Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region
LCQ17: Strengthening support for foster care service
Year(as at end 2025) The average number of ordinary foster families available for matching (including relief foster families) per month in the past five years are tabulated below:
Year(as at end 2025)(2) to (3) According to the information of the Central Foster Care Unit of the SWD, the number of registered foster families has increased from 954 in 2021-22 to 1 112 in 2025-26 (as at end 2025), representing an increase of about 16.6 per cent. Whereas the number of foster families withdrawn from service has decreased from 71 to 31, representing a decrease of about 56.3 per cent. The primary reasons for withdrawing from foster care service include caring for other family members or personal plans, such as travelling or taking a break. The number of registered foster families and foster families withdrawn from service in the past five years are tabulated below:
Year(as at end 2025) The age distribution of foster parents in the past five years are tabulated below:
Age distribution of foster parents The Government has been promoting foster-family-friendly measures, including tax exemption for the incentive payments for foster parents. Starting from April 1, 2024, half of the incentive payments (including incentive payment for foster parents/foster parents (emergency) and various extra incentive payments) received under foster care service of the SWD are exempted from income calculation for the purpose of public rental housing application and Well-off Tenants Policies declaration.
To further strengthen support for foster care services and encourage more dedicated individuals to become foster parents, the Government has implemented a series of enhancement measures in recent years, including substantial increase of the incentive payment for foster parents from April 2024. The monthly incentive payment of ordinary foster care service has been increased more than double from around $5,000 to about $11,000; and that for emergency foster care service has been doubled from around $6,600 to about $13,000.Issued at HKT 12:25
Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region
LCQ22: Ensuring safety of aquatic food products imported from Japan Question:
In August 2023, the Government issued the Food Safety Order (the Order) to prohibit the import of aquatic, sea salt and seaweed food products originating from 10 regulated metropolis/prefectures of Japan into Hong Kong. According to the information in the press releases previously issued by the Centre for Food Safety (CFS) of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department, there has been an aggregate of 30 or so cases in suspected breach of the Order since its implementation. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1) of the respective cycles and numbers of inspections and sample tests conducted by the CFS in accordance with the risk-based principle on aquatic food products imported from Japan since the implementation of the Order; whether the CFS has conducted screening of the customs clearance documents for each consignment of imported aquatic food products; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that;
(2) of the number of cases involving entry into Hong Kong by air and by sea among the imported aquatic products and their by-products that have been intercepted for suspected breach of the Order since its implementation; whether the Government has examined the supply and distribution of such products by the importers involved in those cases, and of the respective numbers of licensed food premises and food product sellers involved;
(3) of the following information on the cases in suspected breach of the Order mentioned in part (2): (i) the number of licensed food importers prosecuted (and the number of repeated offenders among them); (ii) the progress of each prosecution case; (iii) the penalties imposed in convicted cases (such as warnings and fines); and (iv) the average amount of fine imposed in each convicted case; and
(4) as the Government hosted five online briefing sessions for relevant trades during the initial implementation of the Order, whether the Government has any plans to host regular briefing sessions for the food importing industry to step up the explanation of the arrangements under the Order, so as to reduce the chance of an inadvertent breach of the Order by the industry?
Reply:
President,
To safeguard food safety and protect public health in Hong Kong in response to Japan’s 30-year plan to discharge nuclear-contaminated water at Fukushima into the ocean, the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD) has issued a Food Safety Order (the Order) to prohibit all aquatic products, sea salt and seaweed food products originating from 10 metropolis/prefectures, namely Tokyo, Fukushima, Ibaraki, Miyagi, Chiba, Gunma, Tochigi, Niigata, Nagano and Saitama, from being imported into and supplied in Hong Kong starting from August 24, 2023.
For other Japanese aquatic products, sea salt and seaweed food products that are not prohibited from being imported into Hong Kong, the Centre for Food Safety (CFS) of the FEHD conducts comprehensive radiological tests to verify that their radiation levels do not exceed the guideline levels set by the Codex Alimentarius Commission before they are allowed to be imported.
A reply to the various parts of the Hon Joephy Chan’s question is as follows:
(1) Since the Order commenced operation, the CFS has been screening all customs clearance documents for aquatic, sea salt and seaweed food products imported from Japan and conducting radiological tests on every consignment of these products. As at April 21, 2026, the CFS had taken a total of 140 038 samples from all consignments of the above food products for radiological tests. To date, no samples have been found to exceed the permitted radiation levels.
(2) and (3) Since the Order commenced operation, as at April 21, 2026, the CFS has identified a total of 51 cases of suspected breach of the Order by importers. Among these cases, altogether 37 importers were involved and eight of them were repeat offenders; and 42 cases involved entry into Hong Kong by air and nine by sea. All the aquatic products, sea salt and seaweed food products involved were detained and inspected by the CFS at the boundary control points. None entered the market for supply to licensed food premises or for sale.
The CFS will follow up on each case by, inter alia, notifying the Japanese authorities of the incidents. Prosecution will be instituted against the importers concerned should there be sufficient evidence. Regarding the cases mentioned above, the CFS has instituted a total of 45 prosecutions against the importers concerned. Of these, 43 cases resulted in convictions with fines ranging from $1,000 to $10,000 while the remaining two cases are being processed.
(4) The CFS has been explaining the Order and other control measures on Japanese imported food products to the trade and stakeholders through various channels. Apart from holding five thematic online briefing sessions, the CFS has also conducted three Trade Consultation Forums and set up a thematic webpage. The webpage provides detailed information on the Order and other control measures on Japanese imported food products, as well as the situation update of radiation tests on Japanese imported food products. As the Order has now been in operation for nearly three years, the industry is generally aware of the requirements. The CFS will conduct further promotion to the industry as necessary, and will continue to announce cases of suspected breaches of the Order by importers so identified via press releases to notify the public and to remind the industry. Issued at HKT 12:22
Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region
In anticipation of a large number of visitors to Sai Kung East Country Park, Sharp Island and Shui Hau on Lantau Island during the Mainland’s Labour Day Golden Week (May 1 to 5), the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD) today (April 29) announced the following preparation and deployment of management work at ecotourism hotspots during the holiday period:
Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region
The following is issued on behalf of the Hong Kong Monetary Authority:
The Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA), together with the banking sector, introduced today (April 29) a new round of support measures to assist local small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in navigating the current fast-changing market environment. The measures were announced following a meeting held by the Taskforce on SME Lending. 1. Increase dedicated funds set aside for SMEs: The 18 participating banks in the Taskforce have further expanded the size of dedicated funds set aside in their loan portfolio for SMEs. The total amount has increased from $370 billion in October 2024 to over $450 billion at present, demonstrating the banking sector’s commitment to supporting SMEs. Note 4: Bank of China (Hong Kong), Bank of Communications (Hong Kong), Bank of East Asia, China CITIC International, China Construction Bank (Asia), Citibank, Dah Sing Bank, DBS Bank (Hong Kong), Fubon Bank (Hong Kong), Fusion Bank, Hang Seng Bank, The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation, Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (Asia), OCBC Bank (Hong Kong), Nanyang Commercial Bank, Ping An Digital Bank, Shanghai Commercial Bank, and Standard Chartered Bank (Hong Kong).
Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region – 4
Hong Kong Customs detected two dangerous drugs cases on April 27 and yesterday (April 28), and seized a total of about 50 kilograms of suspected cannabis buds and 3.5kg of suspected ketamine with a total estimated market value of about $11.1 million. Two men were arrested.
In the first case, Customs on April 27 inspected an air cargo consignment, declared as automotive seats arriving in Hong Kong from Singapore, at Hong Kong International Airport through risk assessment. Upon inspection, Customs officers detected suspicious X-ray images in the consignment. Upon examination, Customs officers found a total of about 50kg of suspected cannabis buds with a total estimated market value of about $9.7 million inside false compartments in three automotive seats.
After a follow-up investigation, Customs officers conducted a controlled delivery operation yesterday in Tuen Mun and arrested a 30-year-old man. The arrestee has been charged with trafficking in a dangerous drug. He will appear at the Tuen Mun Magistrates’ Courts tomorrow (April 30).
In the second case, Customs, through risk assessment, inspected an express parcel from the Netherlands, declared as a dice set that was sent to Hong Kong via the Chinese Mainland yesterday. Upon inspection, Customs officers found about 3.5kg of suspected ketamine concealed inside gaming dice from the parcel. The market value was about $1.4 million.
After a follow-up investigation, Customs officers conducted a controlled delivery operation yesterday and arrested a 29-year-old man in Tai Wo Hau suspected to be connected with the case. The arrestee has been charged with one count of trafficking in a dangerous drug and will appear at the West Kowloon Magistrates’ Courts tomorrow (April 30).
Customs will continue to enhance enforcement against drug trafficking activities through intelligence analysis. The department also reminds members of the public to stay alert and not to participate in drug trafficking activities for monetary return. They must not accept hiring or delegation from another party to carry controlled items into and out of Hong Kong. They are also reminded not to carry unknown items for other people.
Under the Dangerous Drugs Ordinance, trafficking in a dangerous drug is a serious offence. The maximum penalty upon conviction is a fine of $5 million and life imprisonment.
Members of the public may report any suspected drug trafficking activities to Customs’ 24-hour hotline 182 8080 or its dedicated crime-reporting email account (crimereport@customs.gov.hk).
Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region – 4
The Electrical and Mechanical Services Department (EMSD) today (April 29) announced an adjustment to the auto-LPG (liquefied petroleum gas) ceiling prices for dedicated LPG filling stations from May 1 to May 31, 2026, in accordance with the terms and conditions of the contracts for dedicated LPG filling stations.
A department spokesman said that the adjustment on May 1, 2026, would reflect the movement of the LPG international price in April 2026. Due to the impact of the situation in the Middle East, the LPG international price surged in April 2026. The adjusted auto-LPG ceiling prices for dedicated LPG filling stations in May 2026 would range from $4.49 to $5.43 per litre, amounting to an increase of $1.06 to $1.08 per litre.
The spokesman said that the auto-LPG ceiling prices were adjusted according to a pricing formula specified in the contracts. The formula comprises two elements – the LPG international price and the LPG operating price. The LPG international price refers to the LPG international price of the preceding month. The LPG operating price is adjusted on February 1 and June 1 annually according to the average movement of the Composite Consumer Price Index and the Nominal Wage Index.
The auto-LPG ceiling prices for respective dedicated LPG filling stations in May 2026 are as follows:
Location of
Dedicated
LPG Filling Station
Auto-LPG
Ceiling Price in
May 2026
(HK$/litre)
Auto-LPG
Ceiling Price in
April 2026
(HK$/litre)
Kwai On Road, Kwai Chung
4.49
3.42
Sham Mong Road, Mei Foo
4.55
3.49
Wai Lok Street, Kwun Tong
4.61
3.54
Cheung Yip Street, Kowloon Bay
4.66
3.59
Ngo Cheung Road, West Kowloon
4.67
3.60
Yuen Chau Tsai, Tai Po
4.72
3.65
Tak Yip Street, Yuen Long
4.83
3.77
Hang Yiu Street, Ma On Shan
4.86
3.78
Marsh Road, Wan Chai
4.87
3.79
Fung Mat Road, Sheung Wan
4.89
3.82
Yip Wong Road, Tuen Mun
4.99
3.92
Fung Yip Street, Chai Wan
5.43
4.36
The spokesman said that the details of the LPG international price and the auto-LPG ceiling price for each dedicated LPG filling station had been uploaded to the EMSD website (www.emsd.gov.hk) and posted at dedicated LPG filling stations to enable the trades to monitor the price adjustment.
Details of the pricing adjustment mechanism for dedicated LPG filling stations can also be viewed under the “What’s New” section of the department website at www.emsd.gov.hk/en/what_s_new/current/index.html.
Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region – 4
The Financial Secretary, Mr Paul Chan; the Deputy Financial Secretary Secretary, Mr Michael Wong; the Secretary for Environment and Ecology, Mr Tse Chin-wan, and the Secretary for Transport and Logistics, Ms Mable Chan, met the media after the third reading debate on the Appropriation Bill 2026 by the Legislative Council today (April 29). Following are the remarks by Mr Tse and Ms Chan:
Reporter: Could you briefly talk more about the considerations for introducing the subsidy forminibuses, school buses and taxis using petroleum gas? How would the Government ensure that oil companies and distributors would not mark up their prices under the diesel subsidy arrangement offered by the Government?
Secretary for Environment and Ecology: Our subsidy scheme includes an agreement with the oil companies or the distributors. Under the agreement, they are obliged to submit reports to the Government on a weekly basis about the sources of the oil, the sales volume, the prices, etc, as well as after the scheme, they have to conduct an independent audit to verify all that information. Because the Government knows the price of the oil they buy from the external sources, therefore we can monitor all the changes in oil prices and we know what the changes are. Therefore, with the reporting and auditing system, we are very confident that the oil companies will not be able to rip off the subsidy.
Secretary for Transport and Logistics: Public minibuses and taxis are two important components of our public transport system. On the other hand, we have also minibuses providing student service. In order to ensure that they will continue to maintain a stable and steady service for the general members of the public, we will redeploy internal resources within the Government to provide the $0.5 subsidy per litre for the petroleum supplier companies’ usage.
We will discuss amongst ourselves and identify suitable resources, so as to ensure the measure can be rolled out as soon as possible.
(Please also refer to the Chinese portion of the remarks.)
Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region
Following is the speech by the Financial Secretary, Mr Paul Chan, at the CUHK Business School Greater Bay Area CEO Forum today (April 29):
Professor Dennis Lo (Vice-Chancellor and President, the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK)), Professor Lin Zhou (Dean, CUHK Business School), distinguished alumni, ladies and gentleman, The first is building a modernised industrial system and strengthening self-reliance in science and technology. The second area is “AI+”.
Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region
LCQ8: Coping with decline in school-age population
District(3) to (5) In view of the ongoing trend of structural decline in the school-age population, the EDB must take timely and appropriate actions to reduce the surplus of school places by various means in the planning for the supply of school places. This includes ceasing to operate, as planned, four time-limited primary schools and actively encouraging School Sponsoring Bodies (SSBs) to relocate public sector schools through fair and competitive School Allocation Exercises from districts with surplus of school places to districts with higher demand for school places or New Development Areas (NDAs). This will not only meet the demand for school places in NDAs, but also balance the supply of school places among districts and help create a stable education environment to achieve a win-win situation.
The EDB has been encouraging SSBs and schools to act according to the circumstances, prepare ahead by taking into consideration the overall situation of Hong Kong, and the district and school circumstances, in order to plan for and formulate the direction most suitable for schools’ long-term development as early as possible to safeguard the interest of student learning. Therefore, apart from the above measures, the EDB has, for the first time, opened up certain options, in the EDB Circular No. 1/2025, for all aided primary schools (regardless of their number of approved P1 classes) and their SSBs to apply. Among all, all aided primary schools and their SSBs may apply for the option of “Merger with other schools”. In order to facilitate the smooth implementation and transition of the approved merger, and ensure that students who need to transfer to other schools due to the merger can receive comprehensive support to adapt to the new learning environment for continuing the primary school curriculum, if a school is merged into another school so as to allow the same cohort of students to continue their primary school curriculum in the school after merger, the school operating subsidised P1 classes after merger may be granted a one-off additional allowance in the amount of at most $1 million to cover the additional expenses incurred during the merger. If, in the year(s) of merger, there are redundant teachers in the school that continues to operate P1 classes, it will be allowed to retain, for three years, the incumbent teachers on the approved teaching staff establishment related to the levels under merger of the two schools in the school year preceding the merger so that the school may have time to adjust the staff strength through natural wastage and other means.Issued at HKT 16:55
Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region
LCQ21: “Pay for What You Build” Pilot Scheme Question:
In the 2025 Policy Address, the Chief Executive introduced a “Pay for What You Build” mechanism, with the aim of refining the existing arrangements for land grant and land premium payment to ease the upfront capital pressure on developers, encourage phased development, and accelerate the development of the Northern Metropolis as well as commercial and industrial projects across the territory. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1) given that the Government plans to implement a three-year pilot scheme on “Pay for What You Build” (Pilot Scheme) in the first quarter of 2026, of the current progress of its consultation with the industry, including the major views collected, its preliminary responses to such views, and the specific implementation details of the Pilot Scheme (such as eligibility criteria for application, assessment criteria, the method and transparency of land premium calculation, as well as how to ensure that the initial payment of 60 per cent of the land premium can reasonably reflect the market value);
(2) as it is learnt that the “Pay for What You Build” mechanism can complement policies such as the phased development approach, the diverse land grant modes, and the revitalisation scheme for industrial buildings, how the authorities will ensure that these policies can work in tandem to create maximum synergy, thereby encouraging developers to adopt more flexible approaches to project planning and development, particularly in the development of the Northern Metropolis, to attract a more diversified range of industries and investment; and
(3) as it is learnt that certain conditions are imposed under the Pilot Scheme (for example, the relevant land must not be subdivided for sale and, if no decision is made within 10 years on whether to proceed with the development of the remaining 40 per cent of the gross floor area (GFA), the Government may reallocate such GFA to other developers), how the authorities will establish a clear and effective regulatory mechanism to ensure developers’ compliance with these conditions, thereby preventing land idling or speculative behaviour; in cases where unforeseeable factors, such as market changes, render developers unable to develop the land as scheduled or decide whether to proceed with the development of the remaining 40 per cent of GFA, how the authorities will manage the associated risks to safeguard public interest and maintain market stability?
Reply:
President,
To take forward the Northern Metropolis (NM) and overall industry development in Hong Kong, the 2025 Policy Address proposed various diverse land development models to promote active market participation in investment. Among these, the Development Bureau (DEVB) proposed to launch a three-year “Pay for What You Build” Pilot Scheme, which is applicable to all lease modification applications for non-residential use developments (Note 1) throughout the territory. This means that in the process of lease modification (including land exchange), lot owners are allowed to carry out phased development and pay the required land premium as determined according to the actual gross floor area (GFA) and the “preferred use” as proposed by the lot owners, with details as follows:
(a) the GFA under the initial phase of the development must amount to at least 60 per cent of the total permissible maximum GFA (Note 2), and to be completed in time in accordance with the Building Covenant, with the land premium assessed based on the full market value of the GFA under the initial phase of the development (i.e. at least 60 per cent of the total permissible maximum GFA of the whole development) and the “preferred use” of the land proposed by the lot owners. In other words, the Lands Department (LandsD) will determine the land premium based on the full market value to ensure that the land premium reflects the market value and protect the government revenue; and
(b) After the completion of the initial phase of the development, a developer can decide whether to proceed with realising and paying the land premium for the remaining development (i.e. 40 per cent or less of the total permissible maximum GFA) through another lease modification application based on the then prevailing full market value and conditions stipulated in the modified lease within 10 years. If the developer does not apply for lease modification within the 10-year period, depending on whether there are applications from other lot owners in the district, the Government may redeploy the remaining development intensity and infrastructure capacity to other lots in the district. In other words, although the land owner will retain ownership of the relevant land at that time, there is no guarantee that the developer can develop the remaining portion beyond the 10-year period.
Our reply to the Hon Chen’s question is as follows:
(1) After the 2025 Policy Address proposed the “Pay for What You Build” initiative, the DEVB consulted various industry representatives and stakeholders from September to November last year, including the Advisory Committee on the NM, the Land and Development Advisory Committee, the Real Estate Developers Association of Hong Kong, the Hong Kong Institute of Surveyors, the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors and the Heung Yee Kuk. The DEVB then briefed the new-term Panel on Development of the Legislative Council (LegCo) in January this year on various measures to enhance land development including “Pay for What You Build” initiative.
LegCo Members and the industry generally supported the “Pay for What You Build” initiative. They considered that it was an effective means to reduce developers’ cash flow pressure, increase investment incentive and promote diverse industry development, when the Government no longer pursued maximum land premium in lease modification for land for industry development and allowed phased development as well as assessed the land premium based on the industry use selected by the market. The industry generally accepted the proposed implementation details (see first paragraph above), including that the development under the initial phase must amount to at least 60 per cent of the GFA, such that the land could be put to better use and there was flexibility in the development pace. The industry also suggested that the details of the alienation restrictions should be clearly specified, so as not to affect the long-term development potential of the land parcels. The DEVB and the LandsD are formulating the implementation details in accordance with the industry views, and planning to publish a practice note to set out the details of the Pilot Scheme next month.
(2) According to our policy design, if circumstances warrant, “Pay for What You Build” can be used in combination with other land development tools, forming a “combination punch” for better outcomes in industry development. For example, whether it is an application for in-situ land exchange in the NM or in other areas of Hong Kong, if an industry site does not involve residential development, “Pay for What you Build” can be considered to be adopted. Another example is the redevelopment of industrial buildings. The DEVB is reviewing the implementation of the Revitalisation Scheme for Industrial Buildings to put forth recommendations within this year, during which “Pay for What You Build” will be considered to further encourage the redevelopment of aged industrial buildings.
As for the “phased development” (or “1.5-level development”) mentioned in the question, it covers land designated by the Government. It allows pilot low-density facilities to be developed and operated by enterprises initially to attract businesses, bringing income and footfall to the area to create momentum before long-term development is rolled out. This measure is different from “Pay for What You Build” in that the policy objective of the latter is to encourage the market to implement long-term industry uses. Therefore, we have no plans at this stage to combine the two measures.
(3) A Practice Note will be issued next month to set out the implementation details of the Pilot Scheme, providing the industry with a clear set of rules to follow. These include, among others, the applicable scope, the requirement to develop at least 60 per cent of the GFA initially, the handling of the remaining 40 per cent of the GFA, the assessment of land premium based on market value, and restrictions on alienation, etc. The key arrangements of the Pilot Scheme will be incorporated into land leases to enable regulation by the LandsD.
For example, to ensure completion of the initial phase of the development by a developer in time to prevent the land parcel from being left idle, the Building Covenant will be imposed in the land lease requiring the developer to complete the development project and obtain an occupation permit from the Building Authority within a period. Otherwise, the developer has to make an application to the LandsD for an extension of the Building Covenant period and pay the premium. Similarly, the land lease will stipulate that the whole piece of land will be subject to non-alienation restriction except as a whole during the said 10-year period (save for a decision already made to proceed with the remaining development), so as to allow the developer to retain the development right of the whole piece of land within the 10-year period, facilitating consideration by the developer in continuing to take forward the remaining development.
Note 1: The land parcel concerned should have been zoned for “non-residential” development use on the relevant Outline Zoning Plans, such as “commercial”, “industrial”, “other specified uses (annotation)”, etc.
Note 2: This means the total permissible maximum GFA of the whole development in accordance with the relevant Outline Zoning Plans or the Buildings Ordinance (Cap. 123), whichever is the lesser, and as stipulated in the lease modification documents. Issued at HKT 16:40