Month: January 2026

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

     Following is a question by the Hon Maggie Chan and a written reply by the Secretary for Constitutional and Mainland Affairs, Mr Erick Tsang Kwok-wai, in the Legislative Council today (January 21):
 
Question:

     The Mainland offices and liaison units of the Government (the Mainland offices) have been actively promoting Hong Kong’s strengths, promoting exchanges and cooperation between Hong Kong and the Mainland, as well as supporting Hong Kong people and enterprises to integrate into the overall development of the country. There are views that the Mainland offices can further leverage the role as an important bridge for “going global and attracting external investment” in promoting Hong Kong to align with the national 15th Five-Year Plan in a more proactive manner. On supporting Hong Kong residents and enterprises pursuing development in the Mainland, will the Government inform this Council:
 
(1) as there are views pointing out that the Mainland offices are serving cities diverse in their characteristics, so that they have their own focus on work priorities, whether the Government has plans to formulate overall targets and establish a cross-office coordination mechanism for the Mainland offices with a view to coordinating resources more effectively as well as defining the overall service and support directions of the Mainland offices; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that;
 
(2) as the 2025 Policy Address has indicated that the Government will encourage Mainland enterprises to use Hong Kong in expanding their businesses overseas, whether the Government has plans to organise Hong Kong enterprises pursuing development in the Mainland to join forces with Mainland enterprises in tapping new markets, so as to make “Hong Kong Brands” shine in the Mainland and overseas; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that;
 
(3) as it is learnt that the Mainland offices currently promote Hong Kong’s strengths and support Hong Kong people and enterprises in the Mainland through measures such as disseminating information, organising thematic activities, promoting youth exchange, and maintaining communication and liaison with the Mainland authorities, whether the Government has plans to introduce more proactive and targeted support policies apart from the aforesaid measures; if so, of the details (including the relevant performance indicators); if not, the reasons for that; and
 
(4) whether the Government has plans to enhance the support for associations of Hong Kong residents and chambers of Hong Kong enterprises in the Mainland, and further strengthen the liaison with associations of Hong Kong residents and chambers of Hong Kong enterprises in the Mainland through the associations of Hong Kong residents in the Mainland sector, such as collecting views regularly, organising thematic exchanges, as well as proactively paying attention to the difficulties of Hong Kong people and enterprises in the Mainland and assisting them in resolving such difficulties; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?
 
Reply:
 
President,
 
     After consulting the Commerce and Economic Development Bureau, the consolidated response to the Hon Maggie Chan’s question is as follows:
 
(1) The major responsibilities of the Mainland Offices of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Government (the Mainland Offices) include enhancing liaison and communication between Hong Kong and the Central People’s Government as well as the provincial and municipal governments on the Mainland to promote exchange and co-operation; telling Hong Kong’s good stories on the Mainland to promote the unique characteristics of Hong Kong as well as the investment opportunities and business advantages under the national development plan and development of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, so as to encourage and attract Mainland enterprises and talents to establish presence in Hong Kong; fostering youth and cultural exchanges between Hong Kong and the Mainland; providing information and other appropriate support and assistance to Hong Kong residents and enterprises on the Mainland, etc.
 
     As for the above tasks, the Mainland Offices have set annual key performance indicators which would be published in the Policy Address and the Budget. For 2026, the Mainland Offices will organise no less than 3 400 visits to Mainland authorities or bodies, attending no less than 290 speaking occasions, conducting no less than 350 media interviews or briefings, and participating in no less than 880 business and trade meetings.
 
     The Constitutional and Mainland Affairs Bureau, as the policy bureau of the HKSAR Government responsible for Mainland affairs, will oversee, coordinate and direct the Mainland Offices to effectively discharge their duties to ensure that they operate efficiently, and execute their work plans and provide a wide range of services in accordance with the targets.
 
(2) The 2025 Policy Address proposed to establish a one-stop platform by mobilising Hong Kong’s overseas offices, including those under InvestHK and the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC), as well as the Mainland Offices, and set up the Task Force on Supporting Mainland Enterprises in Going Global (Task Force) to encourage Mainland enterprises to use Hong Kong in expanding their businesses overseas. The Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development is overseeing the work of the Task Force and coordinating with various bureaux, departments and agencies in formulating proposals for enterprises looking to go global. The Task Force will also organise various investment promotion activities across mainland provinces and municipalities to promote Hong Kong’s unique advantages, and to identify and attract mainland enterprises looking to go global to set up operations in Hong Kong. When they expand their business abroad in future, these enterprises can benefit from the Government’s “Economic and Trade Express” under which they will be better supported for overseas business missions and business matching activities through enhancement of collaboration among the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Offices in the overseas, InvestHK and the HKTDC.
 
(3) In addition to the above-mentioned promotional measures, the Mainland Offices collaborate with other Hong Kong institutions, including the HKTDC and the Hong Kong Tourism Board, etc. to formulate tailored work plans which respond to new opportunities arising from the national development, as well as the characteristics and circumstances of individual province, municipality and autonomous region. The aim is to provide appropriate support and services to Hong Kong people and businesses on the Mainland, helping them better integrate into national development strategy and develop locally. The Mainland Offices will also promote Hong Kong’s advantages and tell good stories of Hong Kong. For example, we collaborate with local governments, trade associations and Hong Kong chambers of commerce to organise different types of trade promotion events, cooperation and matching sessions, thematic seminars, study tours, experience-sharing forums and gatherings for Hong Kong businessmen. Hong Kong enterprises on the Mainland and Hong Kong businessmen interested in expanding into the Mainland market will be invited to actively participate in these activities, which will not only broaden their business networks but also provide them with opportunities to gain a deeper understanding of the latest developments, policies, and development opportunities in the region concerned.
 
(4) The Mainland Offices have all along been striving to establish and maintain close liaison with associations, chambers of commerce, enterprises and student groups of Hong Kong people in their service areas, and proactively understand the situation of Hong Kong people working, studying and living therein and the difficulties they encountered through various economic, trade and cultural exchange activities being held from time to time. The Mainland Offices will provide appropriate support and assistance to Hong Kong people having regard to the actual situation and need, and reflect their demands to the relevant Mainland authorities. To assist Hong Kong people to better adapt to local life, the Mainland Offices have also compiled booklets of practical information on everyday life, with electronic version published on their websites and social media platforms, and provide Hong Kong residents on the Mainland with information on the latest Mainland laws and regulations, policies, major regional developments, etc. In addition, through the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area Development Promotion Centre located in Guangzhou, the Mainland Offices promote Greater Bay Area opportunities to Hong Kong residents and businesses developing in the Greater Bay Area cities on the Mainland and provide various practical assistance.
 
     Furthermore, the HKTDC visits Hong Kong enterprises on the Mainland from time to time to understand their business development needs and operational challenges, and organises relevant thematic events to provide them with trade and business support. The HKTDC has also launched the “GoGBA one-stop platform” and the “GoGBA” digital information platform to provide the business community with the latest information on the “9+2” city cluster of the Greater Bay Area, including policies, markets, industries, funding opportunities, and the latest developments in individual Bay Area city. A network of “GoGBA Business Support Centres” has also been established across all Greater Bay Area cities. In particular, the “GoGBA Business Support Centre” located in the concourse of Shenzhen Futian High-Speed Rail Station is jointly set up by the HKTDC, the People’s Government of Futian District, Shenzhen and the Hong Kong Chamber of Commerce in Guangdong.

Source: Hong Kong Information Services

The Coroner’s Court today returned the verdict on the cause of death of the passengers involved in the vessel collision incident near Lamma Island in 2012. The Government said it is closely monitoring the delivery of the verdict.

The delivery of the verdict is to be continued and the Government will continue to study the judgment.

In a statement, the Government said it attaches great importance to the incident, after which investigations at various levels have been conducted. It also noted that the Marine Department has implemented all practicable recommendations in the investigation reports to enhance maritime safety to prevent a recurrence of similar incidents.

After the incident, Police commenced a criminal investigation and arrested the coxswain of “Sea Smooth”, Lai Sai-ming, and the coxswain of “Lamma IV”, Chow Chi-wai, in October 2012. In February 2015, Chow Chi-wai was convicted of endangering the safety of others at sea and Lai Sai-ming was convicted of 39 counts of manslaughter and a count of endangering the safety of others at sea.

Separately, former senior ship inspector of the Marine Department Wong Kam-ching and then Assistant Director of Marine So Ping-chi, were placed under arrest in March 2015 and subsequently convicted of the offence of perjury and the offence of misconduct in public office in February and June 2016 respectively. So Ping-chi was sentenced to 16 months’ imprisonment, with his appeal succeeded and his sentence reduced to 4.5 months, while Wong Kam-ching was sentenced to 15 months’ imprisonment.

When considering whether to conduct a death inquest in 2020, the Coroner’s Court ruled the deaths as unlawful killing.

Source: Hong Kong Information Services

The Court of First Instance of the High Court today allowed an appeal lodged by Aggressive Construction Company against the Building Authority’s decision to remove it from the register of general building contractors, and ruled that the Buildings Department, in its capacity as the Building Authority, should reconsider the company’s application for renewal of registration.

The Buildings Department said it will study the judgment in detail with the Department of Justice to actively consider an appeal.

Source: Hong Kong Information Services

The Department of Health (DH) today said it is following up on the suspected illegal importation of blood samples from pregnant women on the Mainland for fetal gender testing in Hong Kong.

The DH noted that it has recently received media enquiries concerning individuals who promote services on social media platforms that involve arranging blood draws for pregnant women on the Mainland and smuggling blood samples into the city for fetal gender testing. 

Apart from referring information regarding the two laboratories in question to the Medical Laboratory Technologists Board for appropriate actions against the registered medical laboratory technologists concerned, in accordance with the Allied Health Professions Ordinance, the DH has also notified the relevant Mainland authorities and referred the relevant cases to Customs.

The department stressed that it will continue to follow up on the matter seriously and take enforcement actions in accordance with the relevant regulations, in collaboration with other law enforcement agencies, to safeguard public health.

Under the Allied Health Professions Ordinance, no registered medical laboratory technologist may perform tests for the purpose of medical diagnosis or treatment without a referral from a registered medical practitioner or other specified healthcare professional.

In addition, according to the Prevention & Control of Disease Regulation, any person who imports any excreta, secretion, blood or blood component that the person has reason to suspect contains an infectious agent should obtain prior written permission from the DH.

The department’s investigation revealed that the two laboratories involved – NovaGene Diagnostic Laboratory and Zentrogene Bioscience Laboratory – falsely claimed in online postings to be “medical laboratories accredited by the DH”. The DH pointed out that this information is false and misleading as it does not accredit any medical laboratories.

Furthermore, the DH said its records show that two other institutions, named “Nova Medical” and “Hong Kong BOYA Medical Center”, have neither applied for clinic licences or letters of exemption for small practice clinics under the Private Healthcare Facilities Ordinance, nor registered under the Medical Clinics Ordinance. Despite this, “Hong Kong BOYA Medical Center” claimed to be a “Hong Kong registered medical clinic”.

The department has referred these cases to Customs for follow-up and requested the removal of all misleading statements.

Furthermore, during the investigation, the DH found that advertisements for other services published on the websites of the relevant medical centres involved are suspected of breaching the Undesirable Medical Advertisements Ordinance. The department has issued warnings to the medical centres and ordered the immediate removal of the non-compliant advertisements.

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

     Following is a question by the Hon Chan Pui-leung and a written reply by the Secretary for Environment and Ecology, Mr Tse Chin-wan, in the Legislative Council today (January 21):
 
Question:
 
     There are views pointing out that with the increasing popularity of electric vehicles (EV) in Hong Kong, the volume of retired EV batteries (retired batteries) is expected to rise significantly. However, if such retired batteries are not handled properly, the hazardous substances they contain may cause serious environmental pollution and safety issues. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
 
(1) of the annual number of retired batteries generated in Hong Kong in the past three years; the respective numbers of batteries that underwent preliminary treatment at licensed disposal facilities in Hong Kong and were exported overseas for recycling;
 
(2) since the launch of the “ezbatteries” scheme sponsored by the Recycling Fund in December 2022, of the respective annual numbers of batteries recycled and those used for second-life applications; whether the authorities have established performance indicators for the scheme and assessed its effectiveness; if so, of the specific indicators and assessment results; if not, the reasons for that;
 
(3) as the Mainland approved early last year an action plan to improve the recycling system for used new energy vehicle power batteries to further enhance the utilisation capacity of recycled power batteries, and that it is reported that many other Mainland cities in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA) have now established relatively well-developed recycling systems for retired EV batteries, whether the authorities have plans to strengthen co-operation between Hong Kong and other Mainland cities in GBA to establish a cross-border battery recycling network, with a view to enhancing resource circulation efficiency; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that;
 
(4) as it has been reported that the technology for cascade utilisation of retired batteries (i.e. sorting, dismantling and reassembling retired batteries for application in other fields to achieve resource utilisation and environmental protection) in the Mainland is relatively mature, with over 150 “white-listed enterprises” (i.e. enterprises meeting the Industry Standards for the Comprehensive Utilization of Waste Power Storage Batteries of New Energy Vehicles) responsible for recycling and handling retired batteries, whether the authorities will subsidise or promote more relevant research and development projects to expand the application scope of cascade utilisation of retired battery in Hong Kong and foster the development of the local battery recycling industry; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; and
 
(5) given that in its reply to a question raised by a Member of this Council on June 8, 2022, the Government indicated that it has kept abreast of the international proposals and policies in relation to the traceability of EV batteries and is considering incorporating those arrangements that suit the local context into the relevant producer responsibility schemes, of the anticipated implementation timeline for the relevant measures on producer responsibility for retired batteries in Hong Kong, and whether such measures will cover the traceability management of EV batteries and the lawful scope of secondary-life applications for retired batteries; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?
 
Reply:
 
President,
 
     The handling and disposal of retired electric vehicle (EV) batteries are regulated under the Waste Disposal Ordinance (Cap. 354) and the subsidiary Waste Disposal (Chemical Waste) (General) Regulation (Cap. 354C). Currently, EV suppliers have engaged licensed collectors to collect retired batteries from their brands’ EVs. These batteries undergo proper preliminary treatment, such as sorting, discharging and insulating, before being packaged and transported overseas to appropriate treatment facilities for recycling.
 
     The Government started planning for the management of retired EV batteries back in 2021 when it released the Hong Kong Roadmap on Popularisation of Electric Vehicles. The measures include promoting research on the second-life use of retired EV batteries through the Green Tech Fund (GTF); pushing forward the construction of local EV battery recycling facility; and formulating the implementation of a producer responsibility scheme (PRS) on EV batteries.
 
     Hong Kong’s first large-scale EV battery recycling facility at the EcoPark is under construction, which is expected to commence operation in the first half of 2026. This facility aims to convert retired EV batteries into recycled black mass to be supplied to the Mainland and neighbouring regions. It will not only promote the development of the EV battery recycling industry, and strengthen Hong Kong’s role in the regional green industry chain, but also serve as a good model for mutually beneficial co-operation in the environmental industry of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area. The Government is currently consulting the trade on the operation of the PRS on EV batteries, and expects to consult the Legislative Council (LegCo) Panel on Environmental Affairs on the implementation details within 2026.

     The reply to the question raised by the Hon Chan Pui-leung is as follows:
 
(1) In the past three years (2022-2024), there were a total of about 160 tonnes of retired lithium batteries from vehicles preliminarily treated by local licensed disposal facilities for transporting overseas to appropriate authorised treatment facilities for recycling. A yearly breakdown is as follows:
 

Year	Total quantity (tonnes)
2022	69.5
2023	53.0
2024	38.1

     As the trade may currently store a certain quantity of retired EV batteries for further handling, the figures provided above may not fully reflect the total quantity of retired EV batteries generated by EVs in Hong Kong.
 
(2) In December 2022, the Recycling Fund allocated funding to launch the “ezbatteries” project for 24 months. By establishing a digital platform, the project offered a convenient channel for various stakeholders, including EV owners and recyclers, to learn more about the collection and recycling processes of retired EV batteries, with a view to alleviating their concerns on the handling of retired EV batteries. The project conducted a series of publicity activities, including workshops, seminars, a promotional video and electronic leaflet, to educate the trade and the public about the handling of EV batteries. As the project focuses on promotion and information sharing, it does not involve the actual recycling of retired EV batteries.
 
(3) In January 2025, the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government and the Guangdong Provincial Government established the Special Panel for Building “Zero Waste Bay Area” (the Special Panel) to strengthen policy co-ordination, technical exchanges and project collaboration, as well as elevate the capability in jointly handling solid waste.
 
     The Special Panel has commenced discussions on topics such as regional co-operation in resources circulation and waste management policy. It has been exploring ways to promote the co-ordination of regulations and market integration between the two regions, covering the potential and feasibility of cross-regional co-operation in handling different kinds of recyclable materials, including recycled black mass converted from retired EV batteries.
 
(4) As mentioned above, research promoting EVs and the second-life use of EV batteries are listed under the priority theme of green transport under the GTF. At present, the GTF has approved three research and development projects related to the recycling of retired EV batteries, covering application areas such as echelon use of EV batteries, involving a total grant of over $12 million.
 
(5) As mentioned above, the Government is currently consulting the trade on the PRS on EV batteries. This includes considerations for establishing a product traceability system and repurposing retired batteries in good condition for echelon use. The Government will consult the LegCo Panel on Environmental Affairs on the PRS on EV batteries within 2026. 

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

     Following is a question by Reverend Canon the Hon Peter Douglas Koon and a written reply by the Secretary for Labour and Welfare, Mr Chris Sun, in the Legislative Council today (January 21):

Question:

     It has been reported that a study has pointed out that there is a lack of support services in Hong Kong society to address the needs of street sleepers, and that the number of hostel places provided for them falls short of demand. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
 
(1) of the number of street sleepers registered under the Computerised Street Sleeper Registry in each of the past five years, with a breakdown by the District Council district to which their street sleeping points belonged, gender, age, nationality and reason for street sleeping; 

(2) of the top three districts in Hong Kong with the highest numbers of registered street sleepers in each of the past five years, as well as the respective percentages of such sleepers in the total number of registered street sleepers; 

(3) in respect of emergency and short-term accommodation services for street sleepers (i) subvented by the Social Welfare Department (SWD) or (ii) operated on a self-financing basis by non-governmental organisations (NGOs), of the respective numbers of hostel places, the periods of stay, the ratios of hostel places for men and women and the average occupancy rates of hostel places in each of the past five years; 

(4) of the number of persons waiting for hostel places for street sleepers in various districts, the waiting time and the number of successful cases of quitting street sleeping in each of the past five years; whether the SWD will consider regularly announcing the supply and demand situation of hostel places in various districts to reflect the actual service gaps; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; 

(5) of the respective numbers of outreach visits provided, persons reached and referrals made by the three SWD-subvented Integrated Services Teams for Street Sleepers in each of the past five years, as well as the relevant subventions from the Government; 

(6) of the number of street sleepers who were (i) assisted by the SWD to rent private tenement, (ii) referred by the SWD to apply for residential care services for the elderly, (iii) recommended by the SWD to the Housing Department and become eligible waitlisted cases for allocation of public rental housing units, as well as participating in other accommodation assistance programmes, in each of the past five years; 

(7) whether the authorities have studied the underlying causes for the change in the total number of street sleepers in recent years, and what new measures are in place to help them improve their lives; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; 

(8) whether the SWD will allocate additional resources or subsidies to government-subvented NGOs (including service units serving street sleepers) and NGOs operating on a self-financing basis to provide accommodation services for street sleepers, as well as increasing the manpower of social workers and psychiatric nurses and the funding of related items; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; and 

(9) as there are views that there is currently a severe shortage of hostel places for street sleepers, and that the maximum period of stay in SWD-subvented hostels is generally limited to six months, which fails to meet the needs of street sleepers for rehabilitation and reintegration into the community, whether the Government will consider increasing the number of places for transitional housing and extending the relevant period of stay to at least two years; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?

Reply:

President,

     Street sleeping is a complex social problem, involving the policies and work of different bureaux and departments, such as housing, welfare and health, as well as the co-ordination of interdepartmental operations at district level. Government departments and local service units concerned have been working in close collaboration to assist street sleepers.

     The reply to various parts of the question raised by the Reverend Canon the Hon Peter Douglas Koon is as follows:

(1) and (2) The Social Welfare Department (SWD)’s Computerised Street Sleepers Registry (Registry) consolidates information about street sleepers from SWD’s and subvented casework units and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) dedicated to serving street sleepers. After social workers proactively engage with street sleepers through outreaching visits and service referrals, they would conduct professional assessment of the welfare needs of the street sleepers and input the relevant information into the Registry. Since 2023, the SWD has required service units to annually review all the registered cases of street sleepers in the Registry and timely update the data to enable closer service planning. The number of street sleepers reported by such service units in the past five years, broken down by district, gender, age group and reason for street sleeping are respectively set out in Table 1 to Table 4 in Annex. The top three District Council districts with the highest numbers of street sleepers and their respective percentages of total street sleepers in the past five years are set out in Table 5. The Registry does not keep information on the nationality of street sleepers.

(3) to (9) The SWD has been subventing NGOs to operate three Integrated Services Teams for Street Sleepers (ISTs) to provide social welfare support services for street sleepers in Hong Kong. The ISTs proactively reach out to street sleepers through day and late night visits to understand their reasons for street sleeping, and render integrated services according to their actual needs and willingness to receive services. These services, including counselling, service referral, short-term accommodation and financial assistance, etc, are provided to address the urgent welfare needs of street sleepers, thereby helping them live off the streets and reintegrate into the community. The number of outreaching visits conducted by the ISTs, the number of street sleepers approached, the number of cases having given up street sleeping after receiving services by ISTs, and the expenditure on subvented integrated services for street sleepers in the past five years are set out in Table 6.

     The SWD also provides subvention to NGOs to operate short-term hostels for providing transitional accommodation for street sleepers, and through the provision of counselling and consultation services, assisting them to tide over to stable living arrangements. The number of places subvented by the SWD and provided by NGOs on a self-financing basis, broken down by gender, and the average occupancy rate of subvented places in the past five years are set out in Table 7 and Table 8 respectively. As street sleepers and the referring social workers may apply to the hostel directly for the service, the SWD does not maintain information on length of stay in hostels, the number of people on the waiting list and the waiting time in districts. The SWD does not maintain information on service referrals made by the ISTs, street sleepers renting private housing units, being recommended for allocation of public rental housing or participating in other accommodation assistance programmes either.

     Street sleepers have varied reasons for street sleeping, such as being unable to identify affordable accommodation due to unemployment or high rents, choosing to live on the street because of family relationship problems, being unable to secure stable accommodation after discharge from hospital, prison, or drug addiction treatment centre, financial instability, convenience for work and job seeking, lacking the will to live off the streets because of mental health or drug abuse problems, or a desire to stay in a familiar community for living, etc. When their related difficulties or accommodation problems are resolved, some street sleepers will choose to live off the street and reintegrate into the community, resulting in a decline in the number of street sleepers.

     To enhance the welfare support services for street sleepers, the SWD has allocated additional resources to subvented ISTs since 2020-‍21 to increase manpower of social workers, psychiatric nurses and drivers, as well as the funding of other relevant items. Moreover, additional short-term hostel places for street sleepers have been provided, increasing the number of subvented places to 228. The duration of stay at these hostels is normally up to six months, which may be extended by social workers, depending on the welfare needs of individual street sleepers to facilitate smooth implementation of suitable accommodation plans. The SWD will continue to keep in view the welfare service needs of street sleepers, while maintaining communication and collaboration with stakeholders and the government departments concerned, and provide appropriate welfare support services for street sleepers according to their needs, with a view to helping them restore living.

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

     The Digital Policy Office (DPO) today (January 21) announced that proposals are now invited from non-profit organisations or industry associations to take part as Leading Organisers for the 2026 and 2027 Hong Kong ICT Awards (HKICTA).
 
     Organised by the DPO, the HKICTA aims to recognise and promote outstanding information and communications technology (ICT) inventions and applications, thereby encouraging innovation and excellence among Hong Kong’s ICT elites and enterprises. Through concerted efforts of the ICT sector, academia and the Government, the HKICTA has always been highly regarded by the information technology industry. Since its debut in 2006, this annual signature event has now entered its 20th year. Over the years, more than 2 200 awards have been presented to recognise outstanding local ICT products and innovative solutions. In addition, HKICTA winners have the opportunity to be nominated for regional and international competitions, with many of them having scooped remarkable prizes, including 16 awards at the Asia Pacific Information and Communications Technology Alliance Awards 2024, an award at the 2024 Global Innovation and Tech Excellence Awards, two awards at the Maker in China SME Innovation and Entrepreneurship Global Contest Final 2025, and an award at the Hong Kong/Shanghai Co-operation Open Data Challenge 2025. The winners have showcased the outstanding achievements of Hong Kong’s ICT industry.
 
     The HKICTA consists of eight award categories, namely:
 
* Digital Entertainment Award
* FinTech Award
* ICT Startup Award
* Smart Business Award
* Smart Living Award
* Smart Mobility Award
* Smart People Award
* Student Innovation Award
 
     In a bid to foster the innovative use of AI, the Best Use of AI Award was established in each category in 2024 to inspire more innovative applications of AI, and magnify and honour outstanding achievements in harnessing AI in respective areas.
 
     The DPO welcomes applications from all non-profit organisations and industry associations to become Leading Organisers for the coming two rounds of the HKICTA. Leading Organisers are responsible for recruiting and screening entries, promoting the HKICTA through their networks, planning and managing the adjudication process, and holding individual presentation ceremonies for their categories. The selection of Leading Organisers will be conducted through an open and fair process based on established assessment mechanisms and criteria taking into account the effectiveness of the proposals as well as the capability and past performance of the proponents.
 
     The deadline for submission is February 23. Organisations interested in being a Leading Organiser can obtain a set of the application documents (including a Request for Proposal and a Proposal Form) from the website of the DPO (www.digitalpolicy.gov.hk/en/our_work/digital_infrastructure/business_window/tender_eoi_rfp/). Further details are available on the website of the HKICTA (www.hkictawards.hk).

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

     Following is a question by the Hon Tam Chun-kwok and a written reply by the Secretary for Labour and Welfare, Mr Chris Sun, in the Legislative Council today (January 21):
 
Question:
 
     According to government data, the unemployment rates in the construction sector and the food and beverage services sector remain high and exceed the Hong Kong’s overall unemployment rate. Some members of the public have relayed that there are illegal workers snatching employment opportunities in various industries by asking for low wages, and some enterprises have even abused the Enhanced Supplementary Labour Scheme (ESLS), dealing a severe blow to the livelihood of local workers. There are views that in order to ensure employment priority of local workers, the Government must play a stringent gatekeeping role in its labour importation policy, and rigorously crack down on illegal workers. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:

 (1) given that in September last year, the Government launched measures targeting job categories with more imported workers under ESLS (including waiters/waitresses and junior cooks) to combat abuse of the scheme, whether the Government has compiled statistics on the changes in the numbers of applications for labour importation in respect of the relevant industries and job categories received and approved before and after the launch of such measures; whether the Government has assessed the effectiveness of such measures; 

(2) of the number of complaints about abusing the ESLS received by the Government since its launch and the contents of such complaints; the number of employers subjected to administrative sanctions after the Government’s investigations into such complaints and, among them, the number of employers prohibited from importing labour for two years; whether the Government will consider introducing other penalties for abuse of the ESLS; 

(3) of the number of persons (including workers and employers) arrested and the relevant penalties imposed in cases involving illegal workers in the past three years, with breakdowns by industry, and among such cases, the number of those involving driving for the carriage of passengers; and 

(4) as the Chief Executive’s 2025 Policy Address has pointed out that the Government is undertaking a mid-term update of the Manpower Projection with focus on analysing data of industries with a larger number of imported labour, of the progress of the relevant work, and whether it has drawn up a specific timetable to enable an expeditious review of the ESLS on the basis of the outcome of the analysis? 

Reply:
 
President,
 
     To cope with the challenges brought by manpower shortage and foster Hong Kong’s economic development, the Government, on the premise of ensuring employment priority for local workers, suitably allows employers with genuine difficulty in recruiting suitable local workers to apply for importation of workers. Apart from launching sector-specific labour importation schemes for the construction sector, transport sector, and residential care homes for the elderly and residential care homes for persons with disabilities, the Labour Department (LD) has implemented the Enhanced Supplementary Labour Scheme (ESLS) since September 4, 2023, to suspend the general exclusion of the 26 job categories as well as unskilled or low-skilled posts from labour importation under the previous Supplementary Labour Scheme. The Government has been closely monitoring the employment market and adopting a flexible and targeted approach to adjust the implementation arrangements of the ESLS in light of the latest situation, while combating illegal workers rigorously to safeguard the employment priority for local workers.
 
     In consultation with the Security Bureau (SB), the reply to the Member’s question is as follows:

(1) To ensure the employment priority for local workers and having regard to the situation and changes in the manpower supply and demand of individual industries and posts, the ESLS introduced new requirements of local recruitment on September 10, 2025, requiring employers applying to import waiters/waitresses and junior cooks to join a job fair held at a job centre specified by the LD once a week during the local recruitment period, and conduct job interviews on the spot. The Chief Executive’s 2025 Policy Address also announced that from September 18, 2025, when applying to import waiters/waitresses and junior cooks, the local recruitment period is extended from four weeks to six weeks, and a tightened manning ratio requirement of 2:1 is implemented for the above-mentioned two posts by changing the calculation basis from all posts of an applicant employer to each post under application. In other words, an employer applying to import a waiter/waitress and a junior cook must have already employed two local full-time waiters/ waitresses and two local full-time junior cooks.
 
     Since the implementation of the above new requirements in September, the number of applications for labour importation from the food and beverage services industry has dropped markedly from a monthly average of nearly 370 applications between June and August 2025 to about 260 applications after September. Upon the implementation of a more stringent manning ratio requirement, the approval rate and the number of imported waiters/waitresses and junior cooks approved have both declined. The number of approvals for these two posts decreased from monthly averages of nearly 610 and 560 respectively between June and August 2025 to about 560 and 310. The new requirement of attendance at job fairs has enhanced the transparency of vacancy information and made it easier for local job seekers to apply for jobs on the spot at job fairs, thereby facilitating employment matching in the local labour market and encouraging the industry to take on suitable local job seekers. The implementation of the post-based manning ratio requirement also effectively drives employers to employ local workers to take up relevant posts.

(2) Since the implementation of the ESLS on September 4, 2023, and as at December 31, 2025, the LD received a total of 832 complaints relating to the ESLS, mainly involving suspected displacement of serving local employees with imported workers, non-compliance with the manning ratio requirement or work arrangements of imported workers, etc. During the same period, the LD imposed administrative sanctions on 24 employers who had violated the Employees’ Compensation Ordinance, occupational safety and health legislation, Immigration Ordinance (IO) or requirements of the ESLS, including withdrawing the approvals for importing labour granted to 22 employers under the ESLS and refusing to process their subsequent applications for labour importation in the following two years, as well as refusing to process the applications submitted by two employers and their subsequent applications for labour importation in the following year.
              
     The Government does not condone any act of violation. The LD has been closely monitoring the implementation of the ESLS, reviewing and refining its operational and implementation arrangements in good time to ensure employers’ compliance with various requirements under the ESLS.

(3) The Government is committed to combating illegal employment so as to safeguard the employment opportunities of local workers. It is a serious offence to engage in illegal employment. Illegal workers, employers, as well as aiders and abettors of illegal employment will be liable to prosecution in accordance with IO.
              
     According to the records of the Immigration Department (ImmD), the number of law enforcement operations against illegal workers (including joint operations with other departments including the Hong Kong Police Force (HKPF)) in the past three years, as well as the number of illegal workers and employers arrested therein are tabulated below:
 

Year	Number of operations	Illegal workers	Employers
2023	17 248	1 304	502
2024	17 906	1 268	513
2025	19 980	1 264	569

     The arrested illegal workers were mainly engaged in work related to the catering or renovation industries. Over the past three years, the majority of the convicted illegal workers were sentenced to imprisonment with imprisonment terms ranging from six days to 23 months, whereas the majority of the convicted employers were sentenced to imprisonment or a fine, with imprisonment terms ranging from 28 days to 19 months, and fines ranging from $1,000 to $100,000. The ImmD does not maintain a breakdown of other statistics mentioned in the question.
 
     As regards illegal workers involved in driving for carriage of passengers, during the enforcement operations against illegal hire car services taken by the HKPF in the past three years, a total of 11 illegal workers were arrested, and 11 persons alleged to have assisted illegal workers to engage in illegal employment in Hong Kong through online car hailing platforms were arrested for offences such as conspiracy to defraud.
 
     The SB established in September 2025 an Inter-departmental Task Force against Illegal Employment (Task Force) to further step up efforts in combating illegal employment. The members of the Task Force include the Labour and Welfare Bureau (LWB), the Education Bureau, the Transport and Logistics Bureau, the ImmD, the HKPF, the LD and the Transport Department. The Task Force will continue to closely monitor the situation of illegal employment, formulate overall response strategies in a timely manner and step up efforts in combating illegal employment to safeguard the employment of local workers.

(4) The LWB has commenced the mid-term update of the Manpower Projection to update the projection of the overall manpower supply and demand for 2028 by using the most recent situation in 2025 as the baseline. Relevant results are expected to be announced in the fourth quarter of 2026. To tie in with the ESLS review which is to be completed in the first half of 2026, the LWB will accord priority to data analysis for industries with a higher proportion of imported labour, with a view to providing the relevant part of analytical results in advance for reference in reviewing the ESLS and supporting the Government’s medium- to long-term planning.