Author: MIL-OSI Publisher

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

Following is a question by Dr the Hon Ngan Man-yu and a written reply by the Secretary for Health, Professor Lo Chung-mau, in the Legislative Council today (June 18):

Question:

It is learnt that the research team of the Equal Opportunities Commission has conducted an access audit of babycare and lactation (B&L) facilities in shopping malls and government premises in Hong Kong, with the findings revealing that some shopping malls and government premises has not yet provided B&L rooms, and some existing babycare areas do not comply with the suggested size set out in the Buildings Department’s Practice Note on “Provision of Babycare Rooms and Lactation Rooms in Commercial Buildings” (Practice Note). As regards family-friendly facilities in public and private premises, will the Government inform this Council:

(1) whether it knows the number, distribution and floor area ratio of B&L facilities in public and private premises, and the proportion of such facilities that complies with the suggested size in the Practice Note, together with a breakdown of such figures by the 18 districts across the territory;

(2) whether it has already commenced a study on measures to promote the provision of B&L facilities in public premises, including introducing mandatory requirements for newly-built public facilities (e.g. libraries, parks, beaches, sports venues) to provide B&L facilities, and motivating existing public facilities to renovate and retrofit B&L facilities as appropriate; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; and

(3) whether, in addition to providing floor area ratio concessions, it has considered implementing policy incentives to encourage private premises to provide B&L facilities and family-friendly parking spaces, as well as using administrative measures or legislation to promote the development of such facilities in the long term; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?

Reply:

President,

International literature and researches showed that breastmilk is the ideal food for infants. Breastmilk is safe, clean and contains antibodies which can help prevent many common childhood illnesses. Breastfed children perform better in intelligence tests, are less likely to be overweight or obese, and are less prone to have diabetes later in life.

The Government has all along been promoting, protecting and supporting breastfeeding through a multi-pronged approach. The Government has set up a Committee on Promotion of Breastfeeding in 2014. Members include representatives from relevant professional healthcare bodies, academia as well as representatives of the organisations that have participated in the promotion of breastfeeding. The Committee provides specific recommendations on strategies and action plans to strengthen the promotion, protection and support for breastfeeding. Its objectives are to enhance the sustainability of breastfeeding and promote breastfeeding as the norm for babycare widely accepted by the general public. In addition to fostering the establishment of Breastfeeding Friendly Premises in public places such that breastfeeding mothers can breastfeed their children or express milk anytime, the Government also implements the Baby-Friendly Health Facility accreditation in the Maternal and Child Health Centres (MCHCs) and public hospitals to enhance the professional support to breastfeeding mothers after discharge from hospitals. At present, a total of 15 MCHCs have been accredited as Baby-Friendly Health Facilities. Besides, all eight public hospitals with obstetrics departments and one private hospital were accredited as Baby-Friendly Hospitals.

In consultation with the Department of Health (DH), the Hospital Authority (HA), as well as relevant policy bureaux and government departments, the consolidated reply to the question raised by Dr the Hon Ngan Man-yu is as follows:

(1) According to the DH’s record, as at June 15, 2025, there were a total of 422 babycare rooms in the premises of government departments or public organisations (a breakdown of the numbers are at Annexes 1 and 2), which include various types of venues, such as hospitals, MCHCs, cultural and recreational facilities, community halls and shopping centres of housing estates.

To promote the provision of babycare rooms in private commercial buildings, the Buildings Department (BD) issued the Practice Note on the Provision of Babycare Rooms in Commercial Buildings in February 2009 and had made further updates in November 2018 to encourage the provision of babycare rooms for the public and lactation rooms for staff in private commercial buildings. In June 2024, the BD updated the requirements for Building Environmental Assessment Method Plus certification and gross floor area (GFA) concessions to allow development projects seeking certification to secure the points and GFA concession through the provision of babycare rooms and breastfeeding rooms.

(2) and (3) The Government has been actively promoting the provision of more babycare and breastfeeding facilities in both public and private premises through various policy measures.

The Government developed the Advisory Guidelines on Babycare Facilities in August 2008 to encourage the provision of babycare rooms in public venues managed by the Government. To enhance the provision of babycare and breastfeeding facilities, the Government mandated the provision of babycare and breastfeeding facilities in the newly completed government premises since early 2019. Regarding the public facilities mentioned in part 2 of the question, the Leisure and Cultural Services Department has included babycare rooms as a standard provision in accordance with relevant requirements, and will provide babycare facilities in planning for new major cultural and recreational facilities, as well as venue renovation works.

Additionally, since 2017, the Government has included requirements for the provision of babycare rooms and/or lactation rooms in the Conditions of Sale of new commercial land sale sites (excluding land designated for hotel use only). The Conditions of Sale specify detailed requirements, including the area and number of babycare rooms and/or lactation rooms that shall be provided in these commercial development projects. As at the end of May 2025, the Government incorporated these requirements in the Conditions of Sale of eight new commercial sites.

Meanwhile, the Government will continue to work closely with various sectors of the society to strengthen the professional support for breastfeeding mothers in the healthcare sector while stepping up publicity on breastfeeding in the community through various channels, with a view to fostering a proactive culture of support for breastfeeding in the community and creating a friendly environment conducive to breastfeeding. Key initiatives include –

(i) among the 29 MCHCs currently providing services under the DH, 15 of them have been accredited as Baby-Friendly Health Facilities. Accreditation procedures have also commenced gradually for the remaining MCHCs. The MCHCs will formulate infant feeding policies and action plans, provide training for staff members, continue monitoring the implementation of breastfeeding support measures, etc. The DH will continue to expedite the accreditation of Baby-Friendly Health Facilities for MCHCs to strengthen the professional support offered by the healthcare institutions and staff members to breastfeeding mothers;

(ii) continuing to follow up on the relevant work with the working group under the Committee on Promotion of Breastfeeding to enhance and reinforce the breastfeeding-friendly measures at hospitals with obstetrics departments (including public and private hospitals);

(iii) encouraging the implementation of the Breastfeeding Friendly Workplace policy with guidelines issued for employers and employees with specific advice on supporting breastfeeding to support working mothers to continue breastfeeding after returning to work; and

(iv) stepping up publicity and advocacy for breastfeeding through mass media, social media platforms, large-scale events, etc. Among others, the DH, in collaboration with the HA, the Hong Kong Private Hospitals Association, the Hong Kong Committee for United Nations Children’s Fund, and the Baby Friendly Hospital Initiative Hong Kong Association, organised the large-scale Breastfeeding Symposium in November 2024, which brought together local and overseas experts to share with representatives of the public and private healthcare sectors, healthcare professionals and other stakeholders the various issues related to breastfeeding, including policies and professional support.

To further support breastfeeding, the Government put forward in the Chief Executive’s 2023 Policy Address the establishment of a breast milk bank and the related mechanism for breast milk donation in 2025. Such arrangement aims to provide breast milk for infants and young children who cannot be breastfed by their biological mothers, and especially, to minimise the chance of severe illness in premature and severely-ill babies. The Hong Kong Breast Milk Bank, located at the Hong Kong Children’s Hospital, commenced operations on January 6, 2025, obtained ISO 22000 certification in April of the same year, and began supplying pasturised donor breast milk to all nine public hospitals in Hong Kong with neonatal intensive care units in March 2025. Currently, there are more than 230 registered breast milk donors. Over 900 litres of breast milk have been collected, providing optimal nutrition for extremely premature and severely-ill newborn babies. Meanwhile, neonatal intensive care units in public hospitals have already distributed pasturised donor breast milk to 120 infants with clinical needs.

Meanwhile, having consulted the relevant policy bureaux and government departments, the Government currently does not have any relevant definitions and measures on the use of parking spaces as family-friendly facilities.

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

Following is a question by the Hon Chan Siu-hung and a written reply by the Secretary for Transport and Logistics, Ms Mable Chan, in the Legislative Council today (June 18):

Question:

It is learnt that the Highways Department (HyD) adopts innovative technologies and promotes management digitalisation to enhance the efficiency in road repair and maintenance services. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:

(1) of the total length of public roads in Hong Kong, the total length of public roads repaired and the total project cost for repair of public roads in each of the past three years; the respective details of the contracts awarded for repair and maintenance of such roads (including but not limited to the names of contractors, districts involved, contract periods, length of the roads involved and contract values);

(2) as the Government indicated in its reply to a question from a Member of this Council on March 27 last year that the HyD aimed to digitalise most inspection and supervision procedures in all road maintenance contracts in 2024, of the progress of the relevant work; whether it has assessed how the adoption of innovative technologies help enhance the efficiency and cost-effectiveness of road inspection, including the savings in manpower expenditure and project cost; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that;

(3) given that, according to the information from the HyD, the HyD is using the Road Defect Detection System (RDDS) and the Road Condition Assessment System (RCAS) for inspection of road conditions, of the respective application scenarios, stages of application (e.g. at trial stage or being converted to regular use), efficiency of inspection and cost-effectiveness of the two systems;

(4) given that, according to the estimation of HyD, the introduction of RCAS will be able to free up about one-fourth of the manpower of the contractors’ road inspection teams, and the HyD is now evaluating the effectiveness of RCAS and will consider in due course the full scale application of the technology and its incorporation into the standard operating procedures for future road inspections, of the latest progress of the relevant work, and whether it has studied if future deployment will be implemented by adopting both systems, namely RDDS and RCAS, or either one of them; and

(5) given that HyD is one of the selected applicants for the first batch of low-altitude economy Regulatory Sandbox pilot projects, of the details of HyD’s pilot projects involving road repair and maintenance as well as road inspection (including but not limited to the contents of the projects, application scenarios, flight paths, route plans and flight distances)?

Reply:

President,

Having consulted the Highways Department (HyD), my reply to the various parts of the question raised by Hon Chan Siu-hung is as follows:

(1) In the past three years (i.e. from 2022 to 2024), the total length of roads maintained by the HyD each year was 2 223, 2 239 and 2 241 kilometres respectively. The annual expenditure on maintenance of roads and associated road facilities was about $1.70 billion, $1.73 billion, and $1.66 billion respectively.

The HyD ensures the safety and reliability of the public road network by engaging road maintenance contractors under term contracts to carry out regular inspection and maintenance work. When damage to road surfaces is identified during inspections or damages to roads and ancillary road facilities are reported by the public, the HyD would arrange contractors to carry out repair works as soon as possible to defects that may pose hazard to road users. As such repairs are part of the routine road maintenance work, the HyD does not separately keep statistics on the area of such type of road surface maintained.

Moreover, for defects that do not pose immediate danger to road safety, the HyD would formulate appropriate maintenance plan and schedule for such defects after taking into account various factors, such as arranging road resurfacing at a timely juncture. In each of the past three years (i.e. from 2022 to 2024), the areas of roads resurfaced and reconstructed by HyD are about 1.55, 1.77 and 1.65 million square metre respectively.

Currently, the HyD has a total of 9 road maintenance contracts for the maintenance of all public roads in Hong Kong, details of which are at Annex.

(2) At present, the Road Maintenance Monitoring System (RMMS), which is a system that fully digitalises the monitoring and administrative work of road maintenance, has been used in all road maintenance contracts. In the past, whenever the HyD’s staff identified defects in road facilities during inspection, they were required to fill in and send the relevant physical form to the contractors upon completion of the inspections. With the RMMS, staff can now log on to the system during outdoor inspections and electronically notify the contractors of the information on damage to facilities captured on site, so that contractors can receive the relevant data promptly and arrange for repair works accordingly. After completion of repair works, contractors can also use RMMS to report the work done and submit maintenance records. The adoption of RMMS can cut down on complicated paperwork and transmission time to enhance work efficiency, facilitating HyD’s staff to monitor the progress of maintenance. It resulted in better maintenance record keeping as well as reduction in the use of paper. In addition, the HyD is now developing the second phase of RMMS, which will incorporate more monitoring and management functions, such as automatic alerts or warnings to contractors with unsatisfactory maintenance progress, as well as digitalised checking procedures, etc.

In terms of cost-effectiveness, with the full implementation of the first phase of the RMMS, the average time taken by the HyD’s staff to handle a case of damaged road facility (from the discovery of damage to road facility to the completion of the repair works) is about 20 per cent faster than before. Subsequently, upon completion and full adoption of the second phase of the RMMS, the HyD will then consider adjusting the manpower requirements of contractors for new road maintenance works. At that time, the HyD would re-assess the savings in manpower expenditure and works cost arising from the use of RMMS, as well as the cost-effectiveness of the system.

(3) The Road Defect Detection System (RDDS) utilises high-definition cameras installed on inspection patrol vehicles to capture images of road conditions, and employs global satellite positioning technology to record the locations of such images. It then uses artificial intelligence (AI) technology to automatically identify road surface cracks and discoloured road markings, instead of relying on the visual inspection by road inspectors as in the past to ensure that the detection results are objective and accurate (above 90 per cent accuracy). Contractors use inspection patrol vehicles equipped with RDDS to carry out comprehensive inspection of all roads in Hong Kong once every three months. The detection results of road defects will be displayed on a web-based maintenance platform equipped with geographic information system maps, to facilitate maintenance personnel to locate the defects and carry out repair works. Moreover, the RDDS can consolidate relevant information into defect reports for maintenance personnel to record and audit the maintenance status. With enhanced inspection accuracy and maintenance records, the required maintenance works can be completed more swiftly and efficiently. At present, the RDDS has been incorporated as a standard operating procedure for road inspection on a regular basis. With the full adoption of RDDS, the average time taken by the contractors from completion of road inspection work to submission of the relevant inspection report has been substantially reduced from 48 hours to within 24 hours. To further enhance the efficiency of road maintenance, the HyD would expand the analytical capability of the AI system of the RDDS to identify more different types of road defects, such as overgrown vegetation, as well as discoloured/obstructed/bent traffic signs on the road surface.

The Road Condition Assessment System (RCAS), which scans three-dimensional images of road surfaces, uses patrol vehicles equipped with laser scanning equipment and global satellite positioning technology to drive on a carriageway at normal speed, and can automatically identify and accurately record various types of defects on the road surface such as potholes, rutting etc. It calculates a Pavement Condition Index (PCI) for every 100 metres of the road for the reference of engineering personnel responsible for maintenance to determine whether the section of road should be prioritised for reconstruction or resurfacing works. Compared to the past when road inspectors had to conduct visual inspection and measurement on the road surface after making road closure arrangements, which only covered a few hundred meters of carriageways per day at most, RCAS enables the maintenance team to have a more comprehensive grasp of the latest conditions of all road surfaces without the need for road closures. This allows for more effective use of resources when planning road maintenance works, and also helps avoid disruption to traffic.

The HyD expects that after using RCAS to inspect all major road sections in Hong Kong, it will be able to make more effective use of resources by prioritising sections with poorer conditions for road maintenance. RCAS is still in the trial stage and is capable of inspecting about 200 km of carriageways per day. It is expected that during the one year trial period, all major road sections in Hong Kong can be inspected and the data collected will be used for establishing a web-based maintenance platform for use by engineering staff.

As RCAS is still at the trial stage, the cost-effectiveness of the technology is still being assessed. However, according to preliminary estimation, the introduction of RCAS can free up about one-fourth of the manpower of the contractors’ road inspection teams to cope with the increasing road maintenance work.

(4) Since 2024, the HyD has engaged various service contractors through road maintenance contracts to participate in the development of RCAS which is used to accurately record the undulations of road surfaces and identify road defects such as potholes, to facilitate the planning of road maintenance work. The aforesaid development project is broadly divided into three stages: in the first stage, the service contractors are required to procure vehicles and install laser scanning equipment and positioning devices on the vehicles; in the second stage, the service contractors are required to develop an AI and geometric analysis algorithm system to automatically detect road defects, assess road conditions, and establish a Geographic Information System (GIS) web-based platform to disseminate the relevant information; and in the third stage, the service contractors are required to utilise this system to scan all road surfaces in Hong Kong and automatically assess road conditions, as well as upload the assessment results to the GIS web-based platform at the same time. The first and second stages have been completed, while work on the third stage has commenced and is anticipated to be completed within this year. The HyD is evaluating the effectiveness of the entire smart road conditions analysis system and would consider incorporating this technology into the standard operating procedures for future road inspections in due course.

Currently, the RDDS is used for rapid identification of cracks on road surface and discoloured road markings which facilitates maintenance staff to locate road defects and expedite the completion of the required maintenance works, thereby enhancing maintenance efficiency. Meanwhile, RCAS focuses on accurately identifying and recording various types of defects on road surfaces and their degree of deterioration. It calculates the PCI for every 100m of carriageway which will help maintenance staff to determine whether a road section should be prioritised for resurfacing works. In view of the distinctive functions of RDDS and RCAS, as well as their differences in speed and accuracy in detecting road conditions, the positioning of their applications is thus different. These two systems will be implemented in parallel at this stage. However, the HyD will continue to develop the functions of RDDS and RCAS and will not rule out the possibility of merging them in the future when their functions, speed, and accuracy become comparable.

(5) According to the requirements of the existing Small Unmanned Aircraft (SUA) Order, the “pilot” controlling a SUA is required to maintain visual-line-of-sight with SUA under standard operation. The HyD’s Regulatory Sandbox project utilises beyond visual-line-of-sight (BVLOS) technology, coupled with 4G/5G command and control links, to enable SUA to operate beyond the pilot’s line-of-sight in a safer and more stable manner, up to a distance of several kilometres. This enables flexible deployment for surveying and inspecting road infrastructures and major trunk roads during emergencies, such as landslides, as well as routine operation.

In emergency situations, with the adoption of BVLOS technology, SUA can swiftly reach a remote landslide site and calculate a three-dimensional model of the slope through aerial photographs taken, which facilitates engineers to accurately measure the area and volume of landslide debris in support of slope restoration work. In addition, under extreme weather condition, SUA can be operated to fly along designated pre-set routes to quickly see whether there are any flooding, fallen trees, or other obstructions on major highways. For routine surveys and inspections, BVLOS technology can assist in the inspections in places such as cross-sea bridges, confined spaces and elevated structures that are difficult for engineering personnel to access or visually inspect. Such technology can be regularly applied to routine operations, such as surface defect inspection of bridge structures and slope restoration works.

The test flights of the Regulatory Sandbox project are conducted in stages under different scenarios, at locations including Tai Po Waterfront Pier to Sam Mun Tsai, Tseung Kwan O Tunnel Road, Tseung Kwan O Cross Bay Link, Tate’s Cairn Highway, and Ap Lei Chau Bridge. These simulated flights carry out BVLOS inspections of slopes along the roads at the above locations and the related major trunk roads, with flying distances ranging from 200m to 2 000m. Among them, the HyD has already completed the trial flights at the first two test sites, with the remaining three expected to be completed in phases by the end of September 2025.

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

Following is a question by Dr the Hon Lo Wai-kwok and a written reply by the Secretary for Labour and Welfare, Mr Chris Sun, in the Legislative Council today (June 18):

Question:

The Financial Secretary announced in the 2025-2026 Budget that an application fee of $600 would be charged for various talent and capital investment admission schemes. The visa fee for approved applications would also increase based on the length of limit of stay of the visa/entry permit, rising from the original flat rate of $230 to $600 (not more than 180 days) or $1,300 (181 days or more). In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:

(1) of the number of persons charged a visa fee of $230 by the Immigration Department for visa applications under various talent admission schemes over the past three years, with a breakdown by length of stay of the visa/entry permit (i.e. seven days or less, eight days to one month, two months to six months, and over six months);

(2) whether it has estimated the respective numbers of persons who will pay $600 and $1,300 visa/entry permit issuance fees each year under the new fee structure, as well as the corresponding total amount of application and visa fees received by the Government accordingly; if it has, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; and

(3) as there are views that the new visa fee (with a limit of stay of not more than 180 days) together with the application fee, has actually increased from $230 to $1,200, which will greatly impact those coming to Hong Kong for short-term work (e.g. musicians coming to Hong Kong to compose and perform music for Cantonese opera performances for one to two days), and it is not conducive to the implementation of the policy objectives on culture and tourism, such as the integrated development of culture and tourism in the Greater Bay Area, whether the authorities will consider waiving the relevant visa fees for persons coming to Hong Kong for short-term employment; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?

Reply:

President,

The various admission schemes for talents and capital investors (specified admission schemes) have been well received since their introduction or enhancement. In respect of talent admission schemes, the number of applications for first entry has grown from around 58 000 in 2022 to more than 221 000 in 2023 and around 208 000 in 2024, representing an increase of more than 250 per cent compared with 2022. Processing such applications involve substantial administrative resources. With reference to the fees charged for similar applications in overseas jurisdictions, the Government decided to, with effect from the day of the announcement of the 2025-26 Budget, introduce an application fee of $600 for each of the applications under the specified admission schemes for entry, change of conditions of stay or extension of limit of stay (including principal and dependant applications); and the visa/entry permit fees for approved applications will be increased, based on the length of the limit of stay, from the original rate of $230 to $600 (with a limit of stay of 180 days or below) or $1,300 (with a limit of stay of 181 days or more) to peg to their costs and reflect the “user pays” principle.

Our reply, in consultation with the Immigration Department (ImmD), to the Member’s questions is as follows:

(1) and (3) At present, among the seven talent admission schemes, the validity period of the first approved visas/entry permits under the Top Talent Pass Scheme, the Quality Migrant Admission Scheme, the Immigration Arrangements for Non-local Graduates, the Admission Scheme for the Second Generation of Chinese Hong Kong Permanent Residents, and the Technology Talent Admission Scheme is generally 24 months or above. For the employment-tied General Employment Policy (GEP) and the Admission Scheme for Mainland Talents and Professionals (ASMTP), the validity period of the applicants’ approved visas/entry permits is generally determined by the validity period of their employment contracts, ranging from one day to 36 months.

In 2022-23, about 160 000 applications of different types under the various talent admission schemes were approved by the ImmD; and about 300 000 applications were approved in both 2023-24 and 2024-‍25. The ImmD does not maintain the other statistical breakdowns referred to in the question. However, based on the experience from day-to-day processing, more than half of the approved applications under the GEP and the ASMTP are related to short-term/one-off project-based employment, e.g. for conference and performance, with a limit of stay of 180 days or below. Taking into account the relevant circumstances, the Government introduced two tiers of visa/entry permit issuance fee, which is set at $600 for visa granted with a limit of stay of not more than 180 days, and $1,300 for those with a limit of stay of 181 days or more. We consider that the fee levels are modest, and have balanced various considerations including the “user pays” principle and the impact on the applicants concerned. They are affordable to talent and capital investors targeted by the admission schemes. The numbers of applications and visas/entry permits issued under the specified admission schemes in the past few months are comparable to those in the same period last year, indicating that the new fee structure has not affected Hong Kong’s attractiveness to outside talent.

(2) In considering the new fee structure, the Government, based on the relevant statistics from early 2023 to end August 2024, estimated that the annual caseload for the three financial years from 2025-26 to 2028-29 would be about 400 000 applications of different types under the specified admission schemes; approximately 340 000 visas/entry permits would be issued for a limit of stay of 181 days or more, while around 26 000 will be issued for a limit of stay of not more than 180 days. On this basis, the estimated annual revenue in the next three financial years arising from the new fee structure is around $700 million, comprising about $250 million of application fees and about $450 million of visa/entry permit issuance fees.

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region – 4

Hong Kong Customs will set up a booth at the Jewellery & Gem ASIA Hong Kong (JGA), to be held at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre (HKCEC), from tomorrow (June 19) for four consecutive days to publicise the Dealers in Precious Metals and Stones Regulatory Regime (Regime), and will provide on-site counter services to assist non-Hong Kong dealers in submitting cash transaction reports during their participation in the exhibition.

     According to the Anti-Money Laundering and Counter-Terrorist Financing Ordinance (Cap. 615), the Regime came into effect on April 1, 2023. Any person who is seeking to carry on a business of dealing in precious metals and stones, and engage in any transaction(s) (whether making or receiving a payment) with a total value at or above HK$120,000 in Hong Kong is required to register with Hong Kong Customs and fulfil his/her anti-money laundering and counter-terrorist financing statutory obligations as appropriate. All dealers in precious metals and stones must successfully obtain a relevant registration before they can carry out any cash or non-cash transaction(s) with a total value at or above HK$120,000.

     For non-Hong Kong dealers fulfilling the prescribed conditions (including those who come to Hong Kong to participate in exhibitions), although they are exempt from registration, they are required to submit to Hong Kong Customs a cash transaction report for any cash transaction(s) (whether making or receiving a payment) with a total value at or above HK$120,000 carried out in Hong Kong within one day after the transaction, or before the dealer or the person acting on behalf of the dealer leaves Hong Kong, whichever is earlier.

     Non-Hong Kong dealers can make an online submission of a cash transaction report via the Regime’s webpage at www.drs.customs.gov.hk by accessing the Dealers in Precious Metals and Stones Registration System. They can also download the related form at www.drs.customs.gov.hk/download/drsform/CED418_Form%208_Cash%20transaction%20report.pdf and then submit the report in person at Hong Kong Customs’ booth at the JGA. 

     The Hong Kong Customs’ booth (Booth 1B330) is located at HKCEC Hall 1B and will be open from 10am to 6pm between June 19 and 21 and from 10am to 5pm on June 22.

     Dealers can visit the website (www.customs.gov.hk/en/service-enforcement-information/anti-money-laundering/supervision-of-dealers-in-precious-metals-and-ston/index.html) for more information about the Regime.

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

     Following is a question by Dr the Hon Chan Han-pan and a written reply by the Acting Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury, Mr Joseph Chan, in the Legislative Council today (June 18):
 
Question:
 
     I have received a number of requests for assistance involving the opening of bank accounts by non-commercial organisations and, among them, some “three-nil buildings” are still unable to open bank accounts six to eight months after the formation of owners’ corporations (OCs), rendering the OCs unable to raise funds for their operation. On the contrary, it takes only one to two months on average for commercial organisations to open accounts. There are views that the difficulties encountered by OCs in opening accounts have seriously affected the livelihood of the grass roots and run counter to the Government’s objective of improving the community. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
 
(1) whether it knows the total number of complaints received by the Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) in the past three years about non-commercial organisations encountering difficulties (e.g. excessively long processing time) in opening bank accounts;
 
(2) whether it knows if HKMA has put in place measures to streamline the requirements for banks in vetting and approving applications from non-commercial organisations for opening accounts (in particular social service accounts such as those for OCs), so as to shorten the processing time;
 
(3) whether it will amend the Banking Ordinance (Cap. 155) or the licensing guidelines to expressly require banks to provide social service organisations with convenient procedures for opening accounts; and
 
(4) whether it knows if HKMA will set indicators to increase banks’ incentive to process applications from organisations such as OCs for opening accounts, or impose penalties on banks against which complaints have been repeatedly lodged?
 
Reply:
 
President,
 
     To safeguard the stability of the banking system and customer interests, banks are required to comply with the relevant laws and regulatory requirements when establishing business relationship with customers. Banks are required to conduct customer due diligence (CDD) on applicants seeking to open a bank account irrespective of whether they are commercial entities or non-commercial entities (including Owners’ Corporations (OCs)).
 
     The Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) has been closely monitoring the situation regarding bank account opening of non-commercial entities in Hong Kong. In this connection, the HKMA reminds the banking sector from time to time that while implementing robust control measures, they should also avoid creating unreasonable barriers for legitimate businesses and entities (including OCs and other non-commercial entities) to access banking services. Banks should maintain proper communication with customers throughout the CDD process, properly handle customers’ account opening applications through transparent, reasonable and efficient procedures, uphold the principle of treating customers fairly, and where appropriate flexibly and pragmatically handle account opening applications.
 
     After consulting the HKMA, our reply to the four parts of the question is as follows:
 
     The HKMA issued a circular to banks in April 2023 to provide further guidance on the CDD requirements with respect to account opening for commercial entities or non-commercial entities. The circular also sets out guidance on communication with customers, understanding of market developments and risk management, as well as shares past cases and good practices for the industry’s reference, so as to assist banks in achieving effective outcomes and enhancing customer experience in account opening. The HKMA has also required banks to review their account opening procedures and CDD measures, and provide staff training.
 
     In response to the HKMA’s guidance, banks have introduced various facilitation measures in recent years to improve the account opening process for customers, covering OCs and other non-commercial entities. These measures include providing applicants with updates on the progress of their account opening applications, establishing review mechanisms and re-examining account opening applications upon customers’ request. The HKMA has also set up a dedicated email and hotline to collect enquiries from the public and relevant stakeholders, which are handled and followed up by a dedicated team within the HKMA for account opening and maintenance (the dedicated team).
 
     Regarding the account opening application process for OCs, as an OC is an independent body corporate set up under the Building Management Ordinance (Cap. 344), banks would adopt CDD measures applicable to a legal person. These include requiring applicants to provide relevant registration documents of the corporation, minutes or extracts of resolutions of the management committee meeting or general meeting of the OC regarding the approval for opening a bank account and appointment of authorised signatories, as well as the identification documents of the appointed authorised signatories. Banks may also request additional information or documents from the applicants having regard to the specific circumstances and their risk assessments. The turnaround time for account opening depends on the circumstances of individual cases, as well as whether the applicant has furnished the required information. As the HKMA understood from major banks, the account opening process could generally be completed in around two weeks upon receipt of the required information and documents from applicants.
 
     The HKMA has been maintaining close communication with the Home Affairs Department (HAD) and offering support to the OCs seeking assistance on bank account opening under the established communication and referral mechanism. In May 2025, the HKMA and the HAD held a meeting with representatives from the banking sector for a direct exchange on matters relating to bank account opening for OCs, including a discussion on the bank account opening situations following the establishment of OCs. The participating banks responded positively and have actively introduced facilitation measures to assist OCs, including publishing information in relation to bank account opening for OCs on banks’ websites; providing hotlines and contact information for OCs to enquire about account opening related information with individual banks; assigning designated staff to handle enquiries and applications in relation to bank account opening for OCs; as well as offering multiple channels and appointment arrangements to facilitate account opening for OCs. To further enhance transparency and shorten the account opening turnaround time, the HKMA, the HAD and the banking sector are jointly compiling practical information related to bank account opening, so as to assist OCs to better understand the account opening requirements and make advance preparation for the necessary documentations, with a view to enhancing customer experience.
 
     The numbers of complaints and requests for assistance received by the HKMA and the aforementioned dedicated team over the past three years regarding banks’ handling of account opening applications by non-commercial entities are tabulated as follows:
 

Note 1: The bank concerned properly handled the complaint, and the complainant did not seek further assistance from the HKMA after communicating with the bank.
Note 2: The bank is following up on the case as requested by the HKMA.
Note 3: Two cases concerning OCs have been resolved.
Note 4: These involved one case concerning an OC and one case concerning other non-commercial entity, both of which have been resolved.
 
     Apart from the above cases, the HKMA also received cases referred by the HAD and district organisations from time to time, mainly concerning the bank account opening procedures and requirements for newly formed OCs. In this connection, the HKMA has provided appropriate assistance to these newly formed OCs, and these OCs have subsequently started to proceed with their bank account opening applications. The HKMA noted that for some of these cases, bank accounts were successfully opened within about two weeks on average after the OCs provided the required information to banks. In certain cases, bank accounts were opened within one week.
 
     The HKMA and the banking sector have implemented a series of measures to facilitate bank account opening for various businesses and entities, while ensuring compliance with relevant laws and regulatory requirements. We consider that there is currently no need to introduce legislative amendments or set fixed targets regarding account opening matters. The HKMA will continue to maintain close communication and collaboration with the banking sector and relevant stakeholders on bank account opening matters, with a view to streamlining the related account opening processes and enhancing customer experience.

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

Following is a question by the Hon Dominic Lee and a reply by the Acting Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism, Mr Raistlin Lau, in the Legislative Council today (June 18):
 
Question:
 
It has been reported that the Dapeng Peninsula of Shenzhen, which is adjacent to Yan Chau Tong of Hong Kong, possesses rich ecological resources, and both Shenzhen and Hong Kong have expressed intentions in recent years to strengthen cooperation in eco-tourism and marine conservation. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
 
(1) of the details of cooperation projects commenced and co-operation agreements reached between the SAR (Special Administrative Region) Government and the relevant government departments of Dapeng New District, Shenzhen in terms of, among others, eco-tourism, green economy, and marine conservation; whether it has compiled statistics on the specific data and effectiveness of such co-operation projects over the past five years;
 
(2) whether it has plans to promote cross-boundary eco-tourism from Kat O and Tung Ping Chau to the Dapeng Peninsula and devise related sea routes, including the construction of piers for “co-location arrangement” in such areas; if so, of the details and progress of the ongoing negotiations with Shenzhen authorities, including technical feasibility, estimated timetable, and related ancillary facilities; if not, the reasons for that; and
 
(3) whether the Government has assessed the expected benefits of the aforementioned cross-boundary eco-tourism routes for Hong Kong’s tourism industry and local economy, as well as the potential risks involved in environmental conservation; if so, of the assessment results, and the policy directions determined in response to such results?
 
Reply:
 
President,
 
According to the Northern Metropolis (NM) Action Agenda announced in 2023, the Blue and Green Recreation, Tourism and Conservation Circle situated in the easternmost part of the NM comprises Robin’s Nest, Lin Ma Hang, Sha Tau Kok, Yan Chau Tong as well as coastal villages and the outlying islands. With abundant blue and green resources including country parks, marine parks and geopark as well as a number of traditional rural townships, this zone has the potential for recreation and tourism development.
 
As set out in the Development Blueprint for Hong Kong’s Tourism Industry 2.0, the Culture, Sports and Tourism Bureau (CSTB) promotes in-depth integration of Hong Kong’s unique world-class resources with tourism, and crafts tourism products and projects with distinctive features and strong appeal, with “Ecology+Tourism” being one of the development strategies. On the premises of respecting the nature and protecting the environment, we will appropriately unveil Hong Kong’s precious ecological resources to visitors, and at the same time minimise the potential environmental impact due to too many visitors as far as practicable, thereby balancing the needs for conservation and tourism development.
 
The Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD) under the Environment and Ecology Bureau (EEB) has designated places of high ecological value in Yan Chau Tong as country park, marine park and geopark, for conservation and eco-education and recreation purposes.
 
In taking forth the above work, the wish of some local communities for maintaining a quiet countryside environment should also be considered.
 
Having consulted the EEB, the Development Bureau, the Security Bureau and the Transport and Logistics Bureau, a consolidated reply in response to the questions raised by the Hon Dominic Lee is as follows:
 
(1) The HKSAR (Hong Kong Special Administrative Region) Government has established mechanisms with the Shenzhen authorities for the cooperation in individual areas. On ecological conservation and environmental protection, following the establishment of the Robin’s Nest Country Park last year, the AFCD and the Planning and Natural Resources Bureau of Shenzhen Municipality signed the Cooperation Agreement last year on the establishment of the ecological corridor between Shenzhen Wutong Mountain and Hong Kong Robin’s Nest, including jointly removing invasive species, conducting ecological surveys, examining enhancement of animal corridors and enhancing publicity and education. The Hong Kong UNESCO Global Geopark also collaborated with the Shenzhen Dapeng Peninsula National Geological Natural Park to hold science lectures and exhibitions in both locations last year and this year, enabling citizens of both sides to have better understanding of the geological history, landforms, and geoparks of the two places.
 
On marine conservation, the Environmental Protection Department and the Ecology and Environment Bureau of Shenzhen Municipality have been improving sewage collection and treatment through the Mirs Bay and Deep Bay (Shenzhen Bay) Areas Environmental Management Special Panel. With the concerted efforts of both sides, the water quality of Mirs Bay has been kept at a good level, and it is conducive to the conservation of marine ecology, especially the hard corals in the northeast waters of Hong Kong.
  
The CSTB has been strengthening co-operation with the Shenzhen authorities in the tourism aspect under the principle of mutual benefits, including encouraging the trade to design eco-tourism products and itineraries on the premise of striking a balance between ecological conservation and tourism development. The travel trade of the Shenzhen and Hong Kong will also organise relevant familiarisation visits to help with the promotion work.
 
(2) and (3) Yan Chau Tong in the northeastern part of Hong Kong possesses unique geological landscape, rich ecology and village culture with long history. The AFCD has, in collaboration with stakeholders and the local community, established visitor centers, cultural trails, land tour routes, island-hopping itineraries, and maritime tour routes, providing tourists an in-depth green tour experience. In addition, the Countryside Conservation Office under the EEB is dedicated to revitalising villages, and held the Countryside Harvest Festival: Kuk Po ‘Sound, Sight, Taste Fusion’ Tour at Kuk Po in Sha Tau Kok from January to February 2025. The event blended local natural ecology, historical architecture and countryside culture, allowing the public to experience the unique charm of Hong Kong’s countryside.
 
Through the Working Group for Sha Tau Kok Co-operation Zone set up under the Task Force for Collaboration on the Northern Metropolis Development Strategy under the Guangdong-Hong Kong and Hong Kong-Shenzhen co-operation mechanism, the CSTB collaborates with Shenzhen to promote the tourism development in Sha Tau Kok and nearby areas (including Kat O) under the overall principle of “low density, high quality” and through enriching its historical and cultural elements. The CSTB has also been encouraging the business sector to develop diversified tourism products. At present, Mainland visitors can conveniently enter Hong Kong through various boundary control points to join local tours, including eco-tourism itineraries in Hong Kong. Earlier on, in collaboration with the Travel Industry Council of Hong Kong, the CSTB actively engaged with the trade in Hong Kong and Shenzhen. For instance, the CSTB organised the Sha Tau Kok island-hopping familiarisation tour for the travel trade from Yantian District of Shenzhen in December last year, which included visits to Lai Chi Wo, Kat O and Ap Chau, etc, for designing Sha Tau Kok island-hopping tours after crossing the boundary from the Liantang/Heung Yuen Wai Boundary Control Point.

As regards the construction of piers for “co-location arrangement” for developing cross-boundary ferry routes between the eastern waters of Shenzhen and the NM area of Hong Kong as mentioned in part two of the question, it will indeed involve a number of complex considerations as mentioned in part three of the question, including the long-term market demand for the ferry routes concerned and the carrying capacity of the region; the infrastructure facilities that are required, the consequential change of planning as well as the economic and cost-effectiveness of the infrastructure investment; the security challenges that will have to be faced; and the potential impacts on the ecological environment, etc. which require long-term consideration by both sides of the governments. 
 
Thank you President.