Month: July 2025

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

Following is a question by the Hon Judy Chan and a reply by the Secretary for Transport and Logistics, Ms Mable Chan, in the Legislative Council today (July 2):

Question:

It has been reported that the taxi industry has faced difficulties in attracting new blood to join the industry in recent years, and, as the first batch of taxi fleets will officially commence service in July this year, there will be keen demand for taxi drivers. There are views that the situation can be rectified by optimising the procedure and content of the Taxi Written Test of the Transport Department. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:

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

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

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

Reply:

President,

The Government has been striving to enhance the service quality of taxis, and has introduced a series of measures in the past years. Such measures include introducing a taxi fleet regime, enhancing the Taxi Written Test, increasing the maximum passenger seating capacity of taxis, introducing a Taxi-Driver-Offence Points (TDOP) system, and relaxing no-stopping restrictions for taxis at designated restricted zones. These measures are launched with a view to providing passengers with a better riding experience, enhancing the overall image of the taxi trade and promoting the healthy development of the taxi industry in the long run, thereby creating a virtuous cycle to attract more new blood to join the taxi industry.

Regarding the Hon Judy Chan’s questions, my reply is as follows: 

(1) The Taxi Written Test focuses on assessing candidates’ practical knowledge on the guidelines and regulations related to taxi operation, key locations and routes, as well as the Road Users’ Code. The Transport Department (TD) enhanced the Taxi Written Test in February 2020 by updating the test content and adjusting the number of questions, with a view to focusing more on the assessment of core knowledge regarding taxi services. Such measures successfully attract more people to apply for the Taxi Written Test. The number of candidates sitting the Test has increased significantly by 40 per cent in the past few years, from less than 10 000 candidates sitting the Test in 2019 to around 14 000 candidates in 2024. In addition, the passing rate of the Taxi Written Test rose from 37 per cent in 2019 to 60 per cent in 2024. The above figures show that the enhancement of the Taxi Written Test has a notably positive effect in attracting newcomers to join the taxi driver profession. The numbers of candidates who sat and passed the Taxi Written Test from 2019 to 2024 and the corresponding passing rates are set out at the Annex. 

(2) To keep up with the times and better align the Taxi Written Test with the practical needs of the trade, the TD is currently conducting a comprehensive review of the arrangements of the Test.

In particular, having considered that modern navigation technology can now assist taxi drivers in quickly locating destinations and planning the most efficient driving routes, the TD will substantially reduce and simplify the questions on locations and routes under Part B of the Taxi Written Test and update the question bank, with a view to better aligning the Test with practical needs, and at the same time ensure that the candidates who pass the test possess the professional knowledge and qualities of taxi drivers, and have a basic understanding and grasp of the major road networks and frequently visited locations.

Besides simplifying the questions under Part B of the Test in the light of technological applications, the TD will also add new questions to assess candidates’ knowledge of the series of new measures introduced to enhance taxi service quality (e.g. taxi fleet regime, the TDOP system).

The TD is now pressing ahead with the relevant work and aims to implement the further enhanced Taxi Written Test in the fourth quarter of this year.

(3) Apart from enhancing the Taxi Written Test, the Government has relaxed the eligibility requirements for commercial vehicle (including taxi) driving licences from October 1, 2020. The period required for an applicant to hold a valid private car or light goods vehicle full driving licence has been shortened from a minimum of three years to at least one year, with a view to attracting more new blood to join the industry.

Separately, the Government introduced the taxi fleet regime last year to encourage the trade to adopt a more professional and systematic approach to manage their fleets and drivers, in order to enhance the quality of taxi services and improve the overall image of the taxi industry. Last week, the TD announced that they would issue the official Taxi Fleet Licences to the five taxi fleets within July 2025.

Over the past period of time, the five fleet operators have been proactively implementing different measures to recruit new blood and existing drivers to join the fleet. Various taxi fleet operators have successively participated in the district and thematic job fairs organised by the Labour Department, enabling job seekers to gain a deeper understanding of the fleets and their recruitment model. The fleets have also implemented different measures to recruit taxi drivers, including offering new driver referral bonus and safe driving bonus, as well as providing flexible working hour arrangements. In addition, the operators will offer pre-service training to enhance drivers’ customer service skills, and implement systematic management to support drivers in handling customer enquiries, creating a better working environment for fleet drivers. We understand from the fleet operators that the job fairs and various measures have attracted enquiries from job seekers outside the industry, and they have recruited more than 40 newcomers to join the fleet. These efforts will continue, demonstrating that the taxi fleet regime has a positive effect in attracting new blood to join the industry.

In addition, the Employees Retraining Board also offers taxi driver-related training courses to provide prospective drivers with information on the development of the industry, driving safety and matters to pay attention to when providing taxi services, thereby assisting them in joining the taxi driver profession. Eligible persons may even receive tuition subsidies or full course fee waivers. At the same time, certain taxi dealers are also offering online courses for those seeking to apply for taxi driver’s licence, as well as training courses for individuals that are new to the industry, so that the newcomers can better understand the daily operation of the taxi industry. All these measures help attract new blood to the industry.

The Government will continue to closely monitor the operation and management of the taxi industry, and implement different measures to assist the trade to enhance their services, thereby promoting the healthy development of the taxi industry in the long run.

Thank you, President.

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region – 4

Following is a question by the Hon Yiu Pak-leung and a written reply by the Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism, Miss Rosanna Law, in the Legislative Council today (July 2):
 
Question:
 
It has been reported that in recent years, our country has continued to expand the scope of its visa-free policy by, apart from expanding its unilateral visa-free policy to 47 countries, implementing a visa-free transit policy for 55 countries, thereby facilitating overseas visitors’ travel to the Mainland. For Hong Kong, the Central Government added 10 Mainland cities (such cities) eligible for travelling to Hong Kong under the Individual Visit Scheme (IVS) in March and May last year, and resumed and expanded the multiple-entry IVS for Shenzhen residents to visit Hong Kong in December. Regarding efforts to attract Mainland and overseas residents to visit Hong Kong, will the Government inform this Council:
 
(1) of, each month since June last year, (i) the number of overseas travelers entering the Mainland via Hong Kong, (ii) the number of overseas travelers leaving the Mainland via Hong Kong, (iii) such travelers’ average length of stay in Hong Kong, and (iv) their nationalities (i.e. the top 10 nationalities with the highest number of visitors);
 
(2) in light of our country’s relaxation of its visa-free transit policy for overseas travelers and extension of their maximum stay on the Mainland to 240 hours, whether the authorities have sought from the Central Government the inclusion of all Hong Kong checkpoints into the scope of the aforesaid national policy to further enhance Hong Kong’s role as a tourism hub, thereby attracting more overseas travelers to enter and leave the Mainland via Hong Kong, and to travel around and consume in Hong Kong;
 
(3) of the monthly number of visitors from such cities to Hong Kong and their average length of stay in Hong Kong during the period from May last year to May this year;
 
(4) of the measures taken by the authorities (including publicity and promotional campaigns, encouraging airlines to increase flights between Hong Kong and such cities, and promoting co-operation between the tourism industries of Hong Kong and such cities) to attract more visitors from such cities to Hong Kong;
 
(5) since the resumption and expansion of the multiple-entry IVS for Shenzhen residents in December last year, of the monthly number of Shenzhen permanent residents and Shenzhen non-permanent residents holding residence permits visiting Hong Kong and their average length of stay in Hong Kong; and
 
(6) whether the authorities has discussed with the Central Government and sought to open up the multiple-entry IVS for residents of Guangzhou, Beijing and Shanghai to visit Hong Kong, with the aim of promoting trade and business exchanges and attracting more overnight visitors to Hong Kong; if so, of the details and the results of the discussions; if not, the reasons for that?
 
Reply:
 
President,
 
The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government (HKSARG) expressed gratitude to the Central Government for the high regard and care for the development of Hong Kong’s tourism industry as well as rolling out a number of measures benefiting Hong Kong’s tourism industry in 2024, including the optimisation of the Individual Visit Scheme (IVS) to cover all provincial capitals in our country, and the resumption and expansion of the multiple-entry IVS for Shenzhen. The HKSARG will continue to make good use of the Central Government’s measures benefitting Hong Kong to reinforce the Mainland visitor source market, and continue to liaise with the Mainland on facilitating international visitors’ entry arrangements to the Mainland via Hong Kong, thereby underpinning Hong Kong’s role as the international gateway to our country.
 
In consultation with the Transport and Logistics Bureau (TLB), the Security Bureau and the Immigration Department (ImmD), the consolidated reply to the question raised by Hon Yiu Pak-leung is as follows:

(1) and (2) According to the statistics provided by the ImmD, from June 2024 to May 2025, the number of overseas visitor arrivals entering and leaving the Mainland via Hong Kong is tabulated below by month:
 

Month	Overseas visitor arrivals entering the Mainland via Hong Kong (Note)	Overseas visitor arrivals leaving the Mainland via Hong Kong (Note)
June 2024	114 786	100 802
July 2024	108 415	112 026
August 2024	105 113	112 495
September 2024	101 833	108 361
October 2024	164 025	142 087
November 2024	141 048	145 419
December 2024	150 178	144 960
January 2025	122 436	122 168
February 2025	102 805	94 093
March 2025	145 936	135 408
April 2025	174 529	173 381
May 2025	133 831	132 137
Total	1 564 935	1 523 337

Note: The above figures do not include overseas visitor arrivals entering or leaving the Mainland via e-Channel service at the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge Control Point, nor transit visitors entering or leaving the Mainland via Hong Kong.
 
The ImmD does not maintain information on the average length of stay of the above visitors in Hong Kong. According to the information provided by the Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB), amongst the inbound non-Mainland visitors from June 2024 to May 2025, 7.62 million arrivals were overnight visitors and their average length of stay in Hong Kong was 3.2 days.

According to the statistics provided by the ImmD, from June 2024 to May 2025, the top 10 nationalities of overseas visitors entering the Mainland via Hong Kong are tabulated below by month:
 

Month/ Ranking	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10
June 2024	USA	Singapore	Canada	Malaysia	Japan	India	Indonesia	Australia	South Korea	The Philippines
July 2024	USA	Canada	Malaysia	Japan	Singapore	India	Australia	UK	South Korea	The Philippines
August 2024	USA	Canada	Singapore	Japan	Malaysia	India	UK	Australia	South Korea	The Philippines
September 2024	USA	Malaysia	Canada	Singapore	Australia	Japan	India	South Korea	UK	Indonesia
October 2024	USA	Canada	Malaysia	Singapore	Australia	India	Japan	UK	South Korea	Indonesia
November 2024	USA	Singapore	Malaysia	Canada	Australia	Japan	India	South Korea	UK	Germany
December 2024	USA	Singapore	Malaysia	Australia	Canada	Japan	South Korea	Indonesia	India	Thailand
January 2025	USA	Australia	Canada	Singapore	Malaysia	South Korea	Japan	Indonesia	UK	Russia
February 2025	USA	Malaysia	Canada	Japan	Singapore	Australia	South Korea	UK	The Philippines	Indonesia
March 2025	USA	Singapore	Malaysia	Canada	Japan	Australia	South Korea	Indonesia	UK	India
April 2025	USA	India	Australia	Malaysia	Canada	Singapore	Japan	South Korea	UK	Thailand
May 2025	USA	Malaysia	Singapore	Canada	Japan	Australia	South Korea	India	Thailand	The Philippines

According to the statistics provided by the ImmD, from June 2024 to May 2025, the top 10 nationalities of overseas visitors leaving the Mainland via Hong Kong are tabulated below by month:
 

Month/ Ranking	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10
June 2024	USA	Singapore	Malaysia	Canada	Japan	India	South Korea	Australia	Indonesia	UK
July 2024	USA	Canada	Malaysia	Singapore	Japan	India	Australia	UK	South Korea	Indonesia
August 2024	USA	Canada	Japan	Singapore	Malaysia	India	UK	Australia	South Korea	France
September 2024	USA	Malaysia	Singapore	Japan	Canada	India	Australia	South Korea	UK	Indonesia
October 2024	USA	Canada	Malaysia	Australia	Singapore	India	Japan	UK	South Korea	Germany
November 2024	USA	Singapore	Malaysia	Canada	Australia	Japan	South Korea	India	UK	France
December 2024	USA	Singapore	Malaysia	Australia	Canada	Japan	South Korea	India	Indonesia	Thailand
January 2025	USA	Australia	Singapore	South Korea	Canada	Malaysia	Japan	Indonesia	India	UK
February 2025	USA	Malaysia	Canada	Australia	South Korea	Japan	Singapore	UK	Thailand	Indonesia
March 2025	USA	Singapore	Malaysia	Canada	Japan	Australia	South Korea	UK	India	Thailand
April 2025	USA	Australia	Malaysia	India	Canada	Singapore	Japan	Germany	Indonesia	South Korea
May 2025	USA	Canada	Malaysia	Singapore	Japan	India	South Korea	Australia	Thailand	UK

Hong Kong has long been the gateway for overseas visitors to enter the Mainland, as well as a “super connector” and “super value-adder” linking up the Mainland with the rest of the world. The Culture, Sports and Tourism Bureau (CSTB) has been committed to strengthening Hong Kong’s position as an international tourism hub, and has been closely monitoring the visa-free policies introduced by our country. The CSTB will, on the basis of the existing 144-hour visa-free policy for Guangdong province, continue to discuss with the relevant ministries of the Central Government the arrangements to facilitate international visitors to enter the Mainland via Hong Kong, with a view to attracting more international visitors to take Hong Kong as their first stop or transit point in their multi-destination travel itineraries to our country, leveraging Hong Kong’s role as a connector.

(3) to (6) The The IVS was expanded to Xi’an and Qingdao on March 6, 2024, and further expanded to Taiyuan, Hohhot, Harbin, Lhasa, Lanzhou, Xining, Yinchuan and Urumqi on May 27, 2024. For the period from May 2024 to May 2025, the number of Mainland visitor arrivals from the aforesaid 10 newly added cities is tabulated below by month:
 

Month	Number of inbound Mainland visitor arrivals from the 10 newly added IVS cities
May 2024	38 015
June 2024	33 148
July 2024	49 274
August 2024	59 471
September 2024	35 039
October 2024	47 503
November 2024	44 603
December 2024	49 612
January 2025	85 864
February 2025	63 017
March 2025	49 189
April 2025	45 763
May 2025	41 842

The number of visitor arrivals to Hong Kong holding the multiple-entry IVS since its resumption and expansion in Shenzhen on December 1, 2024, is tabulated below by month:
 

Month	Number of visitor arrivals to Hong Kong holding multiple-entry IVS
December 2024	224 961
January 2025	305 779
February 2025	275 681
March 2025	373 369
April 2025	386 610
May 2025	435 703

The ImmD does not maintain information on the average length of stay of the above visitors in Hong Kong. According to the information provided by the HKTB, of the inbound Mainland visitors from May 2024 to May 2025, overnight visitors and same-day visitors were 16.11 million and 21.94 million respectively, and the average length of stay of overnight Mainland visitors in Hong Kong was 3.1 days.

To attract more residents from the 10 cities to visit Hong Kong, the CSTB, in collaboration with the HKTB, have rolled out a series of promotional activities.  After the expansion of the IVS to Xi’an and Qingdao in March 2024, the CSTB and the HKTB led a delegation to visit the two cities, and launched large-scale advertisements in local commercial districts, achieving a total exposure of 23.8 million views. After the expansion of the IVS to all provincial capitals, trade representatives from the eight newly added IVS cities, including Taiyuan, Hohhot, Harbin and others, were invited for a familiarisation trip to Hong Kong in June 2024 to have an in-depth exploration of Hong Kong’s local culture.
 
Starting from April 2024, the HKTB has distributed over 40 000 sets of discount vouchers, each valued at HK$200, to visitors from the 10 newly added IVS cities through travel agents and airlines, stimulating visitor spending in Hong Kong.
 
Moreover, the TLB has been working closely with the Airport Authority Hong Kong (AA) to strategically attract both local and non-local airlines to open new routes and increase flight frequencies through outreach teams, incentive schemes and policy facilitation measures, thereby further strengthening the air connectivity between Hong Kong and Mainland cities. Notably, the AA launched in June last year the Air Network Development Programme, which has so far attracted 29 airlines to open 60 new routes and increase flight frequencies to 14 destinations, including passenger flights to Xi’an, Qingdao, Lhasa, Lanzhou, and Urumqi. The current passenger flight services between the Mainland and Hong Kong have completely covered the 10 newly added the IVS cities last year. Compared to the period before the expansion of the IVS, the total number of flights to and from these cities has increased by 80 per cent.
 
Regarding the promotion of trade collaboration, the CSTB provided funding support to the Travel Industry Council of Hong Kong to organise trade visits to Harbin and Taiyuan in February and June 2025 respectively and will visit Xi’an in October 2025.  Through business exchanges with the representatives from the cultural and tourism departments and trade organisations of those cities, we foster business co-operation between the tourism trade of Hong Kong and those cities, facilitating exchange of visitors and developing business opportunities.
 
In terms of suggestions to orderly optimise the IVS, namely the expansion of the multiple-entry IVS to other Mainland cities, the CSTB will continue to discuss with relevant ministries of the Mainland, with a view to enabling Mainland visitors to visit Hong Kong in a more convenient and flexible manner, thereby fostering the development of the tourism-related industries.

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

     Following is a question by the Hon Steven Ho and a written reply by the Acting Secretary for Housing, Mr Victor Tai, in the Legislative Council today (July 2):

Question:

     Under the existing system, applicants of the Comprehensive Social Security Assistance (CSSA) Scheme (excluding the Guangdong Scheme and the Fujian Scheme) and the Social Security Allowance (SSA) Scheme must satisfy the residence requirements and the permissible limits of absence from Hong Kong (absence limits). In addition, tenants of public rental housing (PRH) must continuously reside in the units. However, it is learnt that some people are still enjoying benefits such as old age allowances and PRH despite residing abroad. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:

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

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

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

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

Reply:

President,

     In response to the question raised by Hon Steven Ho, in consultation with the Security Bureau and the Labour and Welfare Bureau, our reply is as follows:

(1) Applicants and recipients of the Comprehensive Social Security Assistance (CSSA) or the Social Security Allowance must meet the relevant residence requirements and other eligibility criteria, and are required to declare all travel documents and provide other relevant information to the Social Welfare Department (SWD). If applicants and recipients fail to provide all relevant documents or information truthfully, once such cases are found, the SWD will take follow-up actions and may refer the cases to the law enforcement department for handling if necessary. It is a criminal offence for an applicant and a recipient to deliberately provide false information or omit information in order to obtain cash assistance by deception. In addition to becoming ineligible for cash assistance, the applicant and the recipient may be liable on conviction to imprisonment for a maximum of 14 years under the Theft Ordinance (Cap. 210 of the Laws of Hong Kong).

     Besides, in accordance with the existing established mechanism, the Immigration Department (ImmD) provides, on a regular basis or upon request by the SWD, the travel records of applicants and recipients, including the travel records of these persons using their Hong Kong identity card, travel document issued by ImmD (including Hong Kong Special Administrative Region passports) and travel document issued by other countries/territories, to the SWD for verification of the compliance with the relevant residence requirements of the persons concerned.

(2) Section 5 of the Immigration Ordinance (Cap. 115) stipulates that individuals entering or leaving Hong Kong at immigration control points must present a valid travel document. When entering into or exiting from Hong Kong, Hong Kong residents may use their Hong Kong identity card or a valid travel document to complete immigration clearance at traditional counters at control points. Eligible holders of smart identity card may also use their smart identity cards or encrypted QR codes, together with fingerprint or facial recognition technology, for self-service immigration clearance at e-Channels.

     To implement effective immigration control, the ImmD adopts biometric recognition technologies (such as fingerprints and facial images) in its immigration control operations to verify the identity of individuals using Hong Kong identity card or travel document for entry into or exit from Hong Kong.

    Under the existing established mechanism, the immigration records of relevant individuals provided by the ImmD to the SWD and the Housing Department (HD) have already encompassed information related to Hong Kong identity cards, travel documents issued by the ImmD (including Hong Kong Special Administrative Region passports), and travel documents issued by other countries or regions. The information provided would facilitate verification by the relevant departments of whether the recipients continue to meet the eligibility criteria for receiving relevant social welfare benefits.

(3) and (4) The Hong Kong Housing Authority (HA) has adopted multi-pronged approach to combat tenancy abuse of public rental housing (PRH). HD has all along addressed the issue of tenancy abuse through various means including daily estate management, routine home visits, random checks and in-depth investigations of suspected cases, as well as publicity and education. These efforts aim to reduce the chance of tenancy abuse of PRH, thereby expediting turnover of PRH flats and allowing those in genuine need of housing to move into PRH as soon as possible.

     To ensure the optimal use of PRH resources, the HD has established a regular mechanism with Immd, under which Immd regularly reports the death records of PRH tenants to the HD so that the HD can proactively monitor tenants’ occupancy status and take appropriate actions. The Immd also provides travel records of relevant individuals (such as PRH principal tenants and household members) upon request by the HD, with a view to enabling the HD to verify whether the individuals concerned continue to meet the eligibility criteria for residing in PRH.
 
     To strengthen the monitoring, the HD has set up a new computer system to store case information about tenancy abuse, including the processes and investigation results. Estate management staff also conducts unannounced home visits outside office hours. Investigations will be initiated, if there are suspected cases of PRH abuse or upon receipt of reports from the public on suspected cases of PRH abuse. The HD also selects cases on a random basis for in-depth investigation.

     In addition, to expedite the verification of occupancy status of tenancy abuse cases and enforcement actions, the HD liaises with other government departments to obtain key information in accordance with relevant ordinances and regulations (such as enquiry with the ImmD about the immigration records of tenants who are suspected of not retaining regular and continuous residence, enquiry with the Water Supplies Department about households with unusual water consumption, etc) so as to verify cases of tenancy abuse and accelerate the handling of such cases.

     In fact, since 2023, the HA has rolled out a series of new measures to strengthen efforts to combat tenancy abuse of PRH. Starting from October 2023, the HA requires all PRH households to declare their occupancy status and ownership of domestic property in Hong Kong every two years since admission to PRH. They are required to declare whether they have retained continuous residence in their units, and whether the units have been left vacant or used for unauthorised purposes. If households have made false statement, the HA will consider terminating the tenancy agreement. The family member(s) who has made false statement will be subject to the restrictions of a five-year debarment from applying for PRH, no offer of a PRH flat with better quality, and even prosecution. Since the introduction of the measures, some PRH tenants were sentenced to imprisonment of 30 days by the court, and some tenants have voluntarily returned their units. The HA is confident that these measures will continue to strengthen its efforts against tenancy abuse of PRH.

     To collect intelligence for better targeting in combating PRH abuse, the HA launched the “Report Public Housing Abuse Award” (the Award) in January 2025. Since the launch of the Award, as at end March 2025, out of the total reported cases of around 3 900, about 1 700 cases have opted for participating in the Award. After initial screening, about 1 200 reported cases were eligible for joining the Award, and about 700 of them can be further followed up. There are cases where Notice-To-Quit were successfully issued. The first round of the Award presentation will be held in July 2025. The above demonstrated that the public has established a strong consensus to combat PRH tenancy abuse and to collectively safeguard the precious housing resources.

     In order to cope with the extra workload brought by the enhanced efforts in combating PRH abuse, in recent years, the HA has strengthened its collaboration with various government departments and has adopted different strategies and manpower deployment as appropriate in light of changing circumstances. This includes recruiting retired disciplined services officers to join the HD. From July 2022 to May 2025, over 8 700 PRH flats were recovered by the HA in view of tenancy abuse or breach of tenancy agreement. Compared to the recovery of about 1 400 flats in 2021/22, the average annual number of PRH flats recovered due to tenancy abuse and breach of tenancy agreement from 2022/23 to 2024/25 has more than doubled. This demonstrated the effectiveness of the strengthened measures implemented by the HA.

     To strengthen the intensity of combating PRH abuse and enhance the deterrent effect, the Housing Bureau has submitted the Housing (Amendment) Bill 2025 (the Bill) to the Legislative Council, and the Bill was passed on June 11, 2025. The Bill mainly includes three aspects: (i) introducing new offenses of serious tenancy abuse of PRH flats; (ii) empowering authorised officers to demand personal details from suspects; and (iii) extending the limitation of time for prosecution of offences of false statements, refusal to furnish information and unlawful alienations, thereby making measures against PRH abuse more deterrent. The relevant offenses will take effect from March 31, 2026. The HA will step up publicity efforts to ensure that the public fully understands and is aware of the consequences of violating the law.

     The HA/HD will continue to review the existing measures, including enhancing the investigation workflows and strengthening staff training, publicity and public education. We will also keep reviewing our strategies in combating PRH abuse and strengthening collaboration with other departments to safeguard the rational use of PRH resources.

     The Hong Kong Housing Society (HKHS) has also been adopting a multi-pronged approach in combating abuse of PRH resources holistically, including conducting home visits on a regular basis and prioritising investigation of suspected cases of non-occupation (such as those with relatively low water and electricity consumption, backlog of uncollected notices and letters in mailboxes for a prolonged period, etc). In addition, the HKHS has regularised conducting home visits during non-office hours and strengthened training for frontline staff to further enhance their awareness of and sensitivity to breaches of tenancy agreements. In addition, HKHS leverages smart technology to step up its efforts in combating PRH tenancy abuse, such as the in-house development of “eHome Visit”. This digital platform digitises tenant information and home visit records to facilitate comparison, thereby allowing frontline staff to have a full picture during home visits and enabling prompt identification of suspicious cases. The HKHS will continue to keep pace with the times and regularly review the effectiveness of these measures, with additional initiatives introduced as and when necessary with a view to further enhancing the efficiency of home visits and the effectiveness of investigation of PRH tenancy abuse cases.

     The HKHS and the HA have maintained close communication and exchange on the efforts in combating abuse of PRH resources, and review and assess the effectiveness of the relevant measures from time to time. When tenants are suspected of not retaining regular and continuous residence in their units, the HKHS will request resident information such as travel records from ImmD depending on individual circumstances and investigation needs. Separately, the HKHS has since October 2005 established a notification mechanism with the ImmD on death records. Under this mechanism, the ImmD provides on a monthly basis records of persons who reside in rental estates of the HKHS yet with death registered in Hong Kong for the HKHS’s suitable follow-up actions. The HKHS will continue to strengthen its communication with the ImmD to help enhance the effectiveness of investigations on PRH tenancy abuse.

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region – 4

     Following is a question by the Hon Dennis Leung and a reply by the Secretary for Environment and Ecology, Mr Tse Chin-wan, in the Legislative Council today (July 2):
 
Question:
 
     It is learnt that the yard waste recycling centre Y·PARK mainly receives yard waste such as tree trunks that are six metres long or below, as well as branches, twigs and leaves. Regarding the handling of yard waste, will the Government inform this Council:
 
(1) as some members of the public have relayed that uncollected yard waste is often seen on streets and in parks, whether the Government has formulated guidelines requiring the Leisure and Cultural Services Department (LCSD), the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD) and their outsourced contractors to first sort the collected yard waste and send the yard waste that can be processed by Y·PARK to the collection point of the Environmental Protection Department; if not, of the reasons for that;
 
(2) according to the existing procedures, how the LCSD, FEHD and their outsourced contractors handle yard waste that cannot be processed by Y·PARK; of the approximate tonnage of such yard waste in each year since 2019; and
 
(3) given that Y·PARK has imposed a number of restrictions on the recovery of yard waste, and it is learnt that some companies in the Mainland and the United States adopt anaerobic digestion technology to convert yard waste into biogas for electricity generation, whether the Government will consider adopting such technology to process yard waste, so as to enhance recycling and conversion of waste into energy; if not, of the reasons for that?
 
Reply:
 
President,

     The super typhoon Mangkhut that hit Hong Kong in 2018 caused severe damage, uprooting numerous trees, many of which were large trees that could be suitable for timber production. In 2021, the Environmental Protection Department (EPD) set up the temporary yard waste recycling centre, Y·PARK, in accordance with the Waste Blueprint for Hong Kong 2035, to collect and process yard waste generated from regular vegetation maintenance and public works projects, and to assist in treating large quantities of yard waste generated shortly after typhoons when needed.
 
     Yard waste includes grass, leaves, shrubs, twigs and woody tree trunks. Some of them may be affected by pests or diseases. Y·PARK mainly collects and sorts out the high quality and suitable portion of yard waste for recycling into recyclable products of relatively higher values so as to achieve both converting waste to resources and enhancing cost-effectiveness.
 
     The current Y·PARK is temporary in nature. In future, the Government reserves land in the New Territories North New Town to develop a larger-scale yard waste recycling facility to enhance yard waste handling capacity. 
 
     Having consulted the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD) and the Leisure and Cultural Services Department (LCSD), our consolidated reply to the question raised by the Hon Dennis Leung is as follows:
 
(1) The Government has established guidelines to drive various government departments, including the FEHD and the LCSD, adhering to the principles of reduce, reuse, and recycle, to shred and reuse yard waste as much for gardening on-site as far as possible, while yard waste that cannot be treated or reused on-site could be delivered to suitable recycling facilities for treatment. The EPD has also continuously liaised with government departments, providing relevant guidelines to promote the proper sorting of recyclable yard waste at source and its delivery to Y·PARK for processing. In 2024, the quantity of yard waste disposed of at landfills was about 230 tonnes per day, accounting for about 2 per cent of the municipal solid waste (MSW) disposal of at landfills.
 
(2) Not all yard waste is suitable for delivering to Y·PARK for processing. According to prevailing handling procedures, when the FEHD, the LCSD and their contractors encounter yard waste unsuitable for recycling, such as yard waste infected by bacteria, infested with pests, or containing large amount of impurities, while providing street cleansing or park management services, such yard waste will be sent directly or via refuse transfer stations to landfills for disposal. From 2019 to April 2025, the LCSD transported an average of about seven tonnes of yard waste unsuitable for recycling to landfills per day, whilst the FEHD does not maintain relevant data.
 
(3) The Government is developing two main types of waste-to-energy facilities currently. The first type of facilities is the Organic Resources Recovery Centre (O·PARK), adopting anaerobic digestion technology to process food waste. The second type of facilities adopts modern incineration technology to treat waste, such as T·PARK which incinerates sludge to generate electricity, and the Integrated Waste Management Facilities Phase I (I·PARK1) under construction which will incinerate MSW to generate electricity.
 
     The O·PARKs are designed to treat food waste which contains proteins, sugars, fats and high water content. These substances decompose more easily during anaerobic digestion process, and produce more biogas, resulting in a higher energy conversion efficiency for electricity generation. Under feasible technical conditions, we also make the best use of the existing waste management facilities to test out the treatment of other waste. For instance, while O·PARK2 is mainly for treating food waste, we conducted trials for treating pig waste by anaerobic digestion since its commissioning in March 2024. Following the successful trials, we have fully replaced the previous practice of disposing pig waste at landfills with anaerobic digestion technology since July 2024, which significantly reduced the potential odour issues associated with disposal of pig waste at landfills.
 
     However, there are significant differences between yard waste and food waste. It requires different treatment methods for yard waste. Yard waste comprises woody waste, such as tree trunks and branches, as well as non-woody waste, such as leaves and grass.  Tree trunks and branches are high in wood fiber content and low in moisture content, so they are not easily decomposed by anaerobic digestion. If treating the yard waste by co-digestion by anaerobic digestion technology in O.PARKs, it would not only occupy substantial space in the digestion tanks but would also significantly reduce food waste processing capacity and efficiency. In addition, as woody waste is hard and bulky, it is more difficult to be crushed into pieces as compared with food waste, such that additional energy and water will be required to turn the woody waste into slurry for further treatment. The installation of necessary pre-treatment facilities in O·PARKs and modifications to the existing operation mode will incur a substantial amount of cost but result in low energy efficiency. According to the understanding of the EPD, there are few examples of utilising anaerobic digestion technology to process woody waste in the Mainland or overseas. Even for such cases, they mainly involve processing small amount of non-woody yard waste such as grass and leaves.
 
     Non-woody garden waste such as grass and leaves can be processed through anaerobic digestion technically, but the process would be less efficient than treating food waste. Considering that such waste contains a certain calorific value and is often mixed with other MSW during collection, treating yard waste by incineration can reduce the need for additional space, processing, and costs associated with sorting yard waste from mixed waste while achieving the same outcome of turning waste into energy. The Government is working full steam on developing two modern large-scale incineration facilities, namely I·PARK1 and I·PARK2. These facilities will handle up to 9 000 tonnes of MSW per day in total in the future, converting waste into electricity. I·PARK1 is expected to commence operation by the end of this year and can assist in handling yard waste.

     Thank you, President.

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region – 4

     Following is a question by Dr the Hon Starry Lee and a written reply by the Acting Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development, Dr Bernard Chan, in the Legislative Council today (July 2):
 
Question:
 
     The Third Plenary Session of the 20th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC Central Committee) has adopted the Resolution of the CPC Central Committee on Further Deepening Reform Comprehensively to Advance Chinese Modernization, in which it is pointed out that Hong Kong needs to further capitalise on its strengths and become an international hub for high-calibre talents. There are views that attracting international talents requires efforts on various fronts, among which, the creation of an international living environment and the setting up of well-established English information channels for demonstration of Hong Kong’s cultural diversity, openness and inclusiveness are particularly important. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
 
(1) whether it has compiled statistics on the percentage of broadcast time in foreign languages out of the total broadcast time in respect of the public broadcasting services in Hong Kong at present, and how the relevant time and percentage compare with those in other international metropolises;
 
(2) of the specific policies and whether resources have been allocated to encourage local television and sound broadcasters to produce more quality English-language programmes, especially those with contents showcasing the business environment, cultural characteristics, lifestyle, etc, in Hong Kong;
 
(3) whether it has evaluated the effectiveness of the existing English media contents in attracting and retaining international talents; whether it has conducted relevant surveys to understand the information needs of international talents;
 
(4) whether it will consider setting up an additional 24-hour English channel on Radio Television Hong Kong and producing more English programmes to present a soft and down-to-earth introduction of the policies and development opportunities in Hong Kong, so as to enable international talents and inbound tourists to obtain local information more conveniently; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that;
 
(5) of the Government’s plans to enhance Hong Kong’s international image and visibility by arranging additional media coverage in English, given that the 15th National Games and other international events are about to take place; and
 
(6) apart from traditional television broadcasters, whether it has plans to make use of emerging publicity channels, such as digital platforms and social media, to produce more information contents about Hong Kong in English, so as to strengthen Hong Kong’s international communication capability, thereby creating a more attractive international living environment; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?
 
Reply:
 
President,
 
     The HKSAR Government has been striving to showcase the unique characteristics of Hong Kong, being an international metropolis, from various perspectives to attract international talents and tourists by telling the good stories of Hong Kong through diverse television and radio programmes, as well as different promotion measures. Having consulted the Labour and Welfare Bureau (LWB), the Culture, Sports and Tourism Bureau (CSTB) and the Home and Youth Affairs Bureau, our consolidated response is as follows:
 
     Hong Kong’s broadcasting market is under steady development. The three domestic free television programme service (free TV) licensees, two sound broadcasting licensees and Radio Television Hong Kong (RTHK) are providing a total of 15 television channels and 14 radio channels respectively, which include five TV channels and three radio channels in English. The general public (including non-Chinese-speaking persons in Hong Kong) can choose and enjoy diverse television and radio programmes (including English-language programmes) with a wide variety according to their needs. The HKSAR Government does not maintain related information in other regions.
 
     Under the current broadcasting regulatory framework, licensed broadcasters shall provide English programmes through their designated English channels in accordance with their licence conditions. Considering the sustainable development of licensed broadcasters and the needs of different audience, the three domestic free TV English channels are currently required to broadcast English programmes for at least 55 per cent of the broadcasting hours. Although licensed broadcasters can exercise suitable flexibility to broadcast non-English programmes for not more than 45 per cent of the broadcasting hours on their English channels, free TV licensees must broadcast English programmes during prime time on their English channels as required to cater for the needs of the general public and non-Chinese-speaking persons in Hong Kong. We also note that the current English programmes offered by licensed broadcasters cover a wide range of genres, including news, current affairs, sports, cultural features, lifestyle and arts, etc.
 
     On the other hand, RTHK also proactively offers English programmes through its radio and TV channels, including launching English programme time slots on RTHK TV 31 and 32; providing 24-hour relay of the China Global Television Network Documentary and English Channels under the China Media Group on RTHK TV 34 and 35; providing 24-hour broadcasting with diverse English programmes on RTHK Radio 3; and broadcasting bilingual programmes featuring fine music and arts information on RTHK Radio 4, etc. These help exhibit Hong Kong’s diversity and global vision, proactively telling good stories of the country and Hong Kong and enabling non-Chinese speaking persons in Hong Kong to have a better understanding of various information about Hong Kong and Mainland China.
 
     Since the three free TV licences will expire in 2027 and 2028, the Communications Authority (CA) has commenced the renewal exercise of the free TV licences and will conduct a public consultation exercise in the third quarter of 2025. In processing the renewal applications, subject to actual circumstances, the CA will consider revisions to licence conditions and regulatory requirements on free TV services (including requirements on English channels and programmes) taking into account views from the industry and the public as well as the latest market development and submit recommendations on licence renewal to the Chief Executive in Council.
 
     Regarding the attraction of talents, talents are generally concerned about employment and business start-up opportunities, children’s education and social integration when considering pursuance of development in Hong Kong. Media in English, being an international language, helps disseminate relevant information to international talents, alleviating their concern about integration into local society. To facilitate social integration of international talents in a more proactive manner, the Hong Kong Talent Engage (HKTE) of the LWB has been providing comprehensive support services to help them stay in the city for development. With a view to ensuring that the comprehensive information about living and working in Hong Kong are accessible to international talents, the HKTE’s promotional and publicity materials, including its online platform, TV Announcements in the Public Interest, social media posts, etc, are already fully available in English, and its themed seminars on living in Hong Kong also offer online livestreaming and simultaneous interpretation services. On the other hand, the HKTE launched the Talent+ Volunteer Programme in September 2024, and has been collaborating with various non-governmental organisations, working partners and corporations to provide incoming talents with diverse volunteer service opportunities, strengthening their connections with the local community and fostering their sense of belonging to the city.
 
     As for promotion of mega events, the CSTB, in collaboration with relevant government departments and organisations, has been devising extensive publicity campaigns through diverse means for the 15th National Games (NG), the 12th National Games for Persons with Disabilities (NGD) and the 9th National Special Olympic Games (NSOG), including various overseas promotional initiatives with the support of the Information Services Department (ISD), such as running advertisements in overseas media and at a number of major overseas international airports, engaging overseas key opinion leaders to publish promotional posts, and inviting overseas journalists and guests to visit Hong Kong through thematic media visit programmes and the Sponsored Visitors Programme so that they can spread their positive visiting experiences in their hometown afterwards, with a view to raising the international profile and popularity of Hong Kong and attracting more overseas spectators to the events. RTHK will also fully engage in the promotion, production and live broadcast of the 15th NG, the 12th NGD and the 9th NSOG. Besides, for organisation of major events, depending on the nature of the events, the Leisure and Cultural Services Department (LCSD) will invite media in English and other foreign languages to participate in press conferences or carry out promotional campaigns, and will also collaborate with local and international media organisations and event partners (such as relevant Consulates-General in Hong Kong, cultural organisations stationed in Hong Kong as well as the overseas Economic and Trade Offices) to promote the events. The LCSD will make good use of its social media platforms for promotion and support bilingual content so as to promote featured events to local and overseas audiences.
 
     Apart from the above promotion measures, the ISD has been setting up accounts on various social media platforms and producing more English social media posts for promotion. The ISD has also co-operated with the national media to make use of their multi-language new media platforms to promote Hong Kong to more countries through different foreign languages. Besides, the ISD will continue to work with suitable overseas media organisations to produce content on Hong Kong’s latest development in key areas, such as innovation and technology, sports, shipping, and culture and arts, etc, with the aim of expanding the reach of overseas promotional efforts through their readers’ network and social media platforms. Through monitoring of the latest market development and global trend, the ISD will continue to make use of appropriate platforms to raise the international profile of Hong Kong.

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region – 4

     Following is a question by Dr the Hon Wendy Hong and a written reply by the Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury, Mr Christopher Hui, in the Legislative Council today (July 2):
 
Question:
 
     This year marks the 25th anniversary of the implementation of the Mandatory Provident Fund (MPF) system. According to statistics from the Mandatory Provident Fund Schemes Authority, the total MPF assets amounted to around $1,340 billion as at the end of March this year. On improving the MPF system, will the Government inform this Council:
 
(1) of the number of MPF scheme members and their average MPF asset levels in each of the past five years, and set out in the table below with a breakdown by age group (i.e. (i) below 25, (ii) between 25 and below 30, (iii) between 35 and below 45, (iv) between 45 and below 55, (v) between 55 and below 65, and (vi) 65 or above), and MPF asset levels (i.e. (a) $200,000 or below, (b) between $200,001 and $400,000, (c) between $400,001 and $600,000, (d) between $600,001 and $800,000, (e) between $800,001 and $1,000,000, (f) between $1,000,001 and $1,500,000, (g) between $1,500,001 and $2,000,000, and (h) above $2,000,000);
 
Year:

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

(2) as the Government indicated in its reply to a question from a Member of this Council on May 7 this year that allowing members of the public to make early withdrawals of their accrued benefits to meet home ownership needs would result in such accrued benefits leaking from the system and failing to accumulate for growth in value, thereby undermining the integrity of the MPF system, but there are views that the Government may consider allowing members of the public to borrow the accrued benefits from their MPF accounts to fund a down payment on their first home, with repayment made in instalments over the mortgage term of the purchased property and all outstanding amounts in the MPF account to be repaid immediately upon the sale of the property, which will create a closed-loop funding mechanism to prevent funds from flowing out of the owner-occupied property market or MPF accounts, thereby maximising the value of MPF in supporting people’s retirement, whether the government will consider the aforesaid proposal; and
 
(3) given that Hong Kong is about to become a super-aged society, whether the Government will consider emulating the provident fund systems of the Mainland and Singapore by setting up designated contribution accounts targeting areas such as healthcare and housing under the MPF system in the long term, and increasing the income ratio for MPF contributions to help members of the public to cope with various expenses after retirement?
 
Reply:
 
President,
 
     In consultation with the Mandatory Provident Fund Schemes Authority (MPFA), the reply to the three parts of the question is as follows:
 
(1) As at end-2024, about 4.8 million Mandatory Provident Fund (MPF) scheme members held a total of around 11.2 million MPF accounts of various types (including contribution accounts, personal accounts and tax-deductible voluntary contribution accounts), hence each scheme member held more than 2.3 MPF accounts on average. The number of MPF scheme members and accounts over the past five years, the average amount of accrued benefits per MPF account by the age group of scheme members, and the number of accounts by the amount of accrued benefits are tabulated below:
 
Table 1: Number of MPF scheme members and accounts

Year (as at year-end)	Number of MPF scheme members	Number of MPF accounts
2020	4 459 000	10 324 000
2021	4 586 000	10 477 000
2022	4 694 000	10 843 000
2023	4 754 000	11 058 000
2024	4 794 000	11 228 000

 
Table 2: Average amount of accrued benefits per MPF account by age group (As at end-2024)

Age group	Average amount of accrued benefits per MPF account ($)
Under 25	8,600
25 to under 35	52,600
35 to under 45	126,700
45 to under 55	163,200
55 to under 65	149,000
65 or above	73,800

Note: Excluding accounts with nil accrued benefits.
 
Table 3: Number of accounts by amount of accrued benefits (As at end-2024)

Amount of accrued benefits	Number of accounts
$200,000 or below	9 373 000
Between $200,001 and $400,000	1 072 000
Between $400,001 and $600,000	408 000
Between $600,001 and $800,000	181 000
Between $800,001 and $1,000,000	88 000
Between $1,000,001 and $2,000,000	98 000
Over $2,000,000	27 000

 
     As each scheme member may hold more than one account, and the accounts may be held under different MPF schemes, figures on the number of scheme members by their total accrued benefits are not available at present. MPF schemes are gradually onboarding to the eMPF Platform, which commenced operation in June 2024. Upon completion of onboarding of all MPF schemes, data relating to total MPF accrued benefits by individual scheme members could be compiled via the eMPF Platform.
 
(2) The MPF system is set up to assist the public to save up for their retirement. The idea of allowing scheme members to borrow their MPF benefits for the purpose of home ownership must take into consideration the impact on scheme members’ retirement savings. MPF is a long-term investment with compounding effect, designed to allow MPF benefits to accumulate steadily and be kept in the accounts for value growth during the working life of scheme members. Therefore, accrued benefits should be preserved as far as possible and only be withdrawn and used upon retirement of the employed persons. If we were to relax the preservation requirement on MPF benefits and allow scheme members to borrow their MPF benefits to meet home ownership needs, the accrued benefits would fail to accumulate for value growth, thereby reducing scheme members’ MPF benefits meant for their retirement and undermining the basic retirement protection for the working population. Furthermore, as the MPF system has the advantage of diversifying investment risks, investments in real estate bear higher risks than those in MPF funds in general. The arrangements requiring members of the public to repay in instalments after borrowing MPF benefits for home ownership purpose and make repayment with the proceeds from the sale of the property of which the down payment was met by MPF benefits also entail considerable complexity.
 
(3) Under the MPF system, employers and employees are currently required to respectively make mandatory contributions equivalent to 5 per cent of the employee’s relevant income (with the current monthly contribution cap at $1,500). If the MPF system were to save up for medical and home ownership expenses at the same time without affecting the retirement protection for employed persons, we must consider increasing the overall MPF contribution rate. Drawing on practices in regions outside Hong Kong (such as the Mainland and Singapore), should dedicated savings accounts be set up to cover medical and home ownership expenses, the contribution rate to the relevant accounts could be as high as over 30 per cent of the employee’s income. Given that the current total mandatory contribution rate stands at only 10 per cent, the proposal of introducing dedicated savings accounts for medical and home ownership purposes under the MPF system and raising the total MPF contribution rate must first reach a broad societal consensus.
 
     The Government and the MPFA welcome views regarding the MPF system from various sectors, and will carefully assess the necessity and feasibility of each proposal to continuously improve the operation of the MPF system without compromising the basic retirement protection for scheme members.

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region – 4

The Transport Department (TD) today (July 2) said that the next online auction of vehicle registration marks (VRMs) will be held from noon on July 17 (Thursday) to noon on July 21 (Monday) through the auction platform E-Auction (e-auction.td.gov.hk). Interested bidders can participate in the online auction only after they have successfully registered as E-Auction users.

     A spokesman for the TD said, “A total of 200 Ordinary VRMs will be available at this online public auction. The list of VRMs (see Annex) has been uploaded to the E-Auction website. Applicants who have paid a $1,000 deposit to reserve the Ordinary VRM for auction should also register as an E-Auction user in advance in order to participate in the online bidding, including placing the first bid at the opening price of $1,000. Otherwise, the VRMs reserved by them may be bid on by other interested bidders at or above the opening price. Auctions for VRMs with ‘HK’ or ‘XX’ as a prefix, special VRMs and personalised VRMs will continue to be carried out through physical auctions by bidding paddles and their announcement arrangements remain unchanged.”

     Members of the public participating in the online bidding should take note of the following important points:

(1) Bidders should register in advance as an E-Auction user by “iAM Smart+” equipped with the digital signing function; or by using a valid digital certificate and an email address upon completion of identity verification. Registered “iAM Smart” users should provide their Hong Kong identity card number, while non-Hong Kong residents who are not “iAM Smart” users should provide the number of their passport or other identification documents when registering as E-Auction users.

(2) Bidders are required to provide a digital signature to confirm the submission and amount of the bid by using “iAM Smart+” or a valid digital certificate at the time of the first bid of each online bidding session (including setting automatic bids before the auction begins) to comply with the requirements of the Electronic Transactions Ordinance.

(3) If a bid is made in respect of a VRM within the last 10 minutes before the end of the auction, the auction end time for that particular VRM will be automatically extended by another 10 minutes, up to a maximum of 24 hours.

(4) Successful bidders must follow the instructions in the notification email issued by the TD to log in to the E-Auction within 48 hours from the issuance of email and complete the follow-up procedures, including:
 

• completing the Purchaser Information for the issuance of the Memorandum of Sale of Registration Mark (Memorandum of Sale); and
• making the auction payment online by credit card, Faster Payment System (FPS) or Payment by Phone Service (PPS). Cheque or cash payment is not accepted in the E-Auction.

(5) A VRM can only be assigned to a motor vehicle registered in the name of the purchaser. Relevant information on the Certificate of Incorporation must be provided by the successful bidder in the Purchaser Information of the Memorandum of Sale if the VRM purchased is to be registered under the name of a body corporate.

(6) Successful bidders will receive a notification email around seven working days after payment has been confirmed and can download the Memorandum of Sale from the E-Auction. The purchaser must apply for the VRM to be assigned to a motor vehicle registered in the name of the purchaser within 12 months from the date of issue of the Memorandum of Sale. If the purchaser fails to do so within the 12-month period, in accordance with the statutory provision, the allocation of the VRM will be cancelled and a new allocation will be arranged by the TD without prior notice to the purchaser.

     The TD has informed all applicants who have reserved the Ordinary VRMs for this round of auction of the E-Auction arrangements in detail by post. Members of the public may refer to the E-Auction website or watch the tutorial videos for more information. Please call the E-Auction hotline (3583 3980) or email (e-auction-enquiry@td.gov.hk) for enquiries. 

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

Following is a question by the Hon Chan Hok-fung and a reply by the Secretary for Home and Youth Affairs, Miss Alice Mak, in the Legislative Council today (July 2):
 
Question:
 
There are views that expensive accommodation costs, as well as lack of variety and limited choices are related to the fact that only about 66 per cent of Mainland tourists stayed overnight in Hong Kong during this year’s Labour Day Golden Week, and that the Government should make good use of the natural resources in rural areas to develop home-stay lodgings, thereby extending tourists’ length of stay. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
 
(1) as it has been reported that Japan has relaxed its regulations on home-stay lodgings in recent years to focus more on management requirements than on strict hardware facility standards for hotels and guesthouses, whether the Government has studied regulating home-stay lodgings in this direction; if so, of the details;
 
(2) as there are views that Hong Kong has many rural locations with natural scenic beauty and potential for developing home-stay lodgings, such as Pui O and Mui Wo, whether the Government will study allowing village houses in such locations that have been issued with a Certificate of Compliance to automatically be eligible to operate as home-stay lodgings, in order to streamline the administrative procedures for applying to operate home-stay lodgings; if so, of the timetable; and
 
(3) as it has been reported that a private kitchen in rural areas has encountered considerable difficulties when applying for restaurant licences, whether the Government will relax requirements in the light of the unique circumstances of rural areas, and proactively assist rural home-stay lodgings that also operate restaurants by processing licences for both simultaneously, so as to accelerate the development of home-stay lodgings?
 
Reply:
 
President,

In response to the three parts of the question raised by the Hon Chan Hok-fung, having consulted the Development Bureau and the Environment and Ecology Bureau, my consolidated reply is as follows:

The Office of the Licensing Authority (OLA) under the Home Affairs Department is responsible for licensing and enforcement work under the Hotel and Guesthouse Accommodation Ordinance (Cap. 349). The purpose of the Ordinance is to ensure that premises intended for use as hotels or guesthouses meet statutory building and fire safety standards to protect the safety of lodgers and the public. Moreover, as guests typically only stay in hotels or guesthouses during nighttime or for short periods and may not be familiar with escape routes, it is necessary to establish reasonable safety requirements to protect their safety. Under the current system, any premises providing paid short-term accommodation, including hotels, guesthouses or so-called “home-stay lodgings”, must comply with the building and fire safety standards stipulated in the Ordinance before being licensed to operate. The Ordinance does not impose special restrictions on or exclude “home-stay lodgings”. As long as the operation mode falls within the definition of hotel or guesthouse, an application for a licence to operate can be made, regardless of whether the premises is located in an urban or a rural area.

The OLA has long been adopting a flexible and pragmatic approach in processing all licence applications to facilitate the operation of licensed premises. When processing hotel and guesthouse licence applications, the OLA ensures that premises under the applications meet basic safety requirements such as building and fire safety standards, while taking into account the scale and operation mode of the premises. Additionally, premises must comply with relevant requirements of the Ordinance, in order to safeguard the safety of lodgers and the public while balancing the interests of other owners of premises in the same building. Most of these requirements were introduced by the Amendment Ordinance in 2020, including the no-use restriction requirement (i.e. there should be no restrictive clauses in the deed of mutual covenant or Government lease of the premises concerned) and the person responsible for operating, opening, or managing a hotel or guesthouse must meet the fit and proper requirement. The application process does not impose additional restrictions for “home-stay lodgings” type operations. Upon receiving a licence application, the OLA will conduct an on-site inspection and formulate applicable licensing requirements based on the specific circumstances of each premises. The Government has always prioritised public safety as its foremost consideration while striving to foster the healthy development of the industry. As long as the safety of guests, other persons in the same building and the general public is ensured, the OLA will proactively facilitate the application and approval processes for licences.

Currently, land leases for small houses in the New Territories generally permit non-industrial uses, including operation as guesthouses. Therefore, as long as the small house has obtained either a Certificate of Compliance or a “No Objection to Occupy” Letter from the Lands Department, no lease modification would be required. However, a guesthouse licence would still need to be applied for to operate a guesthouse so as to ensure the safety of lodgers and the general public.

However, we understand that village houses in rural areas have their own unique characteristics and constraints. The OLA has always adopted a flexible and pragmatic approach in processing such applications, allowing applicants to propose alternative solutions on a case-by-case basis to meet the requirements for licensing, provided that building and fire safety are ensured. As long as there is no compromise of public safety, relevant departments will consider local situations when processing applications for rural and old village houses, with a view to facilitating applicants to meet the licensing requirements.

As at May 31, 2025, 108 village houses in the New Territories or outlying islands in Hong Kong have been issued with guesthouse licences.

In fact, to promote eco-tourism, facilitate visitors, and help revitalise desolate villages, the Government’s inter-departmental task force has formulated a series of streamlined measures to facilitate guesthouse and food business licence applications for some 90 countryside villages in the New Territories that have no vehicular access, taking into account the uniqueness of remote rural areas. These streamlined measures cover various aspects, including town planning, land, fire safety, building safety and sanitary requirements. Currently, relevant licences have been obtained for some guesthouses in Lai Chi Wo, a takeaway shop in Yim Tin Tsai, and a restaurant in Kuk Po under these streamlined measures. Based on these actual cases, the Government is sorting out the requirements, details, and implementation procedures of the streamlined measures and will compile a set of Guide to Application for reference by interested operators. The Government will continue to review room for enhancement in the licence application process for guesthouses and food businesses in countryside areas, with a view to creating a more business-friendly environment to support the work of countryside conservation and revitalisation. 

​Under the inter-departmental collaboration mechanism, the first batch of guesthouse licences was successfully issued for 11 village houses in Lai Chi Wo between December 2021 and September 2022.

Thank you, President.

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region – 4

Attention TV/radio announcers:

Please broadcast the following as soon as possible:

     Here is an item of interest to swimmers.

     The Leisure and Cultural Services Department announced today (July 2) that due to big waves, red flags have been hoisted at Stanley Main Beach and Shek O Beach in Southern District, Hong Kong Island. Beachgoers are advised not to swim at these beaches.