Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region
Following is a question by the Hon Kingsley Wong and a written reply by the Acting Secretary for Environment and Ecology, Miss Diane Wong, in the Legislative Council today (May 20):
Question:
Regarding the outsourced service contracts for public cleansing services, will the Government inform this Council:
(1) according to the information provided by the Government in reply to a Member’s question on the Estimates of Expenditure 2026-2027, among the 77 public cleansing service contracts awarded by the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD) in the past three years, more than two-thirds were secured by two cleansing service contractors (contractors), whether the authorities have analysed the reasons why such service contracts were predominantly secured by certain contractors;
(2) given that the authorities have indicated that, based on the information provided by contractors in their tenders, staff costs account for about 80 per cent of the total value of the FEHD’s street cleansing service contracts in recent years, whether the authorities are aware of the detailed breakdown of the relevant staff costs (e.g. wages, end-of-contract gratuities, etc.), and whether the authorities have examined and verified the accuracy of the information provided by the contractors in their tenders;
(3) according to the information provided by the Government in reply to my question on the Estimates of Expenditure 2026-2027, it can be deduced that staff costs may only account for about 50 per cent to 60 per cent of the value of public cleansing service contracts; whether the authorities have made comparisons with the outsourced cleansing service contracts in the market to ensure that the profit level and the proportion of staff costs of the contractors under the public cleansing service contracts are comparable to those of outsourced cleansing services in the market; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; and
(4) of the measures the authorities have in place to prevent contractors from securing public cleansing service contracts through means such as price-fixing and bid-rigging; in the past three years, whether the authorities have conducted investigations or sought follow-up action from law enforcement agencies in respect of suspected bid-rigging by contractors; if so, of the details?
Reply:
President,
The Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD) has all along been following the Government’s procurement policy to obtain goods and services through fair, open and competitive procurement procedures. The system allows flexibility for departments to determine tender requirements and evaluation methods based on the nature of the goods and services as well as market conditions when conducting procurement. In general, contracts are awarded to tenderers who have met the essential requirements as set out in the tender documents and have attained the highest score according to the evaluation method. The reply to various parts of the question is as follows:
(1) The award of multiple outsourced public cleansing service contracts to certain contractors is mainly due to the fact that they have obtained the highest scores under the tender evaluation mechanism across various tender exercises. To ensure that cleansing services do not become over-reliant on a single contractor, the FEHD has, with effect from March 2025, incorporated tender terms and assessment criteria into new public cleansing service tender invitations to limit the maximum number of contracts that can be awarded to the same contractor in each tender exercise.
(2) & (3) Apart from street cleansing services, the FEHD’s public cleansing service contracts also cover other service areas including household waste collection and management of public cleansing facilities (such as public toilets and refuse collection points). As general outsourced cleansing service contracts in the market differ from those of the FEHD in terms of scale, scope of services and specific requirements, a direct comparison may not be appropriate.
When evaluating tenders for public cleansing service contracts, the FEHD scrutinises the proportion of staff expenditure therein carefully and compares with that of similar service contracts in the past to ascertain whether it falls within a reasonable range. Should any anomalies be identified, the FEHD could reject such tenders, and consider adopting more appropriate terms or assessment criteria in future tender exercises to ensure the proper use of public funds.
For the FEHD’s outsourced street cleansing service contracts, based on the information provided by the contractors in the tenders, it is estimated that staff expenditure accounts for about 80 per cent of the total contract value. Such expenditure covers the wages of non-skilled workers, holiday pay, Mandatory Provident Fund contributions, contract gratuity, annual leave pay, as well as the wages and contract gratuity of skilled workers (e.g. supervisors), etc. As mentioned above, during tender evaluation, the FEHD scrutinises tenderers’ specific service commitments, including the monthly wages of non-skilled workers and manpower deployment, to assess whether the proportion of staff expenditure falls within a reasonable range. Furthermore, after contract commencement, the FEHD also verifies whether the wages of non-skilled workers are consistent with the levels stated in the tender, and conducts site inspections and meetings with non-skilled workers from time to time to ensure that their wages and benefits are protected.
(4) The Standard Terms and Conditions for Tenders and Contracts formulated by the Government Logistics Department contain provisions to prevent collusive practices and bribery. As part of the tender submission, tenderers shall submit a Non-Collusive Tendering Certificate. In the event that a tenderer breaches any representations, warranties and/or undertakings contained in the Non-Collusive Tendering Certificate, the Government shall be entitled to reject the tenderer’s tender or terminate the contract with the contractor. Furthermore, the Government will take into account the tenderer’s past adverse records when evaluating its future tenders. Over the past three years, the FEHD has not detected any suspected anti-competitive bidding in relation to its public cleansing service contracts.
According to the Commerce and Economic Development Bureau, collusive conducts such as bid-rigging are considered serious anti-competitive conduct under the Competition Ordinance (Cap. 619). The Competition Commission (Commission) is an independent statutory body responsible for enforcing the Competition Ordinance, and its functions include investigating anti-competitive conduct. Upon receiving any complaints or referrals from government departments regarding anti-competitive conduct, the Commission will follow up and take appropriate enforcement actions. The Commission does not maintain breakdown figures for cases involving government outsourced service contracts or tenders.
Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region
Following is a question by the Hon Chu Lap-wai and a written reply by the Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism, Miss Rosanna Law, in the Legislative Council today (May 20):
Question:
Given that the Southern District is the only district on the entire Hong Kong Island without a heated public swimming pool, the authorities proposed in 2019 the provision of a heated pool at the Pao Yue Kong Swimming Pool Complex in the district. However, as pointed out in a paper provided by the authorities in October 2024 in reply to the Panel on Home Affairs, Culture and Sports of this Council, the Invigorating Island South initiative proposed in the 2020 Policy Address included the Redevelopment and Enhancement of Recreation and Sports Facilities in Wong Chuk Hang project. The proposed joint recreation and sports complex under this project will feature new indoor heated swimming pools (heated swimming pool project), thereby achieving the original purpose of providing a heated pool at the Pao Yue Kong Swimming Pool Complex. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1) of the latest progress in preparing for the heated swimming pool project under the Redevelopment and Enhancement of Recreation and Sports Facilities in Wong Chuk Hang project, and whether any obstacles or difficulties have been encountered in the process;
(2) in each of the past five years, of (i) the actual number of opening days and utilisation rate, and (ii) the annual repair and maintenance costs and details of maintenance works, of the Pao Yue Kong Swimming Pool; given that the swimming pool was designed to the standards of the 1970s, whether the authorities have plans to improve its design and functionality so as to address residents’ needs for swimming facilities before the completion of the heated swimming pool project; if so, of the works and costs involved; if not, the reasons for that; and
(3) given that the roads adjacent to the Pao Yue Kong Swimming Pool suffer from serious traffic congestion during the periods when people are commuting to and from work as well as before and after school, whether the authorities will consider taking this opportunity to plan afresh the roads concerned?
Reply:
President,
Located on Shum Wan Road in Wong Chuk Hang, the Pao Yue Kong Swimming Pool (PYKSP) provides sports and recreation facilities which include a main pool with spectator stands, a secondary pool, a training pool, and teaching pools. Based on the “single site, multiple use” principle, the Government has studied the feasibility of redeveloping and consolidating the existing recreation ground, sports ground, sports centre and swimming pool facilities in Wong Chuk Hang. The Government has also reviewed other existing government, institution or community facilities in the district and proposed the provision of new facilities to meet district needs. The project will be implemented in phases.
Having consulted relevant bureaux and departments, a consolidated reply to the question raised by the Hon Chu Lap-wai is as follows:
(1) When reviewing the urgency and priority of various sports and recreation facility projects, the Government will consider an array of factors, including the relevant guidelines under the Hong Kong Planning Standards and Guidelines, demographic changes, number and utilisation of existing similar facilities, policy objectives of sports development, views of the relevant District Councils and stakeholders, conditions of project sites, and technical feasibility, in order to ensure the more effective use of public resources. To support the latest development of the Southern District, the Government is reviewing the Redevelopment and Enhancement of Sports and Recreation Facilities in Wong Chuk Hang project, and the overall urgency and priority of government works projects. The Government understands that there is a strong demand among Southern District residents for an indoor heated swimming pool, and will strive to expedite the implementation of relevant proposals, and will consult the Southern District Council and relevant stakeholders in due course.
(2) the PYKSP is open annually from April to October. The actual annual number of opening days and attendance of the swimming pool from 2021 to 2025 are set out in Annex.
To ensure the regular operation of the swimming pool and uphold the safety of swimmers, the Leisure and Cultural Services Department (LCSD) conducts comprehensive inspection, repair and maintenance annually from November to the following March. The LCSD also closely co-ordinates with relevant works departments (including the Architectural Services Department and the Electrical and Mechanical Services Department) to carry out timely repair and replacement of facilities in accordance with their usual wear and tear. The annual maintenance works of PYKSP in 2025 included the replacement of the ozone system and the fences of the children’s pool as well as the refurbishment of the female changing room near the main pool and the toilet near the secondary pool.
As the maintenance and repair of various sports and recreation facilities under the LCSD (including the PYKSP) are undertaken by multiple works departments, the costs for works such as repairing, maintaining, improving and refurbishing various sports and recreation facilities as well as the needs for equipment procurement are included in the overall expenditure of these works departments. The LCSD does not have a breakdown of PYKSP’s expenditure on repair and maintenance.
(3) The roads near PYKSP, including Heung Yip Road, Police School Road, and Nam Long Shan Road, underwent a series of improvement works several years ago to support the development of the South Island Line (East). The works included widening some sections of Heung Yip Road, Police School Road, and Nam Long Shan Road; and junction improvements at the intersections of Heung Yip Road/Police School Road, Heung Yip Road/Nam Long Shan Road, Nam Long Shan Road/Police School Road, and Nam Long Shan Road/Shum Wan Road, to increase junction capacity.
Moreover, the Transport Department (TD) has been co-ordinating with relevant government departments and schools in the district, and has requested the schools to implement a series of traffic management measures, including encouraging students to use school buses or public transport to reduce private car pick-up/drop-off, co-ordinating the arrival and dismissal times among neighbouring schools, and adopting staggered arrival and dismissal times for students. These measures aim to minimise the traffic impact created by vehicles of parents in the area of Nam Long Shan Road. The TD will continue to monitor traffic conditions in the district and, taking into account nearby developments, implement appropriate traffic improvement measures as and when necessary.
Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region
CS leads delegation of Working Group on Planning and Construction of the University Town to continue visit to Germany (with photos/video) The delegation visited the University of Stuttgart. Founded in 1829, the University of Stuttgart is a leading research-oriented university of technology in Germany, and a member of the TU9, the alliance of leading universities of technology in the country. The university excels in engineering sciences, intelligent systems, energy research, quantum technologies, and architecture, maintaining close co-operation with industry.
The delegation toured the High-Performance Computing Center Stuttgart and the ARENA2036 research campus for automobiles on its campus, and met with university representatives. They gained an in-depth understanding of the university’s experience in promoting deep integration and collaboration between academia and industry, accelerating the translation of research outcomes into practical applications, developing innovation campuses and industrial clusters, and facilitating interdisciplinary research and development as well as testing. They also exchanged views on strengthening exchanges in higher education and co-operation in talent cultivation between the two sides.
Mr Chan said that the NMUT is not only a cradle for nurturing talent, but also a core engine driving technological innovation and economic transformation. He noted that the University of Stuttgart excels in the deep integration of education, cutting-edge research, and industry development, and has successfully built an industry-led innovation model. He expressed hope that through the visit, the delegation could draw on the university’s experience in aligning talent cultivation and academic achievements with market demands, thereby further strengthening Hong Kong’s linkages between education, technological innovation and industrial application, facilitating knowledge transfers, and developing the NMUT into a vibrant education and innovation hub, injecting new impetus into Hong Kong’s long-term development.
Mr Chan and other members of the delegation will proceed to Heilbronn, Germany, on May 20 (Stuttgart time) to continue their visit. Issued at HKT 11:30
Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region – 4
The Secretary for Health, Professor Lo Chung-mau, continued to attend the 79th World Health Assembly (WHA) of the World Health Organization (WHO) in Geneva, Switzerland, yesterday (May 19, Geneva time). He also met with other participants and WHO officials to exchange views on various public health-related issues.
On the second day of the WHA, Professor Lo continued to attend the Assembly as a member of the Chinese delegation. He was accompanied by the Director of Health, Dr Ronald Lam, and the Controller of the Centre for Health Protection of the Department of Health, Dr Edwin Tsui.
In the morning, Professor Lo and his delegation met with the Minister of Health of Brazil, Dr Alexandre Padilha, to exchange views on the regulation of drugs and medical devices. Professor Lo said, “The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Government is actively enhancing the current regulatory system for drugs and medical devices, and will establish the Hong Kong Centre for Medical Products Regulation within this year. We look forward to having more collaboration with the regulatory authority of drugs and medical devices in Brazil to jointly introduce more innovative drugs to benefit people.”
Professor Lo and Dr Lam also met with the Director of the Department of Health Determinants, Promotion and Prevention of the WHO, Dr Etienne Krug, to exchange views on health literacy. At the meeting, they shared the HKSAR Government’s various efforts in enhancing health literacy to support life-course disease prevention and health promotion. Professor Lo said, “Enhancing health literacy enables members of the public to make wise choices for their own health. Through a life-course approach, we can effectively prevent diseases and promote health at different stages of life.”
During the meeting with the Head of the Mental Health Unit, Department of Mental Health, Brain Health and Substance Use of the WHO, Dr Mark van Ommeren, Professor Lo and Dr Lam exchanged views on promoting the mental health of Hong Kong citizens, in particular about the impacts on mental health brought about by the use of electronic devices and social media. Professor Lo emphasised, “The HKSAR Government attaches great importance to the mental well-being of the public. We adopt an integrated approach to provide services in various aspects, covering prevention, early identification, timely intervention and treatment, and rehabilitation for persons in need, thereby promoting mental health.”
Professor Lo and Dr Lam also met with the Director of the Department of Data, Digital Health, Analytics and Artificial Intelligence of the WHO, Dr Alain Labrique, to conduct a detailed exchange on issues including smart healthcare, telemedicine, regulation of AI medical devices and relevant capacity building. Professor Lo said, “Smart healthcare is the core direction leading future healthcare development. The HKSAR Government has been committed to promoting the digital transformation of Hong Kong’s healthcare system, actively developing medical innovations and technologies and applying them to fields including healthcare services, public health surveillance and medical research, to comprehensively enhance service efficiency and quality, and promote the sustainable development of the healthcare system.”
In the evening, Professor Lo and the delegation attended a side meeting organised by the Global Coalition to listen to the sharing on global medical co-operation by a number of senior health officials from different countries.
Moreover, Dr Lam met with the Chief Executive Officer of Singapore’s Communicable Diseases Agency, Professor Vernon Lee, to discuss the progress of collaboration between both sides in communicable disease prevention and monitoring, the response to infectious diseases with significant public health impacts, actions to combat antimicrobial resistance, and public health emergency response plans and exercises, in accordance with the Memorandum of Understanding on the prevention and control of communicable diseases signed in August 2024.
The delegation will depart for Zurich today (May 20, Geneva time) to hold a roundtable meeting with local multinational pharmaceutical and healthcare companies to introduce them to the measures put forward by the HKSAR Government to develop Hong Kong into an international health and medical innovation hub, enhance the drug evaluation and registration mechanism, and foster clinical trial development.
Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region – 4
The Financial Secretary, Mr Paul Chan, continued his visit programme in Paris yesterday (May 19, Paris time), including attending the “No Money for Terror” Ministerial Conference on Counter-Terrorism Financing hosted by France. He engaged in in-depth exchanges with delegations from over 80 countries and regions on issues including strengthening global co-operation in combating terrorist financing. He also shared his views during a discussion session on financial innovation and terrorist financing.
Speaking at the Conference, Mr Chan said that the means of terrorist financing have become increasingly sophisticated, including making use of the anonymity and speed of digital assets to transfer funds across borders and evade tracking. He said that jurisdictions need to, and have the responsibility to, implement relevant international standards, including putting in place appropriate regulation of digital asset platforms and issuers, so as to prevent regulatory arbitrage.
Mr Chan said that Hong Kong, China has all along firmly supported and implemented international requirements on anti-money laundering and counter-terrorist financing. Through a comprehensive legal framework, risk-based regulation, and full inter-agency collaboration, Hong Kong, China has been taking forward relevant work and was assessed as overall compliant in the latest round of mutual evaluation by the Financial Action Task Force. On digital asset regulation, Hong Kong, China follows the principle of “same business, same risks, same regulation”, and has implemented licensing regimes for digital asset platforms and stablecoin issuers, which include requirements on investor protection and prevention of money laundering.
Mr Chan pointed out that, in strengthening international efforts to combat terrorist financing, jurisdictions should deepen cross-border and inter-agency collaboration, strengthen information and intelligence exchange, and expedite the interception and freezing of illicit funds. In addition, they should make full use of frontier technologies, such as applying blockchain analytics to cross-border tracing, so as to enhance law enforcement capabilities and the recovery of illicit assets.
In the morning, Mr Chan visited the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and met with its Deputy Secretary-General, Ms Fabrizia Lapecorella. At the meeting, Mr Chan briefed Ms Lapecorella on Hong Kong’s economic and financial developments, and said that Hong Kong, China has been actively participating in the work of committees under the OECD. Hong Kong, China has also been taking forward the implementation of Base Erosion and Profit Shifting 2.0 and the relevant amendments to the Common Reporting Standard in accordance with international standards. Mr Chan also met with the President of the Financial Action Task Force, Ms Elisa de Anda Madrazo, and exchanged views on strengthening international co-operation on anti-money laundering and counter-terrorist financing.
At noon, Mr Chan had lunch with local banking and financial leaders. He briefed them on the latest developments of Hong Kong as an international financial centre, as well as the overall direction and opportunities of Hong Kong’s economic development. They also exchanged views on the global economic and financial outlook, and investment and development opportunities in China and Asia.
Mr Chan will depart for Brussels, Belgium, today (May 20, Paris time) for a visit.
Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region
LCQ9: Connection with national high-speed rail network Question:
There are views that the integration into the national high-speed rail network is an integral part in accelerating Hong Kong’s collaborative development with the Mainland. However, there are still many Mainland cities which cannot be directly accessible via the Hong Kong Section of the Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong Express Rail Link (XRL). In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1) of the following data, to be provided in tabular form, given that the number of Mainland destinations directly accessible by trains departing from the West Kowloon Station (WKS) of XRL has now increased to 110: (i) the number of additional Mainland direct destinations served by the XRL Hong Kong Section over the past three years and the monthly patronage of the relevant train trips; (ii) the top 10 long-haul destinations with the highest patronage, as well as the train trips with a loading rate reaching 90 per cent or above in the past five years; (iii) the respective numbers and percentages of Hong Kong residents and visitors among passengers travelling to and from the additional Mainland direct destinations in each of the past three years;
(2) given that the 2025 Policy Address proposed that Hong Kong would fully integrate into the overall national development, whether the Government knows if the number of Mainland cities that are directly accessible from Hong Kong will be further increased within the XRL network in the future; if so, of the criteria for prioritising the introduction of the relevant destinations; if not, the reasons for that;
(3) given the large number of Hong Kong residents of Fujian origin and some members of the public have relayed that the XRL train trips running between WKS and Quanzhou and Putian are relatively infrequent at present, whether the Government will consider discussing with the relevant Mainland authorities about increasing the frequency of such routes; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; and
(4) whether the Government will consider discussing with the relevant Mainland authorities the introduction of Jinjiang as an intermediate stop along the route between WKS and Fuzhou, so as to meet the demands of clansmen from Jinjiang; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?
Reply:
President,
The Hong Kong Section of the Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong Express Rail Link (XRL) was commissioned on September 23, 2018. The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Government and the MTR Corporation Limited (MTRCL) have been in close communication with the relevant Mainland authorities, and have continued to expand the number of destinations directly connected to the Hong Kong West Kowloon Station in line with the development of the national high-speed rail network.
In consultation with the MTRCL, the consolidated reply to the question raised by the Hon Stanley Ng is as follows:
(1) From 2023 onwards, the number of Mainland destinations directly connected to West Kowloon Station has nearly doubled from 58 before the pandemic to 110 as of January 2026. The number of short-haul destinations has increased from six to 11 (with the addition of Dongguannan, Changping, Dongguan, Guangzhouxintang and Guangzhoudong stations), whilst the number of long-haul destinations has increased from 52 to 99. Amongst, several new direct long-haul routes have been launched on the XRL Hong Kong Section, including the Chengdudong Line in July 2023 (calling at destinations such as Leshan), the Zhanjiangxi Line in October 2023 (calling at destinations such as Kaiping, Yangjiang, Jiangmen), the Zhangjiajie Line in June 2024 (calling at destinations such as Fenghuanggucheng, Huaihua), and the Xianbei Line in January 2025 (calling at destinations such as Huashan, Luoyang); furthermore, with the upgrade of the Shanghai Hongqiao High-Speed Rail Line in January 2026, a new route calling at Nanjing, Wuxi, Hefei and other destinations have been added. As regards the loading of XRL trains, as each train trip calls at various destinations and travellers may board or alight at various intermediate stations, it is difficult to determine the exact loading of the train. In terms of patronage, among the train trips travelling to/from West Kowloon Station, the patronage of those with Shantou, Shenzhenbei, Guangzhounan, Changshanan or Shanwei as origin or destination, is among the top.
The average daily patronage of short-haul and long-haul destinations to/from West Kowloon Station is tabulated below:
Year**Starting from the full resumption of long-haul services from April 1, 2023
The MTRCL does not maintain a breakdown of the local and non-local patronage. According to the statistics on passenger traffic of the Immigration Department, the percentage of Hong Kong residents and visitors travelling to/from the West Kowloon Station is tabulated below:
Year(2) The HKSAR Government and the MTRCL will continue to leverage the adjustment of the national high-speed rail network timetable to strive to introduce more intermediate stations and launch more direct long-haul routes, so as to provide direct access to more tourist destinations and major economic hubs, offering greater choices and convenience for cross-boundary travellers.
(3) and (4) With the service commencement of the Guangzhou-Shanwei and Shantou-Shanwei Railways on the Mainland, trains connecting West Kowloon Station with the areas of Chaoshan, Xiamen and Fuzhou have served more destinations along the routes. Starting from January 2026, there are two XRL train pairs each day running between West Kowloon Station and Fuzhou Station along the Ningbo-Guangzhou Railway, calling at destinations including Quanzhoudong and Quanzhounan. This adjustment also reduced the journey time between West Kowloon Station and Fuzhou Station by approximately 20 minutes, offering greater convenience to passengers travelling between the two destinations. In addition, the trip of one pair of trains running between West Kowloon Station and Xiamen Station has been extended with Fuzhou as the destination, offering more options to travellers.Issued at HKT 11:38
Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region
LCQ7: Measures to promote sports sponsorship Question:
The National 15th Five-Year Plan emphasises the need to comprehensively promote the high-quality development of the sports industry. In recent years, the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government has also been promoting sports development in Hong Kong through the implementation of a five-pronged approach, i.e. promoting sports in the community, supporting elite sports, maintaining Hong Kong as a centre for major international sports events, enhancing professionalism in sports and developing sports as an industry. However, a study has indicated that the local sports industry currently relies heavily on public funding, with few measures to promote sports sponsorship and limited tax incentives to encourage resources from the business and private sectors. All these have posed considerable challenges to the industry. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1) whether it has compiled statistics on the number of industry-related entities in Hong Kong over the past three years, including national sports associations (NSAs), community sports clubs, sports clubs and professional sports organisations, and provide a breakdown by the nature of these entities (e.g. enterprises, social enterprises, non-profit-making organisations and charitable institutions);
(2) given that expenditure incurred by enterprises on sports sponsorship may currently be treated as marketing expenditure eligible for tax deduction, of the amount of money involved in such tax deductions over the past three years; whether the authorities will study the optimisation of the relevant tax deduction and concession measures with a view to strengthening incentives for private organisations and enterprises to make donations and provide sponsorship; if not, of the reasons for that;
(3) given that many overseas NSAs operate as philanthropic or charitable organisations, thereby enabling enterprises or individuals to obtain tax concessions when making donations or providing sponsorship, whether the authorities will consider following such practice by encouraging and assisting local NSAs in transforming into charitable institutions of a public character, so as to enable them to attract more private and corporate sponsorship; if so, of the specific measures; if not, the reasons for that;
(4) whether the authorities will regularly compile statistics and conduct studies on the development of sports as an industry, and formulate specific policy objectives and initiatives for strengthening the development of the sports industry, so as to boost the output value of the local sports industry and develop it into a new industry for Hong Kong; if not, of the reasons; and
(5) whether, in selecting major sports events to be supported under the “M” Mark System, the authorities will give greater consideration to the following three factors or criteria: (i) the contribution to promoting local sports development; (ii) the capability to attract commercial sponsorship; and (iii) the effectiveness in enhancing public enthusiasm for participating in team sports; of not, of the reasons for that?
Reply:
President,
The Government has been allocating substantial resources to promote sports development and proactively implemented the five key policy objectives (the five-pronged approach), by promoting sports in the community, supporting elite sports, maintaining Hong Kong as a centre for major international sports events, enhancing professionalism in sports, and developing sports as an industry. In 2026-27, the Government’s estimated expenditure on sports development is about $8.1 billion, which is nearly 70 per cent higher than the expenditure of about $4.8 billion ten years ago. In addition to allocating resources, the Government strives to encourage and attract the business and private sectors to participate in and invest in activities including major sports events, leveraging market resources to promote sports as an industry.
Having consulted the Financial Services and the Treasury Bureau, our reply to the question raised by the Hon Andrew Fan is as follows:
(1) In the past three years, national sports associations (NSAs), sports organisations (SOs) and community sports clubs (CSCs) under the subvention of the Leisure and Cultural Services Department are all non-profit-making organisations. The relevant figures are listed below:
The Government does not maintain statistics on the breakdown of the aforementioned NSAs, SOs and CSCs by the categories of enterprises, social enterprises, non-profit-making organisations and charitable institutions. The Government also does not maintain statistics on the number of sports clubs and professional sports organisations in Hong Kong.
(2) and (3) All outgoings and expenses, to the extent to which they have been incurred by the taxpayers (including companies) in the production of chargeable profits, are allowed as deductions under the Inland Revenue Ordinance (Cap. 112) (IRO). If a commercial organisation sponsors a sports event in order to promote its business, the sponsorship concerned may be treated as marketing expenses incurred in the production of chargeable profits, and thereby allowable as deductions.
In addition, for taxpayers (including companies) who make aggregate donations not less than $100 to any tax-exempt charitable institution under section 88 of the IRO, the donations may be deducted from the assessable profits under profits tax, net assessable income under salaries tax and total income under personal assessment for the relevant year of assessment. The total deduction allowable in any year cannot exceed 35 per cent of the donor’s assessable profits or income.
Under section 88 of the IRO, charitable institutions or trusts of a public character are exempt from profits tax subject to the fulfilment of certain conditions in relation to the trade or business carried on by them. In processing applications for tax exemption under section 88 of the IRO, the Inland Revenue Department (IRD) has been making reference to the relevant common law cases to determine whether an organisation’s object is an exclusively charitable purpose at law, and whether the organisation is established for public benefit.
The IRD does not maintain statistics on the tax deductions for expenditures on sports sponsorship.
Commercial organisations’ expenses in promoting their businesses through sports sponsorships are already treated as expenses incurred in the production of chargeable profits and allowable as deductions, and a deduction arrangement is in place for donations to tax-exempt charitable institutions. In addition, given Hong Kong’s current low tax rates, the Government will not at present consider providing tax deductions or additional tax concessions for expenses on sports sponsorship.
In promoting Hong Kong as a centre for major international sports events, the Government attracted more market funds through matching funds. This enhances not only the quality but also the commercial momentum of events, further expanding the scale and benefits of the sports industry. In particular, the Government established the “M” Mark System, allocating funding through matching sponsorship and direct grant to support organisers in hosting large-scale sports events, thereby consolidating Hong Kong’s position as a centre for major international sports events. In 2024-25, a total of 30 major sports events were awarded “M” Mark status, involving a total of about $402 million in commercial sponsorship and about $284 million in matching fund.
Apart from the “M” Mark System, the Government also provides direct and matching grants for major local international events, major national championships and local international events through the Arts and Sport Development Fund (ASDF) (Sports Portion) to support NSAs in organising international sports events in Hong Kong. In 2024-25, a total of 120 events were supported by the ASDF (Sports Portion), involving a total of about $13 million in commercial sponsorships and about $12 million in matching grants.
(4) The Census and Statistics Department (C&SD) has been publishing statistics on the economic contribution of sports and related activities in Hong Kong every year since 2019, with the earliest figures covering 2016. According to the latest figures released by the C&SD in 2025, the value added of Hong Kong’s sports and related activities at basic prices in 2023 was around $44 billion, representing an increase of 15.1 per cent compared with 2022, and accounting for 1.5 per cent of the Gross Domestic Product. In terms of employment, more than 80 000 persons were employed in sports and related activities in 2023, representing an increase of 12.8 per cent compared to 2022.
The development of sports as an industry permeates and intertwines with various areas of sports development, and it is gradually generating synergy effect with the other four aspects, namely, promoting sports in the community, supporting elite sports, maintaining Hong Kong as a centre for major international sports events and enhancing professionalism in sports. To further promote the development of sports industry in Hong Kong, we are actively implementing different measures, such as promoting community-wide participation in sports to foster a strong sports culture in the community; attracting more world-class sports events to be staged in Hong Kong; boosting the development of “sports + mega events” while encouraging commercial organisations to invest in the sports market; and making full use of the Kai Tak Sports Park to develop a host-city economy. The Government will continue to maintain close communication with the sports sector and formulate policies to further enhance the development of sports as an industry.
(5) The Government will review each event application according to established mechanisms. The review criteria include the event’s status and significance, financial viability (including sponsorship from private enterprises), economic impact, media coverage and marketing plans, community appeal and social benefits, sports development impact, as well as the ability, technical and administrative quality of the organiser, in order to ensure the effective use of public money for bringing the greatest benefits to Hong Kong as a whole. Issued at HKT 11:20
Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region
LCQ13: Measures to mitigate road traffic noise
Noise Mitigation MeasuresExpenditure ($ million)
(6 works projects in total)Expenditure ($ million)
(1 works project in total)accounting for 4.3% of total project costsaccounting for 11.0% of total project costsaccounting for 1.9% of total project costsaccounting for 0.3% of total project costsaccounting for 1.0% of total project costs
Direct Noise Mitigation Measures Adopted on Roads
Expenditure ($ million)Expenditure ($ million)Issued at HKT 11:15
Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region – 4
Following is a question by the Hon Chan Cho-kwong and a written reply by the Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism, Miss Rosanna Law, in the Legislative Council today (May 20):
Question:
There are views that street signs are not only road identification signs, but also historical carriers recording the city’s evolution. While some old T-shaped street signs are still retained in Hong Kong for heritage conservation reasons, merely preserving the materials may not enable the public to fully and accurately understand their historical significance. As Hong Kong enters a new stage from stability to prosperity, the Government should take the initiative to provide explanations on street signs to establish a correct historical perspective. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1) whether, as some streets are named after British officials, the Government will install additional interpretation facilities at the relevant locations to give an objective account of the relevant historical context through words and images; with the development of smart cities, whether the Government will consider installing QR codes next to the street signs with historical value to link them to official national education databases or web pages (such as the National Education One-stop Portal);
(2) whether the Government will shortlist streets in Hong Kong with significant historical transitions (such as streets related to the background of the Opium Wars, relics of the War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression or the process of our return to the motherland), incorporating elements of national education into the explanations on street signs to enable members of the public and tourists to gain an in-depth understanding of the journey of national rejuvenation through city walks; and
(3) whether the Government has formulated policy guidelines with a macroscopic vision when planning the streets in the Northern Metropolis and naming the streets in other new development areas, with the aim of incorporating elements of the outstanding traditional Chinese culture, achievements in national development and education on patriotism into the street naming mechanism, with a view to broadening the criteria for consideration of naming?
Reply:
President,
In consultation with the Development Bureau and the Transport and Logistics Bureau, the consolidated reply to the question raised by the Hon Chan Cho-kwong is as follows:
The Lands Department is responsible for the naming of streets in Hong Kong pursuant to the Public Health and Municipal Services Ordinance (Cap. 132). When streets have to be named, the Lands Department will consult the relevant government departments regarding the naming proposals put up by it, other government departments or members of the public and consult the local community/organisations and district councils through the District Offices of the Home Affairs Department.
Street names could be linguistic symbols representing the geographical, historical, cultural and architectural characteristics of the places. The Lands Department has long incorporated virtues promoted by traditional Chinese culture, such as loyalty, filial piety, benevolence, righteousness, propriety, wisdom and trustworthiness, as one of the considerations for street naming. As there will be more new streets alongside the development of the Northern Metropolis and other new development areas, the Development Bureau and the Lands Department would certainly take into account the background and characteristics of the relevant places when taking forward these work.
The Highways Department (HyD) is responsible for installing street name plates (SNPs) on named public roads under its purview, and carries out maintenance and repair works for them. Generally speaking, SNPs should be designed to be simple, clear and not causing inconvenience to road users. The HyD will actively co-operate with the requests of the relevant policy bureaux/departments to discuss suitable designs and custom-make new SNPs, if necessary.
The Government has been adopting a multi-pronged approach in introducing the history of Hong Kong to the public. Regarding the work of the Leisure and Cultural Services Department (LCSD), the Department, from time to time, adopts diverse channels and media (e.g. permanent and special exhibitions organised by the museums, performing arts events based on historical background and stories, book recommendations from the public libraries, community workshops etc.) and uses various entry points related to daily life to introduce the collection and historic relics related to the history of Hong Kong to the general public. Where necessary, the LCSD can also provide extra historical information relevant to streets within its historical resources to responsible policy bureaux/departments for consideration in naming and display.
Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region – 4
A man was sentenced today (May 20) at the West Kowloon Magistrates’ Courts to six weeks’ imprisonment for illegally importing 14 200 alternative smoking products. The Department of Health (DH) welcomed the verdict and reminded members of the public and visitors not to bring alternative smoking products such as e-cigarettes, heated tobacco products or herbal cigarettes into Hong Kong, and not to use any alternative smoking products.
The Tobacco and Alcohol Control Office (TACO) of the DH was notified by Hong Kong Customs yesterday (May 19) that 14 200 alternative smoking products had been intercepted in the luggage of the aforesaid man arriving from Japan. TACO immediately arrested and prosecuted the individual.
Since the amendments to the Tobacco Control Legislation (Amendment) Ordinance 2025, which conferred arrest powers on TACO inspectors, took effect on September 19, 2025, TACO has prosecuted 25 cases involving importation of large quantities of alternative smoking products. Twenty-eight persons have been convicted and sentenced to prison terms ranging from six weeks to eight months.
According to the Import and Export Ordinance (Cap. 60), a person who imports alternative smoking products, including electronic smoking products, heated tobacco products and herbal cigarettes, commits an offence and is liable on summary conviction to a fine of $500,000 and imprisonment for two years; or liable on conviction on indictment to a fine of $2 million and imprisonment for seven years.
Under the Smoking (Public Health) Ordinance (Cap. 371), no person may promote, manufacture, sell, or possess for commercial purposes alternative smoking products. An offender is liable to a fine of $50,000 and imprisonment for six months.
TACO will continue to closely monitor and enforce the law to combat related offences.
In addition, the DH also cautions the public that alternative smoking products are addictive and are not effective smoking cessation tools. E-cigarettes may increase the risk of cancer, respiratory diseases, and cardiovascular diseases. Smokers are urged to quit smoking as early as possible for their own health and that of others. For assistance, please call the DH’s Integrated Smoking Cessation Hotline on 1833 183, or visit www.livetobaccofree.hk for information on quitting.