Month: March 2026

LC: Speech by CS for proposed resolutions moved under Legal Aid Ordinance 
Madam President,
 
     I move that my first motion, as printed on the Agenda, be passed to adjust the financial eligibility limits (FELs) for legal aid applicants. Later, I will sequentially move another legal aid-related motion as printed on the Agenda be passed, seeking to adjust the Director of Legal Aid (DLA)’s First Charge.
 
     First, I introduce the first Resolution.
 
     Legal aid services form a cornerstone of the legal system in Hong Kong and are essential to upholding the rule of law in Hong Kong. The policy objective of legal aid is to ensure that all those who comply with the regulations of the LAO (Cap. 91) and have reasonable grounds for pursuing or defending a legal action in the courts of Hong Kong will not be denied access to justice due to a lack of means.
 
     The Legal Aid Department (LAD) has two legal aid schemes, namely the Ordinary Legal Aid Scheme (OLAS) and the Supplementary Legal Aid Scheme (SLAS) which provides assistance to the “sandwich” class. While the beneficiaries and scope of the two schemes differ, both require applicants to pass both the means test and merits test as stipulated under the LAO at the same time to be eligible for legal aid, so as to ensure the prudent use of legal aid resources.
 
     For means test, the applicant’s disposable income and capital must not exceed the amounts of financial resources as specified in the LAO. The amounts of financial resources for OLAS and SLAS are respectively specified in sections 5 and 5A of the LAO. Pursuant to section 7(a) of the LAO, the LegCo may by resolution amend the amounts.
 
     Pursuant to the mechanism established in 1999, FELs are subject to review annually by making reference to the Consumer Price Index (C) (CPI(C)). According to the latest round of review, for the reference period from July 2024 to July 2025, the CPI(C) has increased by 0.6 per cent.  Hence, we propose to accordingly adjust the FELs upwards by 0.6 per cent, namely :
 
(a) from $449,620 to $452,320 for OLAS; and
 
(b) from $2,248,110 to $2,261,600 for SLAS.
 
     Madam President, I now introduce the second Resolution.
 
     Pursuant to the LAO, if a legally aided person is successful in recovering or preserving any money or property in the legally aided proceedings, the person has to pay for the costs and other expenses incurred by the LAD for the person pursuant to section 18A(1) of the LAO. The right of the DLA to recoup such sums required under such money or property is called DLA’s First Charge. 
 
     That being the case, the LAO permits, under specified circumstances, the reduction of amounts recouped under the DLA’s First Charge in accordance with the law. First, when the DLA is satisfied that the exercise of the DLA’s First Charge would cause serious hardship to the legally aided person, the DLA may in accordance with the principles of fairness and justice exercise discretion to reduce the amount to be recouped, provided that the sum to be reduced does not exceed the cap as specified in section 19B(1)(a) of the LAO. Separately, section 18A(5) of the LAO also provides that the DLA’s First Charge does not apply to the first $9,730 of each monthly payment of the maintenance payment.
 
     Pursuant to section 22A of the LAO, the LegCo may, by resolution, amend the rate of maintenance payments that is exempted from the DLA’s First Charge, as well as the cap on the amount by which may be reduced in cases of serious hardship.
 
     In response to the increase in CPI(C) by 0.6 per cent for the reference period from July 2024 to July 2025 as mentioned above, we propose to accordingly adjust the two above-mentioned specific amounts upwards by 0.6 per cent, namely:
 
(a) the amount specified in section 18A(5) upwards from $9,730 to $9,790; and
 
(b) the cap on the amount specified in section 19B(1)(a) upwards from $116,420 to $117,120.
 
     We have informed the LegCo Panel on Administration of Justice and Legal Services of the outcome of the reviews regarding the proposed adjustments via an information paper in February 2026. Members raised no objection to the proposed increase. Subject to the LegCo’s approval of the Resolutions, we will implement the proposals upon gazettal of the Resolution.
 
     I appeal for Members’ support for the above Resolutions. Thank you, Madam President.
Issued at HKT 15:20

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LCQ20: Operation of eMPF Platform 
Question:
 
     Since the launch of the eMPF Platform (the Platform) in June 2024, 12 Mandatory Provident Fund (MPF) trustees and 22 MPF master trust schemes/employer sponsored scheme under their administration have onboarded the Platform in batches. However, it has been reported that a large number of complaints have been received continuously against the Platform since its launch, including unsuccessful registration, incorrect or missing contribution records, difficulties in changing or updating information, system operation interface not user-friendly, and failure to make voluntary contributions via the Platform. It has even been reported recently that there were long queues of people seeking assistance at the eMPF service centers. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
 
(1) since the onboarding of the first MPF trustee, of (i) the total number of complaints received by the Mandatory Provident Fund Schemes Authority (MPFA) and the eMPF Platform Company Limited (eMPF Company) regarding the Platform’s operation, with a breakdown by type of complaints; (ii) the respective percentages of complaints that have been resolved and the average time required for handling each complaint;
 
(2) whether it knows if MPFA/eMPF Company has established emergency response mechanisms and performance pledges for handling cases concerning unsuccessful user registration and incorrect or missing contribution records, so as to ensure that users can restore account access within a reasonable time;
 
(3) whether it knows if MPFA/eMPF Company has investigated the causes of reported disappearance of contribution records, discrepancies in the amount of contributions, or errors in the allocation of fund units following the migration of relevant data to the Platform; whether MPFA/eMPF Company will establish a specific compensation mechanism to deal with situations where scheme members suffer losses from their MPF investments due to system errors of the Platform or a surcharge is imposed on employers as a result of being wrongly accused of defaulting on contributions, thereby enabling scheme members/employers to pursue responsibility;
 
(4) whether it knows if MPFA/eMPF Company has plans to comprehensively enhance the Platform’s system in the short term so as to address issues such as poor design of the Platform’s operation interface, complicated procedures for handling contributions which have rendered employers or scheme members unable to make voluntary contributions on the Platform, and failure to show scheme members’ contribution records in their accounts; if so, of the specific timetable and enhancement project;
 
(5) in response to a question raised by a Member of this Council on October 22 last year regarding the staffing establishment of the Platform for handling enquiries and complaints, the Administration stated that the contractor of the Platform would increase its headcounts to over 1 100 by the end of 2025; given that the other two MPF industry schemes will be onboarded on March 26 and April 30 this year respectively, whether it knows if the contractor of the Platform has plans to further increase manpower or adopt other measures so as to handle enquiries or complaints more effectively; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; and
 
(6) whether it knows if MPFA/eMPF Company will review afresh and adjust the onboarding timetable for the remaining two MPF industry schemes, or establish more stringent criteria for system stress tests prior to onboarding so as to ensure smooth onboarding to the Platform?
 
Reply:
 
President,
 
     Launched in June 2024, the eMPF Platform seeks to standardise, streamline, and automate Mandatory Provident Fund (MPF) scheme administration work, thereby enhancing operational efficiency, reducing administrative costs, driving fee reduction, and providing greater convenience in managing MPF accounts. In consultation with the Mandatory Provident Fund Schemes Authority (MPFA), our reply to the six-part question is as follows.
 
(1) and (5) As at end-February this year, the eMPF Platform received a total of about 11 500 complaint cases with details at Annex. The 12 MPF trustees have already onboarded the eMPF Platform in ascending order of their assets-under-management (AUM) size (save for the two industry schemes dedicated to casual employees of the catering and construction industries). With the phased onboarding of the three trustees with the largest AUM size over the past six months, it is expected to observe an increase in the cumulative number of complaints received by the Platform during the same period. This notwithstanding, we note that the rate of increase in complaints has dropped over the past two months. The eMPF Platform Company Limited (eMPF Company) has handled over 76 per cent of the cases (i.e. about 8 800 cases), with an average handling time of about 18 working days. The Government has instructed that the MPFA and the eMPF Company must take remedial measures immediately to handle complaints in a timely manner and to improve user experience. Specifically, the Platform’s project contractor has implemented a series of enhancement measures, including increasing headcounts dedicated to handling complaints, strengthening managerial oversight of case progress, upgrading internal communication tools to provide better frontline support, implementing a mechanism to assign dedicated case officers to handle each case, strengthening staff training, introducing artificial intelligence to optimise data retrieval and improve communication with customers, etc. The eMPF Company has also implemented a performance tracking system to continuously monitor the Platform’s operation statistics and to introduce alerts on critical processes, reminding the contractor’s staff to complete the processing of instructions made by employers and scheme members within the specified timeframe. The contractor has also conducted a comprehensive review and enhanced the reporting mechanism for exceptional cases, including the establishment of a dedicated Complaint Handling Task Force late last year, led by its management to focus on handling urgent cases. In terms of manpower, as at end-February this year, the total headcount of the Project Team has substantially increased by more than 60 per cent to about 4 200, around 1 300 of which were dedicated to handling enquiries and complaints related to the eMPF Platform, representing an increase in headcount of more than five times in a year. The Government, the MPFA and the eMPF Company will continue to closely monitor the complaint handling mechanism of the eMPF Platform and strive to provide Platform users with customer services of higher quality.
 
(2) to (4) When individual MPF schemes first onboarded the eMPF Platform, we understand that some employers and scheme members encountered difficulties in adapting to and using the Platform, including delays in tagging payments and identifying voluntary contributions resulting in relevant contributions not being timely reflected on the eMPF Platform.
 
     To assist employers in registering with and using the eMPF Platform, the eMPF Company has been providing them with one-on-one, hand-holding on-site support through outreach services. To date, the outreach team has conducted over 16 000 visits to ensure that the relevant employers are familiar with the Platform’s actual operation and succeed in making contributions.
 
     At the same time, the MPFA and the eMPF Company have commenced the third-phase stakeholders engagement exercise starting from April 2025 to assist scheme members in registering with and using the Platform, with a special focus on the less tech-savvy grassroots. Over 600 meetings, talks, exchange sessions, district outreach activities and collaborative events with different stakeholder groups have been arranged so far to introduce the Platform’s functionalities and provide on-site registration service. To ensure that support is available in every district, the MPFA and the eMPF Company have co-organised seminars with the Home Affairs Department and district groups and set up registration counters to provide convenient services for local residents. They have also set up counters at major public events, including the Hong Kong Brands and Products Expo and Lunar New Year Fairs. or arranged eMPF fleet to attend, to massively and proactively reach out to the public.
 
     If employers/scheme members encounter any difficulties in registering with or using the eMPF Platform, they may call the eMPF customer service hotline or visit any one of the eMPF service centres and eMPF self-service kiosks located across all 18 districts of Hong Kong. The self-service kiosks are located inside designated sports centres under the Leisure and Cultural Services Department and designated stores of the contractor, with on-site eMPF ambassadors providing assistance for those in need. The eMPF Company has made service pledges in respect of services provided by the Platform. The relevant details have been uploaded onto the eMPF Company’s website for public reference.
 
     In addition, the MPFA has been gathering views from stakeholders and users through a three-tiered testing framework since early 2025, so as to optimise the user interface and operational processes of the eMPF Platform and bring in comprehensive elevation of user experience. Such framework comprises (a) engaging a professional service company to conduct testing of major system functionalities, with a view to improving user experience; (b) setting up an Expert Group comprising information technology (IT) experts, managerial staff from large technology firms or digital platform companies, representatives from IT federations and university scholars, to advise on the Platform’s operations and development; and (c) establishing a Standing User Group comprising existing eMPF users from various sectors to tap their views on the Platform and to brief them on the Platform’s latest functionalities and improvement measures. In response to the feedback received, the eMPF Company will from time to time conduct technical upgrades on the eMPF Platform’s website and mobile application and fix such system features as the user interface.
 
     If a scheme member suffers direct financial loss attributable to the eMPF Company’s fault (such as a delay in transferring MPF accrued benefits), he/she may file a claim against the eMPF Company. In accordance with the general principle, the eMPF Company will credit the shortfall in fund units to the affected scheme member’s MPF account to restore his/her account to the position had the error not occurred. The aforementioned compensation mechanism is consistent with the standard practice adopted by all trustees in handling compensation claims prior to the launch of the eMPF Platform. Scheme members may also consider participating in the Pilot Scheme for Mediation for the eMPF Platform administered by the Financial Dispute Resolution Centre, which provides an independent, impartial, and efficient channel to resolve monetary disputes with the eMPF Company through mediation.
 
     If an employer receives a “Payment Notice for MPF Contributions and Surcharge” (PN) from the MPFA despite having made MPF mandatory contributions on time, he/she may file an objection to the eMPF Company and submit the relevant supporting documents within 14 days after the PN issue date. After ascertaining that the employer has made MPF mandatory contributions on time, the eMPF Company will notify the MPFA immediately and the employer concerned will not be required to pay any surcharge.
 
(6) Prior to commencing operation, the eMPF Platform has passed a series of rigorous and comprehensive testing on various fronts, including security, load and privacy. A security risk assessment and audit, as well as a privacy impact assessment have been conducted by an independent third-party consultant. During the process, the eMPF Company has been maintaining close communication and exchanging views with the Office of the Privacy Commissioner for Personal Data and the Digital Policy Office to ensure that the Platform complies with statutory requirements and the latest Government guidelines in different areas, including security, load and privacy. To provide additional safeguards, the eMPF Company has also engaged an independent third-party consultant to conduct an external assessment of the Platform and confirm system readiness prior to launching the Platform. Since the commencement of operation of the Platform, the eMPF Company has been monitoring the network system round-the-clock to detect and intercept cyberattacks. Regular cyberattack drills and annual security audits are also conducted to assess risks and vulnerabilities, so as to ensure the robustness, reliability, security and user-friendliness of the Platform.
 
     Before migrating their MPF scheme data to the eMPF Platform, all 12 trustees were required to prepare and submit their data in accordance with specified and standardised data formats and complete a rigorous, multi-stage data migration process to ensure data integrity and system readiness. The relevant process involved data cleansing, format validation and multiple rounds of testing. Regarding the 22 onboarded MPF schemes, the data migration process was largely smooth, with no systemic issue arisen before. Trustees operating the two industry schemes (i.e. BCT (MPF) Industry Choice and BEA (MPF) Industry Scheme) are also operating other MPF schemes which already onboarded the eMPF Platform last year. The relevant experience helps reduce the risk of migrating data of industry schemes to the eMPF Platform. With smooth progress in all preparatory and testing work, it is expected that the two industry schemes could onboard the eMPF Platform on March 26 and April 30 this year respectively as planned.
Issued at HKT 15:20

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LCQ5: Energy supply in Hong Kong 
Question:
 
     It is reported that ongoing tensions in the Middle East have led to a rise in international oil prices, bringing heavy operational pressure on Hong Kong’s sea, land and air transport, passenger services and logistics trades. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
 
(1) whether it has compiled statistics on the current respective sources of supply for liquefied petroleum gas and liquefied natural gas in Hong Kong; if so, of the details, and whether the supplies are stable;
 
(2) whether there are measures in place in Hong Kong to safeguard its energy supply; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; and
 
(3) of the measures in place to assist the local sea, land and air transport, passenger services and logistics trades in coping with the impact of the recent rise in international oil prices and to ensure an adequate long-term supply of critical commodities such as energy?
 
Reply:
 
President,
 
     Stable energy supply is critical to Hong Kong’s economic and social operations. Public transportation, air passenger and cargo services, and electricity supply, etc, are directly related to energy supply. The situation in the Middle East is affecting global oil supply, with the impact on Asia being particularly pronounced. The top priority of the Government is to ensure the stability of Hong Kong’s energy supply.
      
     Hong Kong has no local energy resources. Apart from a small amount of renewable energy, Hong Kong must rely on imported fuels. These include direct import (such as oil products), and those processed in Hong Kong after importation (such as electricity and town gas). Currently, around 80 per cent of Hong Kong’s oil products came from the Chinese Mainland. Hong Kong has weathered several global energy crises in the past, including those triggered by the Gulf War and the Ukrainian conflict, which remain fresh in the minds of many. With the advantage of enjoying strong support from the motherland, Hong Kong has been able to maintain a stable energy supply amid the emergence of energy shortages in many regions and cities around the world.
      
     In view of the latest situation in the Middle East, the Environment and Ecology Bureau (EEB) met with local major auto-fuel suppliers last week to reiterate the importance of energy for Hong Kong’s economic and social operations. It has urged the suppliers to ensure a stable supply of local auto-fuel. All the suppliers have indicated that the supply of local auto-fuel is normal, and that they will continue to strive to maintain a stable supply.
      
     The EEB also confirmed with the two power companies and The Hong Kong and China Gas Company Limited (the Towngas Company) that fuel supplies for electricity and town gas production remain normal. Given the challenges posed to global energy supplies by the current tensions in the Middle East, which are affecting every corner of the world and every sector of the economy, we must all remain vigilant and work together to address this situation. The Government will continue to closely monitor the geopolitical developments and the local fuel supply situation to ensure the stability of Hong Kong’s energy supply.
      
     In response to the question raised by the Hon Lee Chun-keung, in consultation with the Transport and Logistics Bureau (TLB), our reply is as follows:
 
(1) and (2) As mentioned above, Hong Kong mainly relies on imported fuel, with around 80 per cent of the oil products coming from the Chinese Mainland. Leveraging the advantage of having the motherland’s staunch support, the Government has confirmed with all major energy companies that Hong Kong’s energy supply remains stable at present.
 
     Natural gas is primarily used for electricity generation and town gas production in Hong Kong. There are six subsea natural gas pipelines in Hong Kong, including those connecting the Chinese Mainland to the two power companies and the Towngas Company, as well as those connecting the Hong Kong Offshore Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) Terminal (the Terminal) to the power stations of the two power companies. The floating storage and regasification unit (FSRU) vessel berthed at the Terminal is currently the largest facility of its kind in the world.
      
     Currently, the natural gas supply in Hong Kong remains stable. In the event that the supply of LNG by sea is disrupted by the situation in the Middle East, the two power companies have already formulated contingency plans to adjust their fuel mix (including pipeline natural gas, nuclear power, and coal) as necessary to maintain stable electricity generation. As for town gas supply, the Towngas Company also indicated that if the supply of natural gas is disrupted, they can maintain supply by adjusting the fuel blend ratio to use more naphtha for town gas production.
      
     In terms of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), the majority of Hong Kong’s LPG is used as transport fuel, mainly for taxis and minibuses. Currently, LPG supplies are mainly sourced from neighbouring cities in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, including Zhuhai, Dongguan and Shenzhen, with suppliers arranging for LPG tankers to transport the fuel from the Chinese Mainland to Hong Kong. The LPG suppliers have also indicated that supplies remain normal at present.
 
(3)  The Government is very concerned about the impact of rising international oil prices on Hong Kong’s transport and freight industries. In respect of public transport services, the Transport Department (TD) has been maintaining close communication with different public transport operators in view of the recent hike of international oil prices, including franchised buses, public light buses, taxis and ferries, to understand how their operations are impacted. Given the uncertainty of the future trend of oil prices, the TLB and the TD will continue to closely monitor the development to ensure that the operation of public transport services remain normal. The Government will also maintain close contact with the land freight transport sector.
 
     On the aviation side, several local and non-local airlines have at different times adjusted airfares or raised their fuel surcharges in response to the elevated aviation fuel prices. The TLB is paying close attention to the development, and has already met with local airlines to express its concerns regarding the magnitude of cargo fuel surcharge increases, and emphasise the importance of maintaining the competitiveness of the Hong Kong International Airport. We have also requested the airlines to strengthen communication with the freight industries, and arranged relevant stakeholders to meet to allow airlines to explain to the trade the basis and rationale for setting cargo fuel surcharge levels, with a view to enhancing transparency. The Government will closely monitor airlines’ adjustments to cargo fuel surcharges to ensure that the process is reasonable and transparent.
      
     On the maritime front, sustained elevation of global oil prices will put pressure on the operating costs of the maritime industry. Hong Kong Port (HKP), as a free port, has long enjoyed advantages including swift customs clearance, high efficiency, and strong international connectivity. With congestion at other ports, HKP can play an active role in cargo diversion. The Government will maintain communication with the industry to ensure the smooth operation of HKP and maintain its international competitiveness.
      
     The energy supply in Hong Kong remains to be stable. The Government will remain vigilant and closely monitor the geopolitical developments, international energy price trends and the local fuel supply situation to ensure the stability of Hong Kong’s energy supply. Around 80 per cent of oil products in Hong Kong came from the Chinese Mainland, the EEB will continue to liaise with the relevant Chinese Mainland authorities to support the stable supply of major fuel products to Hong Kong.
Issued at HKT 15:02

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New District Officer for Sha Tin District assumes office (with photo) 
     Since joining the Administrative Service in 2006, Ms Lee has served in various bureaux and departments, including the Chief Secretary for Administration’s Office, the then Home Affairs Bureau, the Constitutional and Mainland Affairs Bureau, the Education Bureau, the Development Bureau, the then Food and Health Bureau and the Health Bureau.
 
     She was the Commissioner for Harbourfront at the Development Bureau before taking up the new post of District Officer (Sha Tin).
Issued at HKT 15:00

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LCQ8: Implementation of life planning education 
Question:
 
     Starting from the 2014/15 school year, the Education Bureau (EDB) has implemented life planning education (LPE) in secondary schools and provided each public sector school (including special school) and Direct Subsidy Scheme secondary school operating classes at senior secondary levels with the Career and Life Planning Grant (CLPG). Starting from the 2016/17 school year, schools may turn CLPG into regular teaching posts. In 2019, EDB further announced that public sector secondary schools must turn CLPG into regular teaching posts by the 2022/23 school year to provide more stable teacher manpower for enhancing the development of LPE and guidance services. However, there are views that the Government’s expenditure on LPE is not commensurate with its effectiveness. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
 
(1) of the number of schools which have turned CLPG into regular teaching posts since the 2022/23 school year, and the annual expenditure involved in creating such regular teaching posts;
 
(2) of the staffing establishment, specific functions and performance indicators of the EDB’s Life Planning Education Section; and
 
(3) whether the EDB will consider establishing a regular evaluation mechanism to periodically assess the effectiveness of schools in implementing LPE and propose recommendations for improvement; if so, of the details?
 
Reply:
 
President,
 
     The Education Bureau (EDB) has been attaching great importance to the implementation of life planning education (LPE), allocating additional resources and providing support to strengthen schools’ implementation of LPE on multiple fronts since the 2014/15 school year, which includes providing additional resources/manpower, promoting business-school partnership, providing professional support, enhancing professional training, etc. Through a wide range of LPE and career exploration activities, schools help students enhance self-understanding, identify their interests, abilities and orientations at an earlier stage, set goals and make better planning and preparation for further studies and career pursuits by equipping them with relevant information on the multiple pathways and workplace.
 
     Regarding the question asked by Dr the Hon Junius Ho, our reply is as follows:
 
(1) Since the 2014/15 school year, the EDB has been providing each public sector school and Direct Subsidy Scheme (DSS) school operating classes at senior secondary levels with a recurrent provision, the Career and Life Planning Grant (CLPG), to enhance LPE elements for students. To provide more stable teacher manpower to enhance LPE development and related guidance service, public sector schools are given the option to convert the CLPG into regular teaching posts starting from the 2016/17 school year. From the 2019/20 school year onwards, the regular teaching posts converted from the CLPG have been counted towards the calculation of promotion post entitlement in order to strengthen the middle management manpower for taking forward LPE. Since the 2022/23 school year, all public sector schools have fully converted the CLPG into regular teaching posts for empowering schools and the responsible teaching teams to implement LPE. As the relevant expenditure has been turned into regular teaching posts in public sector schools and subsumed under the EDB’s overall expenditure, the EDB does not have a breakdown of relevant figures.
 
(2) The LPE Section is under the School Development Division of the School Development and Administration Branch of the EDB, and is tasked to support secondary schools in providing LPE and career guidance services for their students. The Section is headed by a Senior Education Officer (Administration), under whom there are two teams separately led by a Senior Inspector responsible for coordinating work related to the support for schools’ LPE development and teacher training, and an Education Officer (Administration) responsible for coordinating the Business-School Partnership Programme (BSPP) and collaboration with other organisations.
 
     To enhance the support to schools for the delivery of LPE in a more comprehensive and systematic approach, the LPE Section conducts school visits to render professional advice to schools. In addition, to enhance the capacities of the teachers to support students in life planning, the LPE Section organises structured training, thematic seminars and sharing sessions for secondary school teachers every school year, with a view to strengthening professional training for teachers and disseminating the good practices of schools. The one-stop Life Planning Information Website is also launched to provide students, teachers and parents with comprehensive information on life planning and multiple pathways. Through the implementation of the BSPP, the LPE Section, in collaboration with different business corporations, government departments and community organisations, has been providing students with diversified career exploration activities, with a view to equipping them with knowledge and information about different industries so that they can better understand the workplace, develop positive work attitudes and get well prepared for further studies or career pursuits. As for strengthening public education, the LPE Section has rolled out publicity activities since 2016 to promote the culture of supporting young people in life planning. They include broadcasting feature interviews with outstanding persons of different industries on various promotional platforms to get the message of “every trade has its masters” across, producing newspaper supplements to showcase good practices of schools and BSPP partners in implementing life planning and holding activities to help parents understand the importance of life planning. The LPE Section will continue providing support to schools for the implementation of LPE, with a view to helping students identify their interests, abilities and orientations at an earlier stage, set goals and make better planning and preparation for further studies and career pursuits.
 
(3) Since the 2014/15 school year, the LPE Section of the EDB has conducted four rounds of school visits, visiting all of the nearly 500 public sector and DSS schools operating classes at senior secondary levels in each round, for professional exchanges, examining and discussing the school-based work on LPE, and further studies and career guidance of the schools, as well as rendering professional advice to schools. Based on the observations from the four rounds of school visits, most schools attached great importance to LPE, developed the school-based LPE and adopted various modes in delivering related activities having regard to their own circumstances and students’ needs. They also gradually enhanced cross-team collaboration to provide students with support related to life planning. A wide range of LPE activities were organised by schools, and a number of schools offered school-based life planning lessons to help students identify their career aspirations, develop a positive work attitude, set goals, etc. Besides, according to the information gathered during the school visits, many schools have progressively implemented the cyclic self-evaluation mechanism of “Planning – Implementation – Evaluation”, and would adjust their work plans based on the evaluation findings in a timely manner, facilitating schools’ self-improvement. The LPE Section will continue to conduct school visits to understand schools’ progress in the implementation of LPE, as well as to render professional advice to schools and gather good practices from different schools for dissemination to other schools for reference.
 
     In addition, to ensure that the activities under the BSPP of  the EDB achieve the expected outcomes and objectives, officers from the LPE Section regularly attend various types of activities to observe the activity processes, arrangements and students’ responses. Questionnaires and reflections from participating students are collected to understand their views and the benefits they gained. The relevant feedback is then shared with BSPP partners for collaborative review, ensuring that the activities achieve the expected outcomes and align with the goals of promoting LPE. Moreover, the LPE Section regularly invites BSPP partners to attend meetings to evaluate the content and effectiveness of the activities, as well as to share successful experience in organising activities.
Issued at HKT 14:48

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LCQ14: Food assistance and donation services 
Question:
 
     There are views that many supermarkets and restaurants discard from time to time food items that are of acceptable quality but near their expiry dates or have damaged packaging; although some non-governmental organisations (NGOs) currently provide food bank services, there is room for improvement in areas such as their service coverage and application of technology. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
 
(1) whether it has ascertained the current situation regarding food recovery, donation and redistribution in Hong Kong; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that;
 
(2) as there are views that with an increased proportion of singleton elderly and doubleton elderly households due to the continued ageing of the population in Hong Kong, coupled with rising unemployment rates in certain sectors, the demand for food assistance in Hong Kong is expected to persist, whether the authorities have plans to enhance food recovery and redistribution services, such as offering tax deductions or subsidies to catering and retail enterprises that donate food, as well as providing incentives and assistance to enterprises and private housing courts to encourage them to set up food recovery points and pickup points on their premises;
 
(3) as it is learnt that a public welfare programme of 24-hour self-service food bank has been launched in the Futian District of Shenzhen Municipality, where people can make reservation through “iShenzhen”, the Shenzhen Municipal Government’s mobile application for government services, and collect food from smart vending machines by scanning a code, whether the Government will draw on the Shenzhen Municipal Government’s experiences and collaborate with NGOs providing food bank services to install smart food pickup machines in Hong Kong, and introduce reservation functions for food pickup to the “iAM Smart” mobile application; and
 
(4) as there are views that food bank services can move towards further intelligentisation with the enhanced use of artificial intelligence (AI), such as using AI for dynamic scheduling as well as smart logistics and delivery, optimizing and planning routes for food recovery and replenishment, and utilising AI visual image recognition technologies for surveillance on food safety, or using big data to analyse users’ needs and give advice on nutrition intake or recipes, whether the Government will help promote the use of AI in food banks operated by NGOs to enhance the smart functions of local food recovery and redistribution services, thereby improving the overall efficacy and safety of food bank services?

Reply: 
     To explore different approaches to waste reduction, the Environment and Conservation Fund (ECF) has previously piloted funding for local non-profit-making organisations to carry out food recovery projects. Experience shows that as a measure to reduce food waste, food recovery is extremely costly and has limited overall impact on food waste reduction. The ECF has not approved any funding for food recovery since last year. Our waste reduction strategy focuses on publicity and education to encourage waste reduction at source and prevent generation of food waste; expanding the food waste recycling network; and testing different on-site treatment technology to reduce food waste and the amount of waste disposal as a whole more effectively, with a view to achieving the target of obviating reliance on landfills for municipal solid waste disposal by or before 2035.Issued at HKT 14:20

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LCQ18: Development of digital Renminbi and stablecoins 
Question:
 
     At the end of 2025, the People’s Bank of China (PBoC) released the “Action Plan on Further Strengthening the Digital Renminbi Management Service System and Related Financial Infrastructure Construction” (Action Plan), which officially came into effect on January 1, 2026, launching the next-generation digital Renminbi (e-CNY) measurement framework. Banking institutions will pay interest on the balances of clients’ real-name e-CNY wallets, and the e-CNY of banking institutions operating e-CNY services will also be included in the reserve requirement system framework for management. In addition, in May 2024, PBoC and the Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) expanded the scope of cross-boundary e-CNY pilot in Hong Kong to facilitate the set-up and use of e-CNY wallets by Hong Kong residents, as well as the top-up of these wallets via the Faster Payment System. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
 
(1) whether it has compiled statistics on the latest application situation and relevant data regarding the cross-boundary e-CNY pilot in Hong Kong (including the number and trend of e-CNY wallets operated by Mainland operating institutions, the number and trend of e-CNY wallets set up locally, and the number and trend of local retail merchants accepting e-CNY);
 
(2) whether it knows if HKMA will, in response to PBoC’s Action Plan, study with local banks ways to optimise the management of e-CNY wallets; if HKMA will, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; and
 
(3) the Stablecoins Ordinance (Cap. 656) came into effect on August 1, 2025, with its main purpose being to supervise activities involving stablecoins and to introduce a licensing regime for regulated stablecoin activities in Hong Kong; it has been reported that the first batch of stablecoin licences is expected to be issued within this year, whether stablecoins and e-CNY can achieve differentiated development in Hong Kong as envisaged by the authorities?
 
Reply:
 
President,
 
     The Government attaches great importance to promoting fintech development, and has been working closely with financial regulators as well as industry players to adopt multi-pronged measures for driving fintech forward.
 
     In May 2024, the People’s Bank of China (PBoC) and the Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) expanded the scope of the next-generation digital Renminbi (e-CNY) pilot in Hong Kong to facilitate the set-up and the use of e-CNY wallets by Hong Kong residents, as well as the top-up of e-CNY wallets via the Faster Payment System (FPS). The e-CNY provides an additional safe, convenient and innovative payment option to residents of the two places, thereby enhancing efficiency and user experience of cross-boundary payment services, as well as promoting interconnectivity of the two places.
 
     In consultation with the HKMA, our reply to the three parts of the question is as follows.
 
(1) The PBoC and the HKMA work closely to optimise the e-CNY arrangements. At present, the number of Mainland operating institutions responsible for operating e-CNY wallets has increased from four in the initial period to five, while the number of local banks in Hong Kong participating in the top-up of e-CNY wallets via the FPS has also increased from 17 in the initial period to 18. The number of e-CNY wallets set up using Hong Kong mobile numbers and their usage have been increasing steadily. According to the PBoC’s information, as at end-January 2026, around 80 000 e-CNY wallets have been registered cumulatively.
 
     The HKMA and the local banks have been actively promoting the application of e-CNY in Hong Kong. Currently, the number of local retail merchants accepting e-CNY have increased from around 300 in the initial period to around 5 200, covering chain retail stores, hotels, travel agencies, catering, convenience stores, supermarkets, etc.
 
(2) The PBoC and the HKMA are exploring the arrangements and feasibility of upgrading e-CNY wallets, with a view to raising the usage limit of e-CNY wallets, expanding application scenarios and enhancing user experience. As the policy and technical details involved require further in-depth discussion, the specific proposals and timetable are not finalised yet.
 
(3) Stablecoins and Central Bank Digital Currencies (e.g. e-CNY), as well as other new payment tools, including tokenised deposits and cross-boundary linkage of fast payment systems, have the potential to be applied in various scenarios such as transaction settlement and local or cross-boundary payments, provided that the relevant legal and regulatory requirements are met. These payment tools have their own characteristics and varying degrees of maturity. Their future development prospects will largely be determined by market forces.
 
     The Government and financial regulators will continue to explore the potential and application scenarios of various new payment tools to better leverage the synergy among them, thereby addressing more pain points in the real economy.
Issued at HKT 14:20

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