Joint Secretary of the Ministry of Minority Affairs, Shri Ram Singh visited Mizoram University to explore support for sports and academic infrastructure under PMJVK.
Given the hilly terrain, innovative ideas were discussed to develop a state of the art football stadium and an integrated sports complex despite the limited flat land resource availability in the State.
PMJVK, a Centrally Sponsored Scheme (CSS), is an area development programme under which community infrastructure and basic amenities are being created in identified areas.
Joint Secretary, Ministry of Minority Affairs, Shri Ram Singh visited Mizoram University to explore support for sports & academic infrastructure under PMJVK. Given the hilly terrain, innovative ideas were discussed to develop a State of the Art football stadium and an integrated… pic.twitter.com/94I5azUmWN
— Ministry of Minority Affairs (@MOMAIndia) April 29, 2025
Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region
LCQ10: Dog keeping in public rental housing Question:
The Hong Kong Housing Authority has, since 2003, implemented a one-off “temporary permission” arrangement for dog keeping (the arrangement) whereby public rental housing (PRH) tenants who have been keeping dogs before August 1, 2003 are allowed to register with the Housing Department (HD), and their dogs can continue to be kept only after their applications are approved, and they are not allowed to register any new dogs thereafter. Although the arrangement has been in place for nearly 22 years, it has been reported that quite a number of PRH tenants are still keeping dogs without authorisation. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1) of the current number of PRH tenants who have registered with and obtained approval from HD for keeping dogs lawfully; Reply:
President,
In formulating the policy of animal keeping in Public Rental Housing (PRH) estates, the ultimate consideration of the Hong Kong Housing Authority (HA) is to achieve a harmonious community whereby different interests of all PRH residents are being respected at large. While under the current policy and as stipulated in the Tenancy Agreement signed between the HA and the tenant that the tenant should not keep any animal in the premises without the prior written consent of the landlord (HA), in consideration of residents with special needs, such as visually impaired/hearing impaired residents who need to keep guide dogs, or for residents who are recommended by medical practitioners to keep companion dogs for mental support, tenants may submit written applications to the HA. The HA will consider approving such applications at its discretion, subject to the principle of not causing nuisance.
In May 2003, the HA introduced the Marking Scheme for Estate Management Enforcement in Public Housing Estates (Marking Scheme), and “Keeping animal, bird or livestock inside leased premises without prior written consent of the Landlord” is one of the misdeeds that will result in points allotment under the Marking Scheme which applies to dogs. The HA subsequently implemented the “Temporary Permission Rule” (TPR) in November 2003 as a one-off measure to allow eligible PRH tenants to continue to keep small dogs that had been kept in PRH flats before August 1, 2003 until the dogs passed away. At present, all dogs which were allowed under the TPR had passed away.
The reply in response to the question raised by the Hon Lee Chun-keung is as follows:
(1) As at end-December 2024, about 1 700 service dogs were kept under special approval by the HA.Issued at HKT 12:50
Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region
Following is a question by the Hon Chan Hok-fung and a written reply by the Secretary for Development, Ms Bernadette Linn, in the Legislative Council today (April 30):
Question:
There are views pointing out that the Government has proposed to construct the second government complex in Tseung Kwan O, a new town with a population of nearly 500 000, while it has no plan to provide any government complex in Tung Chung, even though there will be a population of almost 300 000 in Tung Chung upon completion of the expansion of Tung Chung East and Tung Chung West. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1) of the criteria for providing government complexes in new towns (e.g. the population in and accessibility of the district, etc); whether it has plans to construct a government complex in Tung Chung Area 1; if so, of the timetable; if not, the reasons for that;
(2) given that the proposed second government complex in Tseung Kwan O will provide medical and health facilities, day care centre for the elderly, government offices, a public vehicle park and other facilities, how the Government determines the services and facilities to be provided in the government complex, so as to realise the land use principle of “single site, multiple use”;
(3) given that some residents of Tung Chung have relayed to me that they need to go to the Immigration Department’s Regional Office in Tuen Mun for registration of persons and travel document applications, whether the Government will consider providing services in relation to registration of persons and travel document applications in Tung Chung; if so, of the implementation timetable;
(4) whether the Government had extensively promoted the use of electronic government services (e-government services) in Tung Chung in the past three years; if so, of the details; whether the Government has formulated any publicity plan for the coming year to promote the use of e-government services by more Tung Chung residents, so as to fill the service gap arising from the Government’s failure to provide a government complex in the district; and
(5) given that the Leisure and Cultural Services Department currently provides different types of leisure and cultural services facilities in Tung Chung (e.g. Tung Chung North Park, Tung Chung Road Soccer Pitch, Tung Chung Man Tung Road Sports Centre, Tung Chung Public Library, etc), whether the Government has plans to extensively cultivate iconic species of plants at such facilities, so as to create a scenic landscape comprising government facilities in Tung Chung; if so, of the details?
Reply:
President,
After consultation with the relevant policy bureaux and departments, the reply to the questions is as follows:
(1) When developing New Towns/New Development Areas, the Government reserves sufficient land for “Government, Institution or Community” uses so as to meet the daily needs of the public. In general, the Government will take into account the population density of the relevant area when determining the type and quantity of facilities to be provided. With reference to the actual needs of local users, the supply of land or space, and views from other relevant departments, the departments responsible for providing the relevant services would plan accordingly, including whether developing Joint-user Complexes (JUCs) is the suitable approach to provide the public services needed by the relevant community.
For the site of Tung Chung Area 1, nearby sits the Tung Chung Municipal Services Building, which is around 500 metres away. The building is near the MTR Tung Chung Station, within which there are various facilities such as a community hall, a public library, a sports centre, and elderly care facilities. In fact, within the public housing estates and private developments of the Tung Chung area, many community facilities have been provided, including health centres and post offices, etc, so as to serve the needs of Tung Chung residents. While there are currently no plans to develop JUCs at the site of Tung Chung Area 1, the Government will continue to take note of the view from the community on how this lot can be effectively utilised.
(2) When considering the mix of services and facilities to be provided in a JUC, the Government mainly considers factors including local demand for public services, the space requirements of departments for providing such public services and setting up offices, compatibility of different facilities, and cost effectiveness, etc.
(3) According to the Immigration Department (ImmD), there are currently seven Registration of Persons Offices and seven Immigration Branch Offices throughout Hong Kong Island, Kowloon, and the New Territories, providing registration of persons and document services to members of the public in various districts. These offices are of high accessibility, located near MTR stations and Public Transport Interchanges. Since the ImmD has already set up offices serving the public in areas conveniently accessible to Tung Chung residents, the Government does not have plans to set up additional offices in Tung Chung at the moment. The ImmD will continue to review the service demand in each district to ensure the continuous provision of efficient and high-quality services to the public while making optimal use of resources.
In fact, to facilitate the public and align with the Government’s objective of full digitalisation of services, the ImmD has been proactively promoting electronic services. Members of the public can submit applications for the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Passport through the Internet or the ImmD Mobile Application. In recent years, the ImmD has also launched various electronic services, obviating the need for residents to visit the offices in person and thus saving queuing and form-filling time. These online services include birth registration, death registration, and application for Certificate of Registered Particulars, where applicants may also choose to receive relevant certificates by mail. Starting from January 2025, applications for certain visas/entry permits and extensions of stay will only be accepted electronically, and applicants will not need to visit ImmD offices in person throughout the entire process.
(4) The Government has been striving to drive the full digitalisation of government services, and whether there is a JUC in a particular district has no bearing on the Government’s effort in this regard. According to the information provided by the Digital Policy Office (DPO), all licences and government services involving application and approval (about 1 480 items in total) and forms (over 3 800) have been digitalised since mid-2024, thereby enabling submission of application, payment and collection of documents by electronic means for relevant licences and services. If in-person submission or collection of documents is required by law or international practices, applicants will only need to visit the relevant government office no more than once.
The DPO will strengthen the promotion of “iAM Smart” and related online services, and work with Care Teams to assist citizens and elderly people in various districts in registering and using “iAM Smart”. Moreover, the DPO has set up community-based help desks in suitable locations across all districts to provide regular and fixed-point training and technical support, teaching elderly people to use various digital government service applications.
(5) The Development Bureau advocates the policy of “Right Plant, Right Place”, which involves taking into account planting space, adaptability, characteristics and matching of species, as well as compatibility with landscape designs and the surrounding environment. In this regard, the Leisure and Cultural Services Department (LCSD) has been planting various conspicuous flowering or foliage plants in its recreational venues to beautify the environment. When pursuing recreational facility projects, the LCSD collaborates with works departments and design teams to select suitable plants based on factors including site condition, etc. When choosing plant species for open spaces in the Tung Chung area, the LCSD will make reference to the Greening Theme, Theme Plants, and Recommended Tree List for the Islands District in the Greening Master Plan drawn up by the Civil Engineering and Development Department (CEDD).
Currently, over 30 Tabebuia chrysantha trees have been planted in Man Tung Road Park in Tung Chung, attracting many residents of the district during their spring blossom. In Tung Chung North Park, various themed trees have been planted, including nearly 50 Liquidambar formosana trees, the leaves colour of which changes through seasons. The red foliage in late autumn is particularly popular among visitors. For the Open Space Development in Tung Chung New Town Extension (East), the works of which will commence shortly, the LCSD plans to plant Pennisetum alopecuroides, Melastoma sanguineum, Cassia bakeriana, and other species, as well as install trellises adorned with distinctive climbers, to create a richly layered and vibrantly coloured landscape and greenery in Tung Chung. In addition to the above plants, in early 2023, the CEDD set up a trial nursery at the seafront of the newly reclaimed land in Tung Chung East to assess the growth performance of different tree species, with a view to selecting more suitable species for the Open Space Development in Tung Chung New Town Extension (East).
Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region
Special traffic and transport arrangements for Tam Kung Festival on Hong Kong Island Road closures
Road closures and traffic diversions will be implemented on roads in the vicinity of Shau Kei Wan Road, Shau Kei Wan Main Street East and Tam Kung Temple Road from 6.30am to 6.30pm that day. Intermittent road closures will be implemented on roads in the vicinity of Tai Hang in Wan Chai District from 10.30am that day until crowds disperse and roads are reopened. Vehicular access to and from car parks within the affected areas may not be allowed during the period of road closures.
Public transport service arrangements (ii) The public light bus stand, public light bus parking space and motorcycle parking spaces at Kam Wah Street between Shau Kei Wan Main Street East and Mong Lung Street will be temporarily suspended from 8am on May 4 to 6.30pm the next day;
(iii) All on-street parking spaces within closed road sections in Shau Kei Wan (including metered parking, motorcycle parking and disabled parking spaces) will be temporarily suspended from 10pm on May 4 to 6.30pm the next day; and The TD and the Police will closely monitor the traffic situation and implement appropriate measures when necessary. The public should pay attention to the latest traffic news through radio, television or “HKeMobility”. Issued at HKT 12:20
Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region
LCQ15: Bringing dogs onto food premises (1) There are restaurants that advertise themselves as pet-friendly in recent years, but there is no specific or consistent definition of this type of restaurants. The Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD) does not have statistics on the number of all self-claimed pet-friendly restaurants.
Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region
LCQ22: Treatment of waste lead-acid batteries Question:
Under the Basel Convention on the Control of Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes and their Disposal (the Convention), member countries (Parties) are expected to treat and dispose of wastes as close as possible to their place of generation and to prevent and minimise the generation of wastes at source, and waste lead-acid batteries are hazardous waste regulated under the Convention. China is a Party to the Convention, the Convention is therefore applicable to Hong Kong as well. It has been reported that at present, most of the waste lead-acid batteries in Hong Kong were exported to other places (including Korea) after treatment, and those recycled locally only accounted for a small portion. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1) of the quantity of waste lead-acid batteries generated in Hong Kong in each of the past three years, as well as the respective quantities of waste lead-acid batteries preliminarily processed locally, exported to overseas advanced facilities for recycling (with a breakdown by export areas) and recycled locally;
(2) of the respective maximum annual treatment capacities of the facilities for (i) preliminary treatment and (ii) recycling of waste lead-acid batteries in Hong Kong;
(3) of the details of projects relating to waste lead-acid batteries subsidised by the Recycling Fund in the past three years (including but not limited to the amount of subsidy granted for each project and the content of the subsidy);
(4) of the current progress of the implementation of the Producer Responsibility Scheme on waste lead-acid batteries, as well as the recovery target for local waste lead-acid batteries after the implementation of the Scheme; and
(5) whether the authorities have formulated a contingency plan to cope with the situation where the collection of treated waste lead-acid batteries exported from Hong Kong will be suspended in the event of policy adjustments by Korea or other places; if so, of the specific proposals; if not, the reasons for that?
Reply:
President,
Handling of waste lead-acid batteries is strictly regulated under the Waste Disposal Ordinance, and the Waste Disposal (Chemical Waste) (General) Regulation including registration as chemical waste producers, applications for chemical waste collection and disposal licences, reporting the quantities of waste lead-acid batteries produced, collected and disposed of, and regulating the transboundary movements of waste lead-acid batteries according to the Basel Convention (the Convention).
Any person intending to export waste lead-acid batteries for recycling should apply to the Environmental Protection Department (EPD) for an export permit. Prior to issuing the permit, the EPD will obtain written consent from the relevant authority of the concerned state of import to ensure that the waste lead-acid batteries will be transported to an approved recycling facility in the destination location for recycling in an environmentally sound manner.
The Convention encourages the Parties of the Convention to dispose of controlled waste within the country of origin as far as possible, but it does not prohibit the import or export of such waste under certain conditions, including that the state of import needs the waste as a raw material for recycling or recovery use. Currently, the waste lead-acid batteries exported from the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region comply with the above principles. Under the permit control system, approval from the competent authority of the concerned state of import must be obtained prior to the export of waste lead-acid batteries, which must be recycled in facilities equipped with processing capacity in waste lead-acid batteries.
The EPD will continue to combat illegal collection and disposal of waste lead-acid batteries, and promote proper disposal of waste lead-acid batteries and the relevant legal requirements to the trade.
The reply to the question raised by the Hon Judy Chan is as follows:
(1) and (2) Currently, there are approximately 700 000 fuel-powered or gas-powered vehicles in Hong Kong, amounting to an estimation of around 3 000 tonnes of waste lead-acid batteries generated annually. In addition to other applications including uninterruptible power supply systems (e.g. data centres and emergency lighting), non-road mobile machineries (e.g. forklifts), vessels, and emergency generators in industrial and commercial buildings, an additional 3 500 to 4 000 tonnes of waste lead-acid batteries are generated each year. Thus, it is estimated that a total of 6 500 to 7 000 tonnes of waste lead-acid batteries are generated in Hong Kong annually. In recent years, the number of electric vehicles in Hong Kong has been steadily increasing. There were 110 014 electric vehicles in Hong Kong in 2024, representing about 12.2 per cent of the total number of vehicles. As newly launched electric vehicles no longer use lead-acid batteries, it is expected that the quantity of waste lead-acid batteries generated will gradually decline in the future.
Currently, there are eight licensed disposal facilities for disposal of waste lead-acid batteries, seven of which conduct preliminary treatment such as sorting, insulation, and packaging before exporting the waste lead-acid batteries to overseas facilities for recycling. According to the capacity stipulated in their licences, these seven facilities can collectively process up to approximately 42 000 tonnes of waste lead-acid batteries annually. Another licensed facility located at the EcoPark in Tuen Mun processes waste lead-acid batteries into lead bullion by dismantling waste lead-acid batteries into lead grid and lead paste by means of high temperature smelting. The maximum annual disposal capacity (for lead bullion production) stipulated in its licence is about 8 000 tonnes.
In the past three years, the quantities of waste lead-acid batteries treated locally and exported overseas are listed as follows:
Year (3) Over the past three years (i.e. 2022 to 2024), the Recycling Fund approved a total subsidy of about $1.03 million for seven waste lead-acid batteries recyclers. The approved funding was to subsidise the purchase of equipment, such as packaging machine, scissor lift and electric pallet truck for enhancing their productivity, and provide a one-off subsidy to frontline recycling staff to help the recycling industry to cope with the COVID-19 epidemic.
(4) The Government has introduced the Promotion of Recycling and Proper Disposal of Products (Miscellaneous Amendments) Bill 2025 (Amendment Bill) to the Legislative Council on April 2 this year to establish a common legislative framework for the producer responsibility schemes (PRSs) applicable to different products. After the passage of the Amendment Bill, we will extend PRSs to more products (including lead-acid batteries) as and when appropriate by means of subsidiary legislation.
The EPD has conducted consultations on the proposed PRS on lead-acid batteries from June 2023 to April 2025. We hitherto have met with more than 40 companies or organisations including trade associations of automotive batteries and tyres industry, traders of automotive parts, suppliers of uninterrupted power supplies, medical devices and forklifts, as well as engineering contractors and recyclers, with a view to considering the trade’s opinions when drawing up the implementation details. We will maintain a close communication with the trades and take into account their views for the sake of fine-tuning the operational details of the scheme as appropriate, including setting appropriate recycling targets in light of the prevailing circumstances.
(5) After proper treatment of waste lead-acid batteries, valuable lead materials can be recovered, which have considerable value in the international recycling market. Therefore, there is a market for purchasing waste lead-acid batteries for recycling. Apart from Korea, many countries including Poland, the Czech Republic, Spain, Mexico, Greece, and Canada, possess the capability to process waste lead-acid batteries and import them from other places for recycling purposes. The local recycling facility located at the EcoPark is also capable of treating locally generated waste lead-acid batteries. Therefore, even if certain places adjust their policies and cease importing treated waste lead-acid batteries, the market is still capable of handling them. Issued at HKT 12:15
Prime Minister condoles the loss of lives due to the collapse of a wall in Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh PM announces ex-gratia from PMNRF
Posted On: 30 APR 2025 9:36AM by PIB Delhi
Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi today condoled the loss of lives due to the collapse of a wall in Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh. He announced an ex-gratia of Rs. 2 lakh from PMNRF for the next of kin of each deceased and Rs. 50,000 to the injured.
The PMO India handle in post on X said:
“Deeply saddened by the loss of lives due to the collapse of a wall in Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh. Condolences to those who have lost their loved ones. May the injured recover soon.
An ex-gratia of Rs. 2 lakh from PMNRF would be given to the next of kin of each deceased. The injured would be given Rs. 50,000: PM @narendramodi”
Deeply saddened by the loss of lives due to the collapse of a wall in Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh. Condolences to those who have lost their loved ones. May the injured recover soon.
An ex-gratia of Rs. 2 lakh from PMNRF would be given to the next of kin of each deceased. The…
Prime Minister condoles the loss of lives in a fire mishap in Kolkata PM announces ex-gratia from PMNRF
Posted On: 30 APR 2025 9:34AM by PIB Delhi
Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi today condoled the loss of lives in a fire mishap in Kolkata. He announced an ex-gratia of Rs. 2 lakh from PMNRF for the next of kin of each deceased and Rs. 50,000 to the injured.
The PMO India handle in post on X said:
“Anguished by the loss of lives due to a fire mishap in Kolkata. Condolences to those who lost their loved ones. May the injured recover soon.
An ex-gratia of Rs. 2 lakh from PMNRF would be given to the next of kin of each deceased. The injured would be given Rs. 50,000: PM @narendramodi”
Anguished by the loss of lives due to a fire mishap in Kolkata. Condolences to those who lost their loved ones. May the injured recover soon.
An ex-gratia of Rs. 2 lakh from PMNRF would be given to the next of kin of each deceased. The injured would be given Rs. 50,000: PM…
Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region
The nomination for the Leisure and Cultural Services Department’s Young Astronaut Training Camp 2025 will open for local secondary schools starting from tomorrow (May 1) until May 31. Selected participants will experience astronaut training on the Mainland free of charge this summer to learn about space science, astronomy and China’s aerospace achievements.
The training camp will run from July 25 to August 2. During the nine-day training camp, participants will visit Beijing, Jiuquan and Xi’an. The itinerary includes visiting various key astronomy and aerospace facilities such as Beijing Aerospace City, the Xinglong Observatory of the National Astronomical Observatories and the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center. In addition, participants will experience astronaut training activities and have a chance to meet with astronauts and aerospace experts.
The quota for the training camp is 30. Candidates must be local full-time students currently enrolled in Secondary Two to Secondary Six for the 2024/25 academic year, aged 12 or above and be nominated by their respective schools. Each school can nominate two students at most. There will be three rounds of selection – a quiz, a pre-camp training and an interview. Candidates with outstanding performance will be selected to join the camp. A briefing on the Camp will be conducted on May 6, at 5pm in the Lecture Hall of the Hong Kong Space Museum. Please visit the Hong Kong Space Museum website at hk.space.museum/en/web/spm/activities/yatc.html for more details.
The training camp is jointly presented by the Leisure and Cultural Services Department (LCSD) and the Chinese General Chamber of Commerce in association with the Beijing-Hong Kong Academic Exchange Centre. The training camp is organised by the Hong Kong Space Museum and sponsored by the Chinese General Chamber of Commerce.
The camp is also one of the activities in the Chinese Culture Promotion Series. The LCSD has long been promoting Chinese history and culture through organising an array of programmes and activities to enable the public to learn more about the broad and profound Chinese culture. For more information, please visit www.ccpo.gov.hk/en/.
Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region
LCQ1: Costs of developing and operating public housing Question:
The 2025-2026 Budget mentioned that the total public housing supply would reach 190 000 units in the next five years. Regarding the costs of developing and operating public housing, will the Government inform this Council:
(1) given that the Government has been granting land for the development of public housing at nominal premium, premium below the market value or nil premium, of the respective amounts of land premium waived for public housing projects of the Hong Kong Housing Authority (HA) and the Hong Kong Housing Society (HKHS) as well as the number of units involved in each of the past five and the coming three financial years, and set out in the table below a breakdown by projects (i.e. (i) public rental housing (PRH)/Green Form Subsidised Home Ownership Scheme (GSH) and (ii) other subsidised sale flats under HA, as well as (iii) rental estates and (iv) subsidised sale housing projects under HKHS):
Financial year(2) of the respective average construction costs (including (i) per square foot of the construction floor area and (ii) per flat) of PRH/rental housing units and subsidised sale flats constructed by HA and HKHS in each of the past five and the coming three financial years, with a breakdown by type of projects;
(3) of the respective expenditures spent by HA and HKHS on site formation and infrastructural works for public housing in each of the past five and the coming three financial years, and the respective numbers of flats involved, as well as the respective ratios of expenditures on PRH/rental estates and subsidised sale flats;
(4) given that according to the paper on the budgets and financial forecasts issued by HA in January this year (the paper), the largest expenditure item under the rental housing operating account is the item “other recurrent expenditure”, of the expenditure/estimates incurred by each of the sub-items of this item in each of the past five and the coming three financial years;
(5) of the actual expenditure involving government rent and rates in HA’s rental housing operating account in each of the past five financial years, and the amount of rates concession provided by the Government in each of these years; and
(6) given that according to the paper, HA’s construction expenditure included items such as “Government non-reimbursement projects”, “Government-funded projects” and “in-house supervision and administration costs”, of the specific work covered by these items?
Reply:
President,
In consultation with the Lands Department, the reply to the question raised by Dr the Hon Wendy Hong is as follows:
(1) In the past five and coming three financial years, the number of units involved in the public housing projects of the Hong Kong Housing Authority (HA) and the Hong Kong Housing Society (HKHS), and the respective amounts of land premium waived, are set out by year at Annex.
(2) As a financially autonomous public body, the HA funds its public housing programmes with its own resources. Each year, the Housing Department (HD) prepares the average construction costs per flat of Public Rental Housing (PRH)/Green Form Subsidised Home Ownership Scheme (GSH) and other Subsidised Sale Flats (SSF) projects based on the cost of building tenders approved by the HA in the preceding financial year. The construction costs will be released by the HA Finance Committee after being considered in its meeting.
As the number of building tenders approved by the HA in each financial year and factors such as scale and design of projects, market conditions, etc. are different, the average construction cost per flat varies year to year. From 2020-21 to 2023-24 financial years (Note 1), the average construction costs per flat of PRH/GSH projects and other SSF projects based on the cost of building tenders approved by the HA are set out below:
Financial YearEach year, the HD also reports the average construction costs for superstructure (Note 2) of the preceding financial year to the HA. From 2020/21 to 2023/24 financial years (Note 3), the average construction costs per square foot of construction floor area (ft2-CFA) for superstructure are set out below:
Financial Yearfor superstructure ($) (approx.) According to existing mechanism, the HD closely monitors changes in market conditions. In compiling and managing the cost budget of new projects, the HD will take various factors into consideration, including tender price trend, anticipated rate of price increase, development programmes, etc. to ensure smooth implementation of public housing schemes.
To further enhance cost-effectiveness of public housing construction, the HD will continue to explore and implement enhancement measures on construction cost control.
The study direction includes the development of a framework for optimising construction cost control, covering areas such as planning, design, application of advanced technologies and innovative construction methods, procurement models, and approval processes. The framework enables a thorough review and optimisation of various processes to effectively manage the construction costs. It also acts in concert with the inter-departmental “Action Group for Expediting Construction for Public Housing” led by the Secretary for Housing, which identifies, streamlines, and resolves inter-departmental issues encountered during public housing developments through strengthening inter-departmental co-operation so as to expedite the progress and further enhance cost-effectiveness of public housing projects.
According to the information provided by the HKHS, from 2020/21 to 2023/24 financial years (Note 4), the average construction cost per rental flat remained at around $1.1 million based on the project contract sum awarded by the HKHS. As for the HKHS’s SSF, each of which is equipped with a green balcony and utility platform, interior finishes such as tiled flooring, partition walls and doors for each room, as well as household appliances such as air conditioners, water heater, cooking hobs, etc., the average construction cost per flat was around $1.6 million.
Due to the differences in design and provisions of the HKHS’s and the HA’s projects, generally speaking, the average construction cost per flat of the HKHS would be about 15 to 30 per cent higher than that of the HA.
The HKHS is actively enhancing its cost efficiency as well as promoting construction digitalisation by applying Digital Works Supervision System and Smart Site Safety System, with a view to enhancing quality control and project management efficiency.
(3) The Government’s expenses under the Capital Works Reserve Fund (CWRF) Head 711 are for the implementation of public housing-related site formation and infrastructure projects undertaken by the Government, while the HA is responsible for the expenditure on the construction of public housing. Besides, quite a number of projects associated with the supply target of public housing are funded by other heads of expenditure under the CWRF.
As for Head 711 under the CWRF, the yearly expenditures of works projects in the past five and current fiscal year (Note 5), including infrastructure works with funding approved or pending funding approval by the Finance Committee to support the implementation of public housing developments undertaken by the HA, are tabulated below:
Financial Year($ million) As for Head 711 under the CWRF, the expenditures for the past five financial years involve about 98 000 flats for completion in 2024/25 or before, comprising about 83 000 PRH/GSH flats and about 15 000 other SSF flats. The expenditure ratio of the two is about 74 per cent and 26 per cent.
Besides, for Head 711 under the CWRF, some 64 000 flats are estimated to be completed in the coming five-year period (Note 7) (i.e. 2025/26 to 2029/30), comprising about 44 000 PRH/GSH flats and about 21 000 other SSF flats. The expenditure ratio of the two is about 56 per cent and 44 per cent. During project development, the HA will maintain flexibility in housing types and make timely adjustments of the respective supply in order to respond more appropriately to the needs of the community.
As regards the HKHS’s rental and SSF projects, most of the sites handed over to the HKHS by the Government have had the site formation and infrastructure works completed. From 2020/21 to 2025/26 financial years, the HKHS’s total expenditure on site formation works (such as slope maintenance and stabilisation) and infrastructure works (such as temporary roads, road widening, etc.) was approximately over $300 million, concerning six projects.
(4) “Other recurrent expenditures” of the Rental Housing Operating Account are mainly expenses related to estate management, including security, cleansing, electricity charges, estate property management and management fees for estate common areas. The related expenditure for the past five financial years and the next three financial years are as follows:
Financial Year($ million)(5) The actual annual expenditure on government rent and rates of Rental Housing Operating Account in the past five financial years, as well as the rates concessions provided by the Government each year, are as follows:
Financial Year($ million)($ million)# The rates of public rental housing as assessed by Rating and Valuation Department are on a block/floor basis, the HA will pass on the rates concession to tenants according to the respective unit’s share of internal floor area against the total rates of the whole domestic block. As the amount of rates concession is deducted from the rates payable of individual properties, the HA has not calculated the actual total amount of rates concession.
(6) Government non-reimbursable projects mainly include public transport interchanges (PTI) within development projects. Except individual projects which have been committed, the HA is no longer responsible for committing the expenditure related to PTIs after 2007.
The HA provides supervision services and construction of Government-funded projects in new development projects including welfare and community facilities such as schools, residential care homes for elderly, day care centres for the elderly, child care centres, etc.
In-house supervision and administration costs are mainly expenses of the relevant divisions of the HA responsible for supervision of construction projects, including personal emoluments, administrative costs, etc.
Note 1: The figure for 2024/25 financial year is not yet available. Note 2: The construction cost for superstructure excludes costs of demolition, site formation, foundation, underground drainage, external works, other separate contracts for works such as utilities connection/road diversion, etc. These costs vary a lot from project to project subject to site constraints. Note 3: The figure for 2024/25 financial year is not yet available. Note 4: The figure for 2024/25 financial year is not yet available. Note 5: As the estimate beyond 2025/26 financial year will be subject to the project implementation schedule and works progress, the estimated expenditures of 2026/27 and 2027/28 will be published in the related budgets of the Government in future. Note 6: 2020/21 to 2023/24 are actual expenditures; 2024/25 expenditures refer to the Revised Estimate; and 2025/26 expenditures refer to the Estimate. Note 7: Based on the forecast as at December 2024. Note 8: The figures from 2020/21 to 2023/24 are actual expenditures. The figure of 2024/25 is the Revised Budget and 2025/26 is the Approved Budget. Issued at HKT 17:15