filed their claims in court against the employers, etc.), together with their respective percentages; the average amount of compensation involved in these claims and the respective numbers of successful and unsuccessful claims; the average amount of compensation awarded in successful cases;

(3)

given that in its reply to a question raised by a Member of this Council on 30 November 2016, the Government indicated that under the Occupational Safety and Health Ordinance (Cap. 509), employers must, so far as reasonably practicable, ensure the safety and health at work of their employees, which includes ensuring that their employees are given appropriate rest breaks, of the criteria on which the authorities base their determination as to whether an employee has been given appropriate rest breaks; whether any of the employers involved in the cases mentioned in (1) have been found to have contravened the relevant requirements under Cap. 509; if so, of the details, including the number of cases in which prosecutions were instituted and the number of convicted cases, and the average penalties imposed in convicted cases;

(4)

given that some studies have shown a high incidence of fatalities during work relating to cerebro-cardiovascular diseases among security guards and construction workers, the Labour Department and the Occupational Safety and Health Council launched a three-year "Heart Caring Campaign" ("the Campaign") in June 2022 to provide on-site health risk assessments and related services to employees in the construction and property management industries, so as to enable frontline workers in these industries to identify risks associated with cerebro-cardiovascular diseases at an early stage, of the numbers of participating organizations and beneficiary workers under the Campaign, with a breakdown by industry (i.e. construction and property management industries);

(5)

given that in 2018, the Government decided to draw up sector-specific working hours guidelines for 11 sectors through the industry-based tripartite committees of LD, setting out suggested working hours arrangements and overtime compensation arrangements for employers' reference and adoption, of the latest progress in the development of these guidelines; and

(6)

whether it will consider, with reference to the practices of neighbouring regions, drawing up a definition for overexertion at work and requiring employers to fulfil relevant statutory compensation obligations where an employee is injured or dies under circumstances falling within such definition, so as to provide greater protection for workers or their family members; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?

(1)

of the number of non-Hong Kong companies registered in Hong Kong over the past year, with a breakdown and proportion by (i) type of offices (i.e. regional headquarters, regional offices and local offices), (ii) country of origin, and (iii) industry; of the Government's specific targets for attracting multinational enterprises to establish regional headquarters or regional offices in Hong Kong for the coming three years;

(2)

given that the number of registered non-Hong Kong companies has hit a record high, how the Government will leverage this advantage to formulate medium and long-term planning so as to continuously promote the development of "headquarters economy", including implementing specific measures to assist companies set up in Hong Kong in "going global"; and

(3)

given that some members of the business sector have relayed that non-Hong Kong enterprises have been facing numerous difficulties and challenges after setting up business in Hong Kong, including high premises costs, loss of international talents and difficulty in capital deployment, of the corresponding strategies adopted by the Government to address the issues, including whether it will consider designating land in the Northern Metropolis to establish a "designated zone for headquarters economy" so as to assist incoming enterprises in establishing a presence in Hong Kong and facilitate them to maintain close liaison with other Mainland cities in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area?

(1)

of the respective numbers of imported labour involved in applications concerning the catering and hotel-related industries (i) received, (ii)‍ approved, and (iii) rejected by the authorities since the launch of the Enhanced Supplementary Labour Scheme ("ESLS"), and among the approved applications, (iv) the number of imported labour who have arrived in Hong Kong, with a breakdown of the figures by (a)‍ common post in the catering and hotel-related industries listed in the List of Common Posts under ESLS (including the relevant posts classified as "Others", e.g. Kitchen Helper/Chef Assistant, Dish Washer, etc.), and (b) non-common post (set out in Tables 1 and 2 respectively); the main reasons for rejecting the applications;

Table 1

Common posts in the catering and hotel-related industries	(i)	(ii)	(iii)	(iv)
Catering - Chinese catering
……
Sub-total
Catering - Non-Chinese catering
……
Sub-total
Hotel - Chinese restaurants operated by hotels
……
Sub-total
Hotel - Hotels
……
Sub-total
Others
Kitchen Helper/Chef Assistant
Dish Washer
……
Sub-total
Total

Table 2

Non-common posts in the catering and hotel-related industries	(i)	(ii)	(iii)	(iv)
……
Total

(2)

as employers applying for importation of workers under ESLS are required to undertake local public recruitment exercises and the Labour Department will identify local job-seekers for referrals to these employers for interviews, of the respective numbers of local job-seekers referred by the authorities in respect of the applications concerning the catering and hotel-related industries in each year since the implementation of ESLS, and among them, the number of job-seekers who have successfully secured employment, and their respective percentages, with a breakdown by job category (e.g. ‍waiters/waitresses, junior cooks, cooks, etc.);

(3)

as it is required under ESLS that imported labour are only allowed to work in the positions and perform job duties as specified in a Standard Employment Contract, there are views relaying that some employers in the catering industry have failed to fulfil such requirement by hiring junior imported labour (e.g. junior cooks) at lower wages and requiring them to take up positions at higher levels (e.g. No. 1 Cooks) and perform advanced duties beyond their designated scope of duties, thus affecting employment opportunities for local workers, of the targeted measures put in place by the authorities to combat such non-compliant acts;

(4)

as the authorities indicated in June this year that a special inspection campaign would be launched to verify whether employers under ESLS were able to meet the manning ratio requirements of full-time local employees to imported labour of 2:1 on a continuous basis, of the respective numbers of inspections conducted for applications concerning the catering and hotel-related industries so far and the number of enterprises involved; whether cases have been found during inspections in which employers have failed to meet the relevant manning ratio requirements; if so, of the details (including the number of cases, names of employers, etc.);

(5)

as the authorities indicated in June this year that it would require employers under ESLS to report information on full-time local employees and imported labour as well as the relevant manning ratios based on a risk-based approach, of the respective numbers of employers in the catering and hotel-related industries who have been asked to report such information so far, and their percentages in the total numbers of employers in all those industries under ESLS; whether it will consider requiring all employers of imported labour to report such information on a regular basis;

(6)

of the respective numbers of complaints received by the Government from (i) local workers and (ii) imported labour in the catering and hotel-related industries about the alleged non-compliance with requirements under ESLS and/or the labour legislation by employers in each year since implementation of ESLS, with a breakdown by nature of complaints; of the manpower deployed by the authorities to investigate those cases;

(7)

regarding the complaints mentioned in (6), of the number of cases in respect of which investigations have been completed, and among which, the number of cases confirmed or ruled by the court to be non-compliant with the requirements under ESLS and/or the labour legislation, and the following information for each of such cases: (i) ‍dates of complaints, (ii) commencement and (iii) completion dates of investigation, (iv) names of employers and (v) the industries to which they belong, (vi) details of non-compliance and/or violations (e.g. the employers involved are confirmed to have dismissed local employees or reduced their working hours after hiring imported labour, and the number of local employees affected), (vii) details of the administrative sanctions imposed and/or prosecutions instituted by the authorities, and (viii) penalties imposed by the court (if ‍applicable); and

(8)

as it has been reported that a significant number of the approved applications under ESLS involve positions engaging in job categories concerning the catering and hotel-related industries (including waiters/waitresses, junior cooks, cooks, etc.), whether the authorities will consider regularly collecting and compiling statistics on employment data (including unemployment rates, underemployment rates, etc.) for local workers engaged in those job categories, and gain an understanding of the changes in such data, so as to provide additional reference information when reviewing and adjusting ESLS?

(1)

of the number of inspections conducted by the relevant government departments to crack down on illegal animal breeding facilities, as well as the numbers of related complaints received and prosecutions instituted, in each of the past five years (set out in a table); the types and numbers of animals rescued in the aforesaid inspections;

(2)

as it has been reported that there are illegal animal breeding facilities treating animals inhumanely and profiteering through the sale of animals, whether the Government will comprehensively review the legislation relating to the protection of the rights and interests of animals, so as to step up efforts in combating such illegal acts; if so, of the details;

(3)

as the Rabies Ordinance (Cap. 421) provides that a keeper of any animal who, without reasonable excuse, abandons that animal commits an offence, whether the Government has instituted any prosecutions under the aforesaid relevant provision of Cap. 421 over the past five years; if so, of the number of successful prosecutions and the relevant penalties imposed in each of the years; if not, the reasons for that; and

(4)

as the Government indicated in its reply to my written question on 22 November 2023 that it had no plan to introduce a licensing regime for animal hospice service operators back then, but it is learnt that currently the provision of animal cremation services in industrial buildings still involves issues such as breaches of land leases and public health concerns, whether the Government will study the enactment of dedicated legislation to regulate such operators, and reconsider introducing a relevant licensing mechanism; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that, and whether consideration will be given to providing animal cremation services directly by the Government or its designated contractors?

(1)

as it is learnt that many owners of old buildings are elderly retirees who are not keen to participate in building management, leading to the near standstill of OCs of such buildings, of the Government's measures in place to encourage owners of old buildings to improve building management and carry out repairs, such as whether it will allow them to participate in the JPM Pilot Scheme or other subsidized building management schemes without the need to establish an OC;

(2)

given that the Government launched the JPM Pilot Scheme in Yau Tsim Mong, Sham Shui Po, Kowloon City and Tsuen Wan in June this year for a period of one year, and it is learnt that there are over 5 000 private buildings aged 30 years or above in Hong Kong Island West, whether the Government will extend the Pilot Scheme to old private buildings in Hong Kong Island West; if so, of the implementation timetable;

(3)

given that some members of the local community have indicated that last month, a public fresh water mains burst incident occurred in an old composite and domestic building on Hollywood Road, but contractors engaged by some residential unit owners were unable to gain access to the ground-floor units to repair the water mains, leaving all residential units of the building without fresh water supply, whether the Government has compiled statistics on the number of cases in the past five years where building maintenance works could not be carried out in a timely manner due to human factors (such as delays or lack of cooperation from the owners concerned); if so, of the number and details of the cases;

(4)

given that the Government amended the Fire Safety (Buildings) Ordinance (Cap. 572) last year to empower the Hong Kong Fire Services Department and the Buildings Department ("BD") to carry out fire safety improvement works in default of owners failing to comply with the requirements of Cap. 572, and to recover the costs from them upon completion of the works, and that under the Buildings Ordinance (Cap. 123), BD will also engage government contractors to carry out emergency works in default of owners, whether the Government will, drawing on the practices under Cap. ‍572 and Cap. 123, enact legislation to empower the Water Supplies Department, the Electrical and Mechanical Services Department or other government departments to handle building maintenance cases such as water mains or sewer leakage in default of owners, and subsequently recover the costs from the owners; if so, of the timetable for the relevant work?

(1)

of the respective numbers of new and follow-up cases involving children and young people at psychiatric specialist outpatient services in public hospitals in each of the past three years, as well as their respective percentages in the total number of cases, broken down by age group of the young people involved (i.e. under 6, 6 to under 12, 12 to under 18, 19 to under 24, and 25 to 29); the average waiting time for such new cases;

(2)

of the total number of requests for assistance received each year since the launch of the "18111 - Mental Health Support Hotline" and, among the cases referred and supported through the hotline, the number of those involving young people aged 30 or below;

(3)

of the current total number of primary care physicians, paramedical staff and relevant personnel with mental health qualifications and relevant training over the territory who can provide identification, intervention and preliminary psychological treatment for young people at the community level; the mental health support measures currently provided by the authorities at the community level for young people in school and at work, as well as their respective effectiveness;

(4)

as there are views pointing out that despite the increase in mental health prevention, assessment and intervention services for young people in schools and communities in recent years, such services are often delivered through different programmes and platforms, making it not easy for young people to learn about these programmes and seek assistance, whether the authorities will consider providing young people with a one-stop service platform integrated with district support, thereby making it easier for young people to seek consultation and assistance as well as receive support; and

(5)

of the measures put in place by the authorities targeted at the youth community to reduce the problem of young people with mental health issues not seeking assistance due to the stigma against patients with mental illnesses?

(1)

as some members of the public have relayed that the Lok Ma Chau Control Point, which is open 24 hours a day, often experiences heavy passenger flow after most land BCPs close late at night, whether the authorities have considered extending the operating hours of other land BCPs; if so, of the detailed plan for adjusting the operating hours of various land BCPs; if not, the reasons for that;

(2)

whether there is currently any mechanism in place at various land BCPs for exercising discretion to extend the operating hours in order to cope with situations where a large number of travellers are waiting to cross the border before the BCPs close; if so, how many times has the relevant mechanism been activated in the past three years; if not, the reasons for that, and whether it will discuss with the Mainland the relevant mechanism to address the situation;

(3)

whether a notification mechanism had been formulated with the Mainland authorities to mutually notify each other of the number of travellers going through departure clearance at certain time periods (e.g. every half an hour) before the BCPs close to ensure that there is sufficient time for travellers for immigration clearance; if so, how many times has the relevant mechanism been activated in the past three years; if not, the reasons for that, and whether it will discuss setting up of such a mechanism with the Mainland;

(4)

in the past three years, of (i) the number of cases in which inbound travellers arriving in Hong Kong via land BCPs in the Mainland had to seek assistance from the Immigration Department because the BCPs in Hong Kong were closed, and (ii) the number of cases in which outbound travellers via various land BCPs in Hong Kong had to turn back immediately because the BCPs in the Mainland were closed; and

(5)

in the past three years, of the respective numbers of outbound and inbound passengers at various land BCPs in Hong Kong during the hour before their closure, as well as the average waiting time for immigration clearance (including the use of the automated clearance system (i.e. e-Channel) service); whether there is any significant difference in the average waiting time for immigration clearance between the aforementioned period and other periods; if so, whether it will, on the basis of the relevant data, consider discussing or studying with the Mainland authorities the extension of the clearance time?

(1)

of the median monthly employment earnings of employed persons and the median monthly household income in Hong Kong, as well as the three industry sectors that recorded the highest growth rates in median monthly employment earnings, for the past four quarters (up to the last month); the number of those industry sectors in which the median monthly employment earnings of employed persons recorded an increase;

(2)

given that the Government has raised the maximum value of properties chargeable to the $100 stamp duty to $4 million with effect from 26 ‍February this year, of the respective amounts of stamp duty revenue collected in respect of (i) property leases, (ii) agreements for sale and purchase, or (iii) transfers of residential and non-residential properties in the current financial year to date; the changes in such stamp duty revenues as compared with those of the same period last year;

(3)

of the proportion of the financial services sector in the Gross Domestic Product and the stamp duty revenue related to stock transfers collected in the past two years; the change in such stamp duty revenue as compared with that of the same period last year;

(4)

given that the Government has resumed the collection of hotel accommodation tax at a rate of 3% on the accommodation charges with effect from 1 January this year, of the respective amounts of hotel accommodation tax collected by the Government each month up to the third quarter of this year; and

(5)

of the amount of revenue received by the Government from business registration fees, and the number of applications for exemption from payment of business registration fee received since January this year?

(1)

of the details of various existing government-subsidized and free vaccination programmes, and the respective number of beneficiaries and expenditure for various programme over the past five years;

(2)

whether it knows if any subsidized or free vaccination programmes for the vaccine are currently available in Macau and other neighbouring regions of Hong Kong; if it knows such subsidies are available, of the details; whether the authorities have introduced any other targeted measures to protect immunocompromised individuals from infection by highly transmissible epidemic diseases; if so, the details of those measures; if not, the reason for that;

(3)

of the authorities' estimate as to how long SCVPD will take, after commencing its discussions, to decide whether to include the vaccine in the Government Vaccination Programme; and

(4)

given that it will take time for SCVPD to reach the decision mentioned in (3), whether the authorities have considered including the vaccine in the Hospital Authority Drug Formulary as a free or subsidized item, and administering it by injection to cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy and to patients with immune system diseases, in order to reduce their risk of contracting herpes zoster or alleviate the resultant suffering after contracting herpes zoster?

(1)

how the Government will specifically implement the aforementioned plan to introduce market-based business models, and whether it will, for example, provide clear information on available dates and time slots for venue bookings, and offer short-term or long-term (such as annual) rental options;

(2)

of the annual attendance, utilization rates of various facilities, and income sources of each museum under LCSD over the past five years; whether the Government has plans to draw upon practices at overseas tourist attractions and experience in shopping mall management to introduce cultural and creative projects, design mascots, put in place photo spots and immersive interactive exhibits at LCSD museums and other indoor exhibition venues, and open such venues to commercial organizations for hosting guided tours, games, augmented reality (AR) experiences, festive events or themed exhibitions; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that;

(3)

as it is learnt that some private fitness centres have utilized facial recognition technology and intelligent systems for 24-hour operation, whether the Government will consider introducing similar technology or upgrading the existing intelligent sports and recreation services booking information system named SmartPLAY, so that all LCSD sports centres and related facilities (such as pitches/courts and fitness rooms) can operate 24 hours a day, thereby maximizing venue utilization and achieving intelligent management; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that;

(4)

whether the Government has plans to combine market-based business models with the concept of smart outdoor parks, incorporating technological elements into outdoor recreation and sports facilities (such as utilizing big data and the Internet of Things to enable members of the public to connect fitness equipment with their mobile phones to record their exercise data and physical condition, with the system then recommending personalized fitness programmes), thereby enhancing the public's experience and utilization rates; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; and

(5)

whether it has further studied the feasibility of implementing market-based business models at all LCSD facilities (including the impact on fees, service quality and public participation); if so, of the study results; if not, whether it will consider conducting relevant studies?

(1)

among the aforesaid 95 enforcement actions, (i) of the number of persons convicted by the court and the respective penalties (including fine amounts and whether the drivers involved were suspended from driving), and (ii) the number of subject vehicles which were detained and their respective detention periods;

(2)

whether the Department of Justice has lodged appeals against any of the aforesaid cases in which the penalties were considered relatively low; if so, of the number of such appeal cases and their outcomes; if not, the reasons for that;

(3)

whether, following the increase in penalties for offences relating to white licence cars under the Road Traffic Legislation (Enhancing Personalized Point-to-point Transport Services) (Amendment) Ordinance 2023, which came into operation in December 2023, the Government has compiled statistics on and compared the penalties imposed by the court for such offences before and after the commencement of the Ordinance (set out in a table); and

(4)

as the Government expects that, after the passage of the Road Traffic (Amendment) (Ride-hailing Service) Bill 2025, the first batch of licensed ride-hailing platforms will only commence operation in the fourth quarter of 2026 at the earliest, of the plans of the law enforcement agencies to step up efforts to combat white licence cars in the coming year when licensed ride-hailing platforms are not yet available?

(1)

whether it will examine the utilization of land and facilities at the Pier and explore introducing more commercial and leisure elements to tie in with the development of the surrounding areas, thereby promoting waterfront economy and community integration;

(2)

whether it will consider enhancing the planning interface between the Pier and adjacent waterfront areas, such as through synergistic development with Whampoa, Kowloon City District and Tsim Sha Tsui East, to create a waterfront promenade and commercial circulation route with greater coherence;

(3)

regarding the uplift of maritime tourism, whether it will explore how to strengthen the external transport facilities for the Pier, thereby simultaneously enhancing tourism and transport linkages between Hung Hom and Hong Kong Island; and

(4)

whether it will consider opening up the upper deck of the Pier for public use and introducing activities of educational and cultural value, such as photo exhibitions showcasing the national achievements in construction, or organization of youth cultural and creative workshops and music galas, to offer the public a more diverse waterfront experience characterized by a sense of community and a cultural vibe?

(1)

in order to alleviate housing cost pressures, whether the Government will consider reserving land in new development areas such as the Northern Metropolis and, by drawing on overseas experience, constructing residential apartments for talents under the "build-‍to-‍rent" model (i.e. a model where housing is specifically constructed for rental purposes) to provide stable and affordable housing options for incoming talents, so as to increase the incentive for their long-term settlement in Hong Kong, thereby promoting local economic development; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; and

(2)

as there are views pointing out that cultivating multilingual abilities is crucial to enhancing the international competitiveness of local talents, whether the Government will consider establishing a "Foreign Language Scholarship Scheme" to subsidize local students or young people planning for long-term development in Hong Kong to attend language courses overseas, so as to nurture local talents with cross-cultural literacy and professional foreign language proficiency; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?

(1)

as it has been reported that the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department has streamlined the food business licensing regime in recent years, including expanding the scope of the "Professional Certification System" to cover applications for general restaurant licences, which has been in effect for over a year, whether the authorities have compiled statistics on, since February last year, the number of applications made under the licensing regime, and the percentage of the number of applications in the total number of applications for restaurant licences during the same period, as well as the number of applications which were not approved and the respective reasons;

(2)

given that there are views that the complicated vetting and approval procedures for development projects will lead to an increase in construction costs, which will indirectly increase operating costs such as rentals, thus affecting the development of various trades and industries, and in this connection, the Development Bureau has already implemented more than a hundred measures to streamline the development procedures and will implement other new measures one after another this year, whether the authorities have: (i) assessed the effectiveness of the measures implemented, particularly in terms of compressing the development period and costs; (ii) formulated key performance indicators; (iii) set up a regular communication mechanism with the industry in respect of such measure; and (iv) formulated a specific timetable for the other proposed new measures to be implemented (including the introduction of the Fast Track Processing System for the development of the Northern Metropolis as announced in this year's Policy Address); if so, of the details; if not, the details for that; and

(3)

whether it has plans to enhance its efforts in conducting studies on the compliance cost problems faced by enterprises of various trades and industries (including but not limited to, the retail, catering, and transport industries) and of different sizes, so as to explore ways to streamline the licensing and other regulatory regimes (e.g. the licensing regime and restrictions on the use of premises or land) of various government departments, thereby removing barriers and restrictions, optimizing the business environment, as well as further promoting the local economy and upgrading the competitiveness of enterprises; if it has, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?

(1)

of the respective status of achieving the service targets of each DHC prior to the adjustment to their operating service contracts in the past five years, and the assistance offered to or follow-up made with those DHCs that failed to meet the targets set by the Government;

(2)

under the adjusted operating service contracts and performance monitoring mechanism, of the current status of each DHC in (i) achieving the service targets, (ii) meeting the performance assessment indicators, and (iii) various monitoring aspects under the performance monitoring mechanism; whether the Government has set a timetable for regularly reviewing the performance of DHCs in (i) to (iii), and providing appropriate assistance to or making follow-up with DHCs in the light of the outcome of the reviews; if so, the details; if not, the reasons for that;

(3)

of the list of DHCs of which the contracts had expired since the launch of the first DHC, including (i) those with contracts renewed and (ii) those requiring open tender again and the reasons why the DHCs concerned were not granted contract renewal;

(4)

since the launch of the first DHC, of the respective annual usages of (i) physiotherapy, (ii) occupational therapy, (iii) dietitian services, and (iv) pharmacy services at each DHC; and the respective average monthly usages of the new dedicated nurse clinic and allied health services since their introduction in January this year;

(5)

given that the Healthy Mind Pilot Project ("HMPP") has been launched at three DHCs since 15 August last year, of the number of members of the public who have undergone preliminary mental health assessments to date, and the respective numbers of those who were referred for low-intensity psychological therapy and those referred to Integrated Community Centres for Mental Wellness for follow-up; whether statistics have been compiled on the number of those who, after completing the said psychological therapy, subsequently have received psychological therapy again through HMPP or sought other public psychological therapy services;

(6)

given that HMPP is running on a trial basis for 18 months from August last year to January next year, with less than half a year remaining before its conclusion, whether the Government has conducted a phased assessment of HMPP; if so, of the details; and

(7)

whether the Government will consider incorporating more service target categorization into the operating service contracts of DHCs, such as the provision of community pharmacies, eye examination services, and emotional health support; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that and the challenges involved?

(1)

of the number of new drugs approved for registration in Hong Kong in each of the past three years, with a breakdown by the region where the drug regulatory authorities issuing documentary proofs of registration were located; among such new drugs, of the number of those registered under the "1+" mechanism for approval of new drug;

(2)

whether it knows the following information on the assessment of applications for inclusion of new drugs in the Drug Formulary ("the Formulary") by the Drug Advisory Committee under the Hospital Authority ("HA") in the past five years:

(i)

the number of new drug applications received;

(ii)

the names of new drugs approved for inclusion in the Drug Formulary;

(iii)

the percentage of drug applications approved for inclusion in the Formulary;

(iv)

the main reasons for not approving the inclusion of new drugs in the Formulary; and

(v)

the average number of days required from receipt of an application to completion of the approval process; the process for re-application after an application has failed to obtain approval, and the average time required for the relevant procedures;

(3)

whether it knows if the Drug Advisory Committee has formulated objective and quantifiable criteria for approving new drugs, and whether it will introduce measures to enhance the transparency of the approval process, such as making public the approval process, the specific details of assessment indicators and the operation of the decision-making mechanism;

(4)

as there are views pointing out that certain new drugs may cover multiple indications, whether the Government will establish a flexible approval mechanism to relax the approval restrictions on drugs that can be used for treating multiple indications, so that the same drug can be approved expeditiously for use in multiple indications based on different clinical evidence;

(5)

as it is learnt that an increasing number of members of the public choose to go north to buy drugs, particularly targeted therapy drugs for treating cancer or rare disease drugs, whether the Government will consider providing support for members of the public to go north to buy drugs, such as partnering with Mainland medical institutions to set up dedicated drug collection points for Hong Kong people or introduce cross-boundary medication delivery services; and

(6)

as it is learnt that the Mainland is highly transparent about the prices of anti-cancer and rare disease drugs, with patients able to check the official drug price lists online, whether the Government will consider making reference to the relevant practice to promote drug price transparency, such as piloting the publication of drug prices in public hospitals, so that patients can make informed choices?