Month: August 2025

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

Source: Hong Kong Information Services

(To watch the full press conference with sign language interpretation, click here.)

The Government today reported that Hong Kong’s economy continued to expand solidly in the second quarter of 2025, with real gross domestic product (GDP) rising 3.1% year-on-year.

Acting Government Economist Cecilia Lam gave the figure as she presented the Half-yearly Economic Report 2025. On a seasonally adjusted quarter-to-quarter basis, real GDP rose 0.4% in the second quarter.

Ms Lam highlighted that US trade policy continues to bring uncertainty to the global economy and global trade. However, resilient external demand, coupled with some rush shipments in response to temporary easing of tariff measures by the US, supported an acceleration in Hong Kong’s total exports of goods, which saw a year-on-year real-terms increase of 11.5% in the second quarter.

Meanwhile, thanks to strong growth in inbound tourism, sustained expansion in cross-boundary traffic and vibrant financial sector activity, exports of services continued to expand significantly, up 7.5% over a year earlier.

Domestically, private consumption expenditure resumed moderate growth of 1.9% year on year following four consecutive quarters of contraction.

The labour market experienced some softening during the period, with the seasonally adjusted unemployment rate rising to 3.5%. Employment earnings grew solidly over a year earlier.

The residential property market showed some stabilisation during the quarter. Flat prices held broadly stable, and rentals stayed resilient.

Meanwhile, consumer price inflation stayed modest in the second quarter, with the underlying Composite Consumer Price Index (CCPI) rising 1.1% over a year earlier and the headline CCPI increasing 1.8% year on year.

The Hong Kong economy is expected to maintain growth for the rest of 2025, Ms Lam said.

“Steady economic growth in Asia, in particular the Mainland, together with the sustained increases in local employment earnings, the robust stock market, and the stabilisation of the residential property market will bode well for various sectors of the Hong Kong economy.

“The Government’s various measures to boost consumption, attract investment and diversify markets will also provide further support to the Hong Kong economy.”

Taking into account the actual out-turn in the first half of this year and developments locally and globally, Hong Kong’s real GDP growth forecast for 2025 as a whole has been maintained at 2% to 3%.

As for the inflation outlook, as pressures from domestic costs and external prices are anticipated to stay broadly in check, overall inflation should remain modest in the near term. The forecasts for underlying and headline consumer price inflation rates this year remain at 1.5% and 1.8% respectively.

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region – 4

The following is issued on behalf of the Electoral Affairs Commission:

     The 2025 Election Committee Subsector (ECSS) By-elections will be held on September 7 (Sunday). The Chairman of the Electoral Affairs Commission, Mr Justice David Lok, inspected the hands-on training session organised by the Registration and Electoral Office (REO) today (August 15) to see for himself the training provided to the electoral staff of the central counting station.

     The staff participating in the training today will mainly perform counting duties at the central counting station on the polling day. This training session aims to enhance their understanding of the operation of the relevant system and workflow, and the way to quickly input the votes obtained by each candidate to the relevant system if the fallback counting contingency plan is activated, to ensure that the votes are counted in an accurate and efficient manner.

     Mr Justice Lok said that this training session and simulation could enable the staff to get familiar with the relevant details and arrangements, and the measures to be taken in case of contingencies. He also thanked the electoral staff for their joint efforts and dedication in ensuring that the count would be conducted openly, fairly and honestly.

Five ordinary polling stations will be set up for the ECSS By-elections. After the close of the poll, all ballot boxes will be delivered to the central counting station located at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre for counting. The entire counting process involves different steps and details. The REO will continue to arrange different training sessions and simulation exercises for staff responsible for various tasks, including those responsible for operating the electronic counting machines, with an aim of deepening their understanding of their work while at the same time strengthening the co-ordination and response capabilities among staff with different responsibilities for making a detailed and comprehensive preparation for the By-elections and ensuring that the counting of votes can be carried out smoothly.

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region – 4

An order to remove and dispose of human remains buried in 2018 in six public cemeteries was gazetted today (August 15).

The order was made under section 119A of the Public Health and Municipal Services Ordinance (Cap. 132), which empowers the Director of Food and Environmental Hygiene (DFEH) to direct the removal and disposal of human remains buried in public cemeteries for a period of not less than six years.

According to the order, human remains subject to removal include those buried in 2018 in the coffin sections of Wo Hop Shek Cemetery in Fanling, Cheung Chau Cemetery, Tai O Cemetery and Lai Chi Yuen Cemetery on Lantau; and the “T” Section of Sandy Ridge Cemetery and the Government Urn Section of Sandy Ridge Urn Cemetery in Lo Wu.

Persons who wish to arrange for private exhumation and disposal of the human remains should apply in person to the department’s Cemeteries and Crematoria Office on the Upper Ground Floor, 6 Cheong Hang Road, Hung Hom, Kowloon, on or before August 29 this year. Enquiries can be made at 2365 5321 or 2364 5364.

Any remains buried in 2018 in the six cemeteries not exhumed as required will be cremated at a government crematorium. The ashes will be buried at Sandy Ridge Urn Cemetery in Lo Wu or other cemeteries as the DFEH may decide.

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region – 4

The following is issued on behalf of the Judiciary:
 
The Judiciary announced today (August 15) the appointment of the new term of the Advisory Committee on Complaints against Judicial Conduct for a two-year period from August 16, 2025, to August 15, 2027.
 
Chief Justice Andrew Cheung, Chief Justice of the Court of Final Appeal, said, “We would like to express our gratitude to all members of the Advisory Committee for their valuable support and contributions over the past two terms since its establishment in August 2021. Their views and suggestions – particularly in relation to the handling of complex and controversial cases – have played a significant role in enhancing the accountability and transparency of the mechanism for handling complaints against judicial conduct.
 
“The Judiciary continues to attach great importance to the fair and proper handling of complaints relating to judicial conduct, while upholding the fundamental principle of judicial independence. This is essential to maintaining public confidence in the judicial system. I look forward to working closely with the Advisory Committee in its upcoming term,” he added.
 
Established in 2021 upon the implementation of an enhanced mechanism with a two-tier structure, the Advisory Committee comprises senior judges as well as members from the community with expertise and experience in judicial, professional and public services. It monitors and advises on the handling of complaints against judicial conduct, identifies problems in court practices/procedures which may lead to complaints and suggests improvements where appropriate, and makes recommendations on improvements to the complaint handling mechanism.
 
The new membership of the Advisory Committee is as follows:
 
Chairman
————-
The Honourable Chief Justice Andrew Cheung Kui-nung
(Chief Justice of the Court of Final Appeal)
 
Members
————
The Honourable Mr Justice Johnson Lam Man-hon
(Permanent Judge of the Court of Final Appeal)
 
The Honourable Mr Justice Patrick Chan Siu-oi
(Non-Permanent Judge of the Court of Final Appeal)
 
The Honourable Mr Justice Jeremy Poon Shiu-chor
(Chief Judge of the High Court)
 
The Honourable Madam Justice Susan Kwan Shuk-hing  
(Vice-President of the Court of Appeal of the High Court)
 
Dr Christopher Cheng Wai-chee
 
Mr Patrick Fung Pak-tung, SC
 
Ms Anita Fung Yuen-mei
 
Ms Connie Lau Yin-hing

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region – 4

     The Government announced today (August 15) that the scope of services for the Community Dental Support Programme (CDSP) will be expanded next year to further enhance subsidised preventive and curative dental services for the underprivileged with financial difficulties. The CDSP will also supplant the Community Care Fund Elderly Dental Assistance Programme (EDAP) which will cease to accept applications from January 1 next year.
 
     The CDSP’s scope of services will be expanded with effect from January 1 next year. In addition to providing the existing services of oral health assessments, medication for dental pain relief, X-ray examinations and dental fillings or extractions, new service items, namely dental scalings, root canal treatments, removal of bridges or crowns and removable denture fittings will be introduced.
 
     The Department of Health (DH) launched the CDSP on May 26 this year with 32 non-governmental organisations (NGOs) providing services to eligible participants at 78 service points. As at August 6, a total of 1 892 eligible persons had received subsidised dental services, which included 2 549 dental fillings and 906 extractions. The ratio of the two is approximately three to one, reflecting that the CDSP has successfully guided service users towards tooth retention when the dentist considers it suitable, aligning with the Government’s initiatives on oral health and dental care.
 
     After expansion of the CDSP’s service scope, subject to the assessment by the attending registered dentist, each participant can receive dental scaling services and a root canal treatment for one tooth every 365 days. Regarding removable denture fittings, each participant can receive the service up to two times, with an interval of at least five years in between. To ensure the proper use of limited resources to achieve greater cost-effectiveness, and to allow the underprivileged to receive the most effective treatment services, the removable dentures fitting service will only be available to eligible persons with fewer than 20 remaining teeth. That person must first be assessed by a dentist as having difficulties in eating or chewing and their eating abilities could be effectively restored by the fitting of removable dentures.
 
     The CDSP will also expand the beneficiaries list to cover the homeless, further focusing on providing subsidised dental services to the underprivileged in need. The CDSP will make use of the existing network of NGOs that serves the homeless, allowing them to be certified and referred by registered social workers in designated NGOs to participate in the CDSP, even when they are unable to provide the required financial proof to meet the eligibility criteria.
 
     The CDSP is funded under a co-payment arrangement; apart from Government subsidies, participants have to bear part of the service cost for managing their own health. They are required to pay a fee to the NGO providing the service with details as follows:
 

	Dental scaling or root canal treatment for each tooth	Fitting of removable dentures
Participants of one of the following categories: (1) Integrated Home Care Services (Frail Cases) / Enhanced Home and Community Care Services / Home Support Services (Level 1 fee charge or co-payment category) of the Social Welfare Department; or (2) Patients of the Hospital Authority (HA) who have been provided Medical Fee Waiver (full waiving) of the HA (including recipients of Old Age Living Allowance aged 75 or above); or (3) The homeless	The Government will subsidise the administration fee in full	$500 co-payment fee for each set of removable dentures
Participants who do not fall into the above three categories	$50 administration fee	$1,000 co-payment fee for each set of removable dentures

 
Remarks: Each set of removable dentures refers to either upper or lower dentures. Fitting both upper and lower removable dentures at the same time is considered receiving the removable dentures fitting service once. Elderly people can make use of Elderly Health Care Vouchers to pay for the administration/co-payment fees under the CDSP.
 
     For details of the CDSP (including the administration fee of services), please visit the CDSP webpage or call the hotline at 2111 3403. More details about the expanded service scope and beneficiaries will be announced on the webpage in due course.
 
     Meanwhile, the EDAP will cease accepting applications with effect from January 1 next year. Eligible elders must submit their application for the EDAP through their service unit on or before December 31 this year, and attend the first consultation no later than January 31 next year. The elder can receive dental services under the EDAP if considered necessary and suitable after examination by a dentist. After the EDAP ceases accepting new applications, the CDSP will supplant the EDAP to provide services. The scope of services of the CDSP after the enhancement will be in line with that of the EDAP.
 
     Information about the EDAP, the list of district service units and Community Care Dentists/Dental Clinics have been uploaded to the Community Care Fund webpage and Hong Kong Dental Association webpage. For enquiries, please call the EDAP hotline at 2525 8198.
 
     The Government’s oral health policy aims to enable all Hong Kong citizens to enhance their oral hygiene and lifestyles. By adopting the strategies of developing community-wide preventive primary oral healthcare while providing essential dental care services targeting underprivileged groups in formulating the dental services, the Government aims to assist the citizens to put prevention, early identification and timely intervention of dental diseases into action with the objective of tooth retention, thereby further enhancing both oral health and general health levels. Based on the recommendations of the Working Group on Oral Health and Dental Care Final Report, the DH launched the CDSP as an initiative to provide essential dental care services targeting the underprivileged, focusing on providing subsidised preventive and curative dental services to the underprivileged with financial difficulties.

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region – 4

     The Public Health and Municipal Services (Amendment) Ordinance 2025 was gazetted on May 16 and will come into effect on August 17.
 
     The Amendment Ordinance strengthens the statutory power of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD) to deal with various environmental hygiene problems, enabling it to handle problems such as water seepage in buildings, water dripping from air-conditioners, the occupation of public places by miscellaneous articles, and shopfront extension more effectively.
 
     A spokesman for the Environment and Ecology Bureau said, “The Government is committed to enhancing Hong Kong’s environmental hygiene and cityscape. The Amendment Ordinance, along with various administrative measures and public education, can continuously improve Hong Kong’s environmental hygiene, consolidate the achievements made so far and create a more liveable environment in response to the expectations of the public.

     “In the past three months, the FEHD has enhanced publicity and education to raise the awareness of members of the public and relevant sectors of the new legal requirement and arrangements as well as to enhance their law-abiding awareness.”
 
     The Amendment Ordinance extends the hours during which public officers are allowed to enter premises to deal with public health nuisances such as water seepage in buildings and water dripping from air-conditioners to 7am to 10pm. Without reasonable excuse, failing to allow a public officer to enter the premises within 14 days after the issuance or attachment of the Notice of Intended Entry by the FEHD is an offence that may be liable to a maximum penalty of a fine at level 2 ($5,000).
 
     When dealing with vermin problems in private premises, according to the Amendment Ordinance, the FEHD can issue a Notice of Elimination of Vermin to a person responsible for the management of the premises (e.g. owners’ corporations and property management companies) regarding the common parts of the premises, allowing timely handling of vermin in common parts of a building. The maximum penalty for non-compliance with a Notice of Elimination of Vermin will be raised from the current fine at level 2 ($5,000) and a daily fine of $100, to level 4 ($25,000) and a daily fine of $450. In cases where the FEHD has conducted vermin disinfestation work for infested premises without serving a Notice of Elimination of Vermin, the department may recover the expense incurred from the responsible person of the concerned premises. Apart from that, the Amendment Ordinance has raised the maximum penalty from the existing fine at level 1 ($2,000) to a fine at level 2 ($5,000) for tampering with devices set up by the FEHD to destroy and remove vermin; the Amendment Ordinance has also stipulated that the FEHD can place devices and equipment in premises infested with vermin for conducting tests or assessing vermin proliferation. It will be an offence to tamper with such devices and equipment subject to a maximum penalty of a fine at level 2 ($5,000).
 
     Regarding the occupation of public places by miscellaneous articles causing obstruction to scavenging operations, the Amendment Ordinance shortens the removal time specified on the Notice to Remove Obstruction to a period of not less than 30 minutes. The FEHD can exercise discretion by setting a reasonably longer time according to the actual circumstances. The maximum penalty for obstruction to scavenging operations will be raised from a fine at level 2 ($5,000) and a daily fine of $50 to level 3 ($10,000) and a daily fine of $300.
 
     The Amendment Ordinance also empowers enforcement officers to remove and dispose of display equipment like easy-mount frames, apart from bills or posters. The maximum penalty for illegal display or affixation of bills or posters has also been raised from a fine at level 3 ($10,000) and a daily fine of $300 to level 4 ($25,000) and a daily fine of $450.
 
     Furthermore, the Amendment Ordinance will introduce an offence targeting shopfront extension in the Public Health and Municipal Services Ordinance (Cap. 132), empowering the FEHD to remove the obstructing articles constituting unlawful shopfront extension without the need to rely on the power of the Hong Kong Police Force to enhance enforcement efficiency. In cases where no claim is made for the article not of a perishable nature within seven days after the date of the exercise of the power of removal, or within 48 hours for the article of perishable nature, the article will be forfeited. The law enforcement criteria and penalty (maximum penalty of a fine at level 4 ($25,000) and three months’ imprisonment) for the offence of shopfront extension remain unchanged. The FEHD can issue fixed penalty notices of $6,000 to offenders.
 
     In light of the related amendments, the Secretary for Environment and Ecology today (August 15) amended the format of the penalty notice in accordance with Section 17A of the Fixed Penalty (Public Cleanliness and Obstruction) Ordinance (Cap. 570), adding the offence of shopfront extension of Cap. 132 accordingly. Specified forms of the concerned penalty notices are gazetted today and will come into effect on the same day as the Amendment Ordinance on August 17.
 
     The FEHD has presented on its webpage the information of the Amendment Ordinance for public reference.

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region – 4

The Government announced today (August 15) that the Chief Executive has reappointed Ms Ada Chung Lai-ling as the Privacy Commissioner for Personal Data (Privacy Commissioner) for a term of five years with effect from September 4, 2025, in accordance with the Personal Data (Privacy) Ordinance (PDPO) (Cap. 486).

“Since her appointment as the Privacy Commissioner in September 2020, Ms Chung has fully demonstrated her extensive professional knowledge and leadership skills, as well as her unwavering dedication to the work of the Office of the Privacy Commissioner for Personal Data (PCPD), leading the PCPD in addressing various increasingly complex challenges for privacy protection,” a Government spokesman said.

In the past five years, Ms Chung led the PCPD in proactively strengthening the PDPO and relevant publicity and education, with a view to raising the awareness of respecting personal data privacy and fostering the culture of protecting personal data privacy. During the period, Ms Chung led the PCPD in fully supporting the Government in amending the PDPO, and setting up a division responsible for criminal investigation and prosecution, so as to effectively combat “doxxing” acts intruding into personal data privacy. To strive for a greater say on privacy protection issues in the international arena, Ms Chung also led the PCPD in strengthening connections with international and national data and privacy protection organisations, including serving as the co-chair of the Ethics and Data Protection in Artificial Intelligence Working Group and the International Enforcement Cooperation Working Group of the Global Privacy Assembly.

“We are confident that under Ms Chung’s leadership, the PCPD will reach new heights in further promoting the protection and respect for personal data privacy in society, and proactively tackling challenges arising from the development of emerging technologies,” the spokesman added.

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region – 4

The Government announced today (August 15) that the Chief Executive has re-appointed Professor William Leung Wing-cheung as the Chairman of the Legal Aid Services Council (the Council) for a term of two years with effect from September 1, 2025 to August 31, 2027. 

A spokesman for the Administration Wing of the Chief Secretary for Administration’s Office said, “Under the sterling leadership of Professor Leung, the Council has performed its duties in accordance with the law, providing valuable advice on enhancing the legal aid system and services, and making significant contributions in overseeing and ensuring the quality and effectiveness of the legal aid services provided by the Legal Aid Department (the LAD). We look forward to continuing to work closely with Professor Leung and the Council members.”

Established under the Legal Aid Services Council Ordinance (Cap. 489), the Council is responsible for overseeing the administration of the legal aid services provided by the LAD and advising the Chief Executive on legal aid policy. The Council comprises a chairman and lay members who are not connected with the practice of law; barrister members and solicitor members nominated by the Hong Kong Bar Association and the Law Society of Hong Kong respectively; and the Director of Legal Aid.

The membership list of the Council with effect from September 1, 2025 is as follows:
 
Chairman
——–
Professor William Leung Wing-cheung
 
Members
——————–
Dr Eugene Chan Kin-keung
Mr Robin Nelson Egerton
Mr Tom Fu Ka-min
Mr Sebastian Hughes
Ms Serena Lau Sze-wan
Ms Rosita Lee Pui-shan
Ms Shiu Yin-ning
Mr Ronald Sum Kwan-ngai
 
Ex-officio member
——————–
Director of Legal Aid

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region – 4

     The Labour Department (LD) is investigating a fatal work accident that happened in Siu Ho Wan this noon (August 15), in which a man died.

The LD immediately deployed staff to the scene upon receiving a report of the accident and is now conducting an investigation to look into its cause.