Author: MIL-OSI Publisher

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

     Following is a question by the Hon Chan Hoi-yan and a written reply by the Secretary for Health, Professor Lo Chung-mau, in the Legislative Council today (June 4):

Question:

     It has been reported that the Hospital Authority (HA) will handle cases of medical incident claims by such means as compensation and mediation, including the handling of compensation matters through the medical incidents insurance scheme of HA (the scheme). Regarding the complaints and medical incident claims handled by HA, will the Government inform this Council whether it knows:

(1) the administrative expenses (including insurance and legal costs, etc.) incurred by HA in respect of the scheme in each of the past five years;

(2) the number of cases of medical incident claims received by HA in each of the past five years; the total amount of compensation paid in such cases and, among them, the respective amounts of compensation borne by insurance companies and HA;

(3) the number of cases of medical incident claims in the past five years in which HA had reached settlements with the complainants before proceeding to legal proceedings; the total amount of compensation paid in such settled cases and, among them, the highest and lowest amounts of compensation paid;

(4) the number of medical complaints or cases of medical incident claims in the past five years in which HA had taken the initiative to pay compensation without going through legal proceedings because the responsibility was clearly established; the amounts of compensation paid in such cases; and

(5) in respect of the medical service-related complaints received by HA in each of the past five years, the average time taken from the receipt of a complaint to the completion of its handling; given that according to HA’s complaint handling mechanism, the target response time for first-time complaint cases is six weeks (three months for complex cases), the number of first-time complaint cases which could not be responded to within the target time in the past five years?

Reply:

President,

     In consultation with the Hospital Authority (HA), the reply to the question raised by the Hon Chan Hoi-yan is as follows:

     Upon receipt of a case of claim arising from a medical incident, it is the usual practice of the HA to conduct an investigation, consider medical opinions and seek legal advice before responding and explaining its stance on the claim to the patient or his/her lawyer. The nature of healthcare services involves various known and unknown risks that reflect the actual situations of medical practice. Depending on the circumstances of individual cases, the HA will appoint a loss adjuster or lawyer to conduct negotiation for settlement of the case. In the event that court proceedings have been commenced, the HA will appoint a lawyer to file a defence, collect medical and factual evidence, conduct mediation and negotiate a settlement, etc in light of the circumstances and development of individual cases. For cases of claims received by the HA, some of the claimants may, after learning the explanation from the HA or considering various factors, stop pursuing their claims further.

     The HA attaches great importance to service quality and patient safety. It has put in place mechanisms and guidelines for management and monitoring of medical incidents in public hospitals. Subject to the circumstances of individual cases, the HA will appoint an expert group (such as Root Cause Analysis Panel or Clinical Co-ordinating Committee/Central Committee) as necessary to conduct detailed analysis, identify the possible causes of the incident, study and formulate improvement measures or optimise clinical practice standards and guidelines to prevent similar incidents from happening again in the future. Each year, the HA Head Office will submit to the HA Board a report of sentinel and serious untoward events, which will also be released to the public. The HA will continue to review the relevant mechanisms and arrangements from time to time and make suitable adjustments when necessary. 

     In addition, in response to systemic issues and the need for reform in the management of public hospitals, the HA set up a review committee on July 2, 2024, to conduct an in-depth review on various fronts. The scope of the review was comprehensive, covering areas of governance, appraisal, accountability, operations, risk control, and procedural compliance, etc and touching upon various levels, including the HA Head Office, hospital clusters, hospitals, service units/teams and staff. After detailed deliberations, the review committee consolidated its observations and made a total of 31 improvement recommendations in five areas, namely governance and accountability, safety culture, compliance and monitoring, incident management and enabling factors of the HA. The HA announced the review committee’s report on November 22, 2024. The HA is implementing various improvement measures in an orderly manner and monitoring the implementation progress and effectiveness on an ongoing basis, while submitting progress reports to the Health Bureau on a regular basis.

(1) to (4) During the process of mediation and settlement negotiation on medical incident claims, the HA takes into account the litigation risk apart from considering whether medical error and legal liability are involved. The agreement of out-of-court settlement without adjudication by court comes as a result of settlement negotiation between two parties after weighing various considerations and negotiation. The table below sets out the statistics on claims received by the HA in respect of medical incidents from 2022 to 2024 (as at early March 2025):
 

Year in which claims were reported (Note 1)	2020	2021	2022	2023	2024
Number of claims	97	105	94	105	81
Number of claims for which compensation was paid (Note 2) (Among them, number of claims settled before commencement of court proceedings)	25 (16)	18 (15)	12 (10)	15 (15)	4 (3)
Total amount of compensation paid in respect of claims settled out of court (Note 3) (Among them, total amount of compensation for claims settled before commencement of court proceedings)	Figures in million dollars
	23.75 (7.28)	10.38 (8.22)	5.94 (4.38)	10.09 (10.09)	3.21 (0.21)

Note 1: Claims reported refer to those reported under the medical incidents insurance scheme of the HA.

Note 2: All cases were out-of-court settlement cases.

Note 3: A claim may only be received by the HA after a period of time following the medical incident. Moreover, the duration taken for reaching an out-of-court settlement depends on the nature and complexity of each claim. For example, out of the claims reported in 2024, only four claims were settled out of court as at March 6, 2025. On the other hand, according to the information available, the HA, in 2024, reached out-of-court settlements for 28 claims, covering reporting years from 2016 to 2024.

     Compensation for the above claims was paid by the HA. As the HA is required to keep the settlement details of each claim confidential, the maximum and minimum compensation amount cannot be provided. The amount of compensation for such cases ranged from a few thousand dollars to several million dollars. Apart from the premiums paid to the insurance companies, there are no other administrative expenses for the medical incidents insurance scheme of the HA. As premiums involve commercially sensitive information, they cannot be disclosed.

(5) The HA attaches great importance to the opinion and enquiries of the public and has in place a two-tier system to handle complaints from patients and the public. All the initial complaints regarding services of public hospitals (including HA’s clinics) will be referred to the relevant hospitals for follow-up and reply. The HA has set the target response time for initial complaints at six weeks, while complex cases may take up to three months. The HA is actively implementing measures, including setting up Cluster Patient Relations Offices, standardising the complaint handling workflow with a view to shortening the response time for complaints. The statistics on the handling of healthcare service complaints by the HA in the past five years are as follows.
 

Year	2019-20	2020-21	2021-22	2022-23	2023-24
Number of complaints related to healthcare services	1 133	920	968	1 242	1 135
Among them, number of complaints completed beyond target response time (Note 4)	128	92	136	51	3
Average response time of cases	60 days	56 days	64 days	38 days	31 days

Note 4: As each complaint case varies in complexity, the time required for handling individual cases will be different. For some of the complaint cases that cannot be concluded within the target response time, it may be due to the case involving several hospitals or several departments within a hospital, necessitating repeated clarification or collection of evidence during the handling process; or involving complex clinical management requiring advices from independent medical experts. In addition, with the impact of the COVID-19 epidemic from 2020 to early 2023, healthcare staff needed to focus the manpower on clinical duties and patient care; other staff including Patient Relation Officers might be temporarily deployed to support the logistic work in the fight against the epidemic; and some of the staff members who were confirmed cases were not able to return to the hospitals to work, resulting in handling of some of the healthcare service complaints not being completed within the target response time.

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

​Following is a question by Dr the Hon Starry Lee and a written reply by the Secretary for Home and Youth Affairs, Miss Alice Mak, in the Legislative Council today (June 4):
 
Question:
 
In April this year, the Government published a consultation paper on the regulatory regime on basketball betting. There are views pointing out that while the regime aims to combat illegal gambling activities, the community is generally concerned about possible intensification of the gambling craze upon regulation of basketball betting, particularly the negative impact on youths. In addition, it has been reported that the average age of participants in basketball betting is younger than the corresponding figures in horse racing and football betting, and statistical data from gambling counselling organizations also indicate a deteriorating trend in the gambling problem among young people. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
 
(1) as the aforesaid consultation paper has pointed out that the regulation of football betting since 2003 has generally been effective in channelising illegal betting demand to the legal channel, whether the Government has compiled statistics on the changes in betting turnovers of legal and illegal gambling, as well as the number of help-seeking cases from pathological gamblers and the age distribution trend of those help-seekers, since the regulation of football betting; whether it has assessed the effectiveness of the existing betting regulatory regime in reducing youth gambling participation;
 
(2) of the following information on the assistance provided by the Ping Wo Fund to help youths quit gambling in the past five years: the number of youths assisted, the expenditure on the relevant publicity and education activities and the number of people covered, and the percentage of help-seeking cases from youths involving basketball betting;
 
(3) whether it will, upon implementation of the regulatory regime on basketball betting, require basketball betting operators to submit data on young bettors on a regular basis; whether it has assessed the adequacy of the existing measures to curb underage betting, including whether it will further restrict advertising targeted at youths;
 
(4) as there are views in the community that the authorities should consider setting up a dedicated committee to monitor the impact of basketball betting on youths, and strengthening the use of the Ping Wo Fund to take forward anti-gambling education (especially publicity efforts targeting young groups), whether the authorities will study the relevant proposals; and
 
(5) whether it has studied if implementation of the regulatory regime on basketball betting will result in a lower age range of gamblers; whether it will make use of technology to enhance the monitoring of gambling activities (such as using artificial intelligence to identify abnormal betting patterns), so as to prevent youth gambling addiction?

Reply:
 
President,

As a matter of policy, the Government does not encourage gambling. To address the possible problems brought by gambling, the Government adopts a multi-pronged strategy including law enforcement against illegal gambling activities, public education on the harms of gambling addiction, provision of counselling and support services to people in need and regulation over gambling activities through legislation.
 
The Government’s consolidated reply to Dr the Hon Starry Lee’s question is as follows:

Combatting illegal gambling activities
 
On law enforcement against illegal gambling activities, the existing Gambling Ordinance explicitly stipulates that all unauthorised gambling activities, apart from those situations stated in the ordinance, constitute an offence. The Hong Kong Police Force (HKPF) has put in place strategies to combat illegal gambling activities, especially those involving triad-related or organised crimes, in four aspects, namely prevention, education, intelligence gathering and law enforcement. The HKPF will continue to closely monitor the illegal gambling trend, take appropriate intelligence-led law enforcement actions and strengthen the promotion against these illegal gambling activities. It is worth noting that according to the Gambling Ordinance, participating in illegal gambling (such as betting with an illegal bookmaker) is also an offence. Upon conviction, an offender is liable to a maximum penalty of a $50,000 fine and imprisonment for nine months.
 
Public education and provision of counselling and support services
 
The Government attaches great importance to preventing gambling-related problems, particularly among youth. The Government established the Ping Wo Fund (PWF) in 2003 to finance both preventive and remedial measures to address the gambling-related problems. The Ping Wo Fund Advisory Committee (PWFAC) was also established to provide advice to the Secretary for Home and Youth Affairs on the use and application of the PWF.
 
The PWF provides appropriate counselling, treatment and other support services to individuals affected by gambling as well as their family members. The PWF will also launch targeted public education and publicity campaigns to raise public awareness (particularly among young people) on the harms of gambling addiction, thereby mitigating its associated negative consequences.
 
The PWF has consistently prioritised public education and awareness campaigns to raise public awareness on the harms of gambling addiction, and to increase public knowledge of the services available, enabling those in need to seek help at an early stage. These public education measures include providing financial support for non-governmental organisations and schools to organise public education programmes aimed at preventing and alleviating gambling-related problems, a publicity truck programme and other promotional efforts on traditional media and online platforms.
 
The PWF’s funding support on public education and other publicity campaigns aimed at preventing and alleviating gambling-related problems has more than doubled over the past five years. Detailed figures are set out in the Annex.
 
In the past five years, service-seekers aged 18 or below constituted 1-2 per cent of the total number of persons receiving counselling or treatment services from the four counselling and treatment centres funded by the PWF. These data indicate that there has been no substantial change in the prevalence of gambling among young people. Relevant data (including variation in other age groups) are set out in the Annex. Separately, according to the information from The Hong Kong Jockey Club (HKJC), the proportion of bettors in the 18-21 age group has consistently remained below 2 per cent in the past five years.
 
We do not maintain a separate breakdown on individuals receiving counselling and treatment services due to illegal basketball betting.
 
We will review the work of the PWF from time to time, with particular focus on young people, to enhance measures for preventing and alleviating gambling-related problems. The HKJC has also committed to donate to the PWF over a four-year period starting from 2023/24, with contributions set at $45 million per annum for the first two years and $50 million per annum for the subsequent two years.
 
Regulations
 
The Government currently regulates the HKJC’s betting activities through the Betting and Lotteries Commission (BLC). Restricting betting activities to a limited number of authorised and regulated outlets is to address the actual and persistent public demand for certain gambling activities which is being satisfied by illegal means and the issue cannot be tackled by law enforcement alone.
 
According to the HKJC, the amount of football betting turnover ranged from $92.5 billion to $160.3 billion in the past five years. In addition, since the legalisation of football betting in 2003, it has diverted back to the legal channel over $1,581 billion of turnover, which would have continued to flow into the unregulated and illegal gambling market without the regulation.
 
Under the existing mechanism, the Government requires the HKJC to submit regular work reports for review by both the Government and BLC. The HKJC is also required to meet with the Government and BLC on a regularly basis to report on its progress and plans, ensuring compliance with all licensing conditions and facilitating the review of current betting-related measures. The Home and Youth Affairs Bureau will continue to work closely with BLC to ensure that authorised betting activities are properly regulated.
 
At present, a number of conditions have been imposed under the licences of horse race betting, football betting and Mark Six Lottery issued to the HKJC to require its adoption of measures to minimise the negative impact of gambling on the public, especially on young people. These conditions include that the HKJC:
 

1. shall not accept bets from juveniles;
2. shall not accept credit betting;
3. shall display notices reminding the public of the seriousness of excessive gambling and provide information on the services available for those with gambling disorder; and
4. shall not, in conducting any promotional activities, target juveniles, etc.

 
As stated in the consultation document on the regulatory regime on basketball betting, the above stringent legal and regulatory restraints will continue to be put in place in the proposed basketball betting regime.
 
We will continue to closely collaborate with the PWFAC and the BLC, observe the prevalence of gambling activities among Hong Kong people, maintain communication with relevant departments, and proactively enhance our efforts to prevent and alleviate problems relating to gambling. As mentioned above, the HKJC has committed to donate to the PWF over a four-year period from 2023/24. If it is decided to implement the proposed regulatory regime for basketball betting, the Government will request the HKJC to further increase the donation to the PWF for stepping up public education programmes, as well as enhancing counselling and support services.     

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

     Following is a question by Professor the Hon Priscilla Leung and a written reply by the Secretary for Housing, Ms Winnie Ho, in the Legislative Council today (June 4):
 
Question:
 
     It is learnt that the Housing Department is actively promoting smart estate management, including employing drones to inspect lift shafts, external walls of buildings and pipes located beneath higher ceilings, utilising LiDAR-based localisation to capture images and analysing the images with artificial intelligence and thermal imaging technology to identify problems with the buildings, thereby reducing the risks of working at height and enhancing work efficiency. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
 
(1) of the number of public housing estates (PHEs) where drone technology is applied in day-to-day management at present, and its percentage in the total number of PHEs in Hong Kong; whether it has compiled statistics on the specific effectiveness of the authorities in enhancing maintenance efficiency and reducing incident risks (e.g. ‍the time saved or the reduction rate of untoward incidents) since the implementation of smart estate management;
 
(2) as it is learnt that, prior to using drones for inspections, the management offices of the relevant PHEs will notify households in advance, and the system will automatically blur faces to protect household privacy, of the standard procedures for notifying households (e.g. the number of days of advance notification and the means by which the notification is made) and the operational details of the automatic face blurring technology; how the authorities will handle privacy-related complaints from households arising from drone inspections; and
 
(3) of the plans in place to further promote the application of drone technology and other innovative technologies in the management of PHEs (including the implementation timetable, the number of estates where such technologies will be applied, as well as an overview of the estimated expenditure and resource allocation)?
 
 
Reply:
 
President,
 
     The Hong Kong Housing Authority (HA) is actively promoting smart estate management through innovative technologies to enhance management efficiency and service quality; expedite the handling of maintenance of public facilities; strengthen hygiene and cleanliness; and enhance the sense of well-being and belonging among public rental housing (PRH) residents. In 2024, the HA selected ten public housing estates as pilot projects to proactively introduce suitable innovative technologies for smart estate management, such as the use of Internet of Things sensors, artificial intelligence (AI), mobile devices, and robots. In response to the questions raised by Professor the Hon Priscilla Leung, the reply is as follows:
 
(1) and (3) In the past, inspections of building facades or lift shafts required work staff to perform on-site work, with the former involving working at height and the latter involving enclosed spaces, which are relatively high-risk types of work. With the advancement of technology, the HA has introduced the use of drones to assist in estate maintenance works in PRH estates since 2023. Compared with the traditional long-distance visual inspections, the use of drones for inspections of building facade not only reduces the risks of working at height for works staff, but also provides clearer, quicker, and safer results. As for the use of drones for lift shaft inspections, compared with the traditional method of scaffolding or setting up work platforms inside the lift shafts for manual survey, use of drones not only reduces the risks of works staff entering and leaving the lift shafts, but also gains a more precise understanding of the issues, and shortens lift suspension time significantly, thereby minimising the impacts and inconvenience to the residents. Drone inspections also make it feasible to survey in high-level and enclosed lift shafts.
 
     For building facade inspections, the HA’s drone inspection contract covers all PRH estates in Hong Kong. To date, the service providers have completed the required facade inspections for about 20 PRH estates, with inspections in others are ongoing.
 
     For lift shaft inspections, the HA has earlier successfully completed a trial use of drone inspections of lift shafts. Utilising the Light Detection And Ranging (LiDAR) positioning technology, the drone can be used by the site staff to conduct clear preliminary inspections and identify the necessary repairs at an early stage, such as concrete spalling and defects in electrical devices, and all can be more accurately displayed. Starting from early 2025, the HA has incorporated drone-based lift shaft inspection requirements in the consultancy contracts for lift modernisation projects. The HA also monitors the effectiveness of these inspections in improving maintenance efficiency and reducing accident risks, as well as collect the relevant data as the basis for further advancement in the future. The cost of drone inspections constitutes only a small portion of the overall estate maintenance and improvement works expenditures. Using drones to collect images and three-dimensional data can create detailed models, together with the AI algorithms, it allows a more precise identification of hard-to-reach defects. This enables works staff to co-ordinate the project and procure necessary materials more effectively, thus enhancing project efficiency. Additionally, using drones for inspections eliminates the need for scaffolding; shortens the inspection time and reduces the inconvenience caused by the works to the residents. At the same time, site staff does not need to enter high-rise enclosed space to check various equipment conditions, which can improve workplace safety management and make the overall process more time-efficient and effective.
 
     To further promote the application of innovative technologies in PRH estate management, the HA has established a dedicated co-ordination team to oversee the trial of various technologies across different management functions and review operational models, including updating workflows and manuals as well as providing appropriate training to staff. The HA will also launch a centralised property management platform within this year to optimise estate management operations through data analysis, so as to enhance management efficiency and improve service quality. The HA will closely monitor relevant technological developments and introduce more innovative technologies as appropriate to optimise estate management works.
 
(2) Drones used for facade inspections are normally equipped with cameras, infrared detection lenses, and range finders, performing tasks such as capturing images, recording videos, and/or measuring specific targets during flight of designated routes. Through the images collected by the drones, together with AI technology, it helps identify areas of concern for repairs. The estate offices usually issue notices to the residents concerned 14 days before the filming takes place, advising them to close windows and draw curtains during the filming period, so that the residents can be informed of the arrangement and prepared in advance.
 
     Regarding the arrangement for using drones to inspect building facades, the HA has consulted the Office of the Privacy Commissioner for Personal Data (PCPD). The PCPD advised that drone operations in Hong Kong involving the collection, holding, processing, or use of personal data must comply with the Personal Data (Privacy) Ordinance (Cap. 486) and the relevant guidelines issued by the PCPD. In this connection, the HA has requested the service providers to formulate and strictly implement measures to protect residents’ privacy in accordance with the PCPD’s guidelines. Currently, service providers use AI to automatically detect and blur the portrait of a person, and ensure that no records containing identifiable images are retained, thereby safeguarding residents’ privacy. Furthermore, these processes must be irreversible, and the system must not retain unprocessed original images.
 
     The HA will endeavour to protect residents’ privacy. If any related complaints are received, the Housing Department will handle them in accordance with established procedures.

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

     The Transport Department (TD) today (June 4) said that the next online auction of vehicle registration marks (VRMs) will be held from noon on June 19 (Thursday) to noon on June 23 (Monday) through the auction platform E-Auction (e-auction.td.gov.hk). Interested bidders can participate in the online auction only after they have successfully registered as E-Auction users.
 
     A spokesman for the TD said, “A total of 150 Ordinary VRMs will be available at this online public auction. The list of VRMs (see Annex) has been uploaded to the E-Auction website. Applicants who have paid a $1,000 deposit to reserve the Ordinary VRM for auction should also register as an E-Auction user in advance in order to participate in the online bidding, including placing the first bid at the opening price of $1,000. Otherwise, the VRMs reserved by them may be bid on by other interested bidders at or above the opening price. Auctions for VRMs with ‘HK’ or ‘XX’ as a prefix, special VRMs and personalised VRMs will continue to be carried out through physical auctions by bidding paddles, and their announcement arrangements remain unchanged.”
 
     Members of the public participating in the online bidding should take note of the following important points:
 
(1) Bidders should register in advance as an E-Auction user by “iAM Smart+” equipped with the digital signing function; or by using a valid digital certificate and an email address upon completion of identity verification. Registered “iAM Smart” users should provide their Hong Kong identity card number, while non-Hong Kong residents who are not “iAM Smart” users should provide the number of their passport or other identification documents when registering as E-Auction users.
 
(2) Bidders are required to provide a digital signature to confirm the submission and amount of the bid by using “iAM Smart+” or a valid digital certificate at the time of the first bid of each online bidding session (including setting automatic bids before the auction begins) to comply with the requirements of the Electronic Transactions Ordinance.
 
(3) If a bid is made in respect of a VRM within the last 10 minutes before the end of the auction, the auction end time for that particular VRM will be automatically extended by another 10 minutes, up to a maximum of 24 hours.
 
(4) Successful bidders must follow the instructions in the notification email issued by the TD to log in to the E-Auction within 48 hours from the issuance of email and complete the follow-up procedures, including:
 

• completing the Purchaser Information for the issuance of the Memorandum of Sale of Registration Mark (Memorandum of Sale); and
• making the auction payment online by credit card, Faster Payment System (FPS) or Payment by Phone Service (PPS). Cheque or cash payment is not accepted in the E-Auction.

(5) A VRM can only be assigned to a motor vehicle registered in the name of the purchaser. Relevant information on the Certificate of Incorporation must be provided by the successful bidder in the Purchaser Information of the Memorandum of Sale if the VRM purchased is to be registered under the name of a body corporate.
 
(6) Successful bidders will receive a notification email around seven working days after payment has been confirmed and can download the Memorandum of Sale from the E-Auction. The purchaser must apply for the VRM to be assigned to a motor vehicle registered in the name of the purchaser within 12 months from the date of issue of the Memorandum of Sale. If the purchaser fails to do so within the 12-month period, in accordance with the statutory provision, the allocation of the VRM will be cancelled and a new allocation will be arranged by the TD without prior notice to the purchaser.
 
     The TD has informed all applicants who have reserved the Ordinary VRMs for this round of auction of the E-Auction arrangements in detail by post. Members of the public may refer to the E-Auction website or watch the tutorial videos for more information. Please call the E-Auction hotline (3583 3980) or email (e-auction-enquiry@td.gov.hk) for enquiries. 

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

     Following is a question by the Hon Adrian Ho and a reply by the Acting Secretary for Transport and Logistics, Mr Liu Chun-san, in the Legislative Council today (June 4):

Question:

     In the reply to a question from a Member of this Council in 2018, the Government undertook to conduct a study and consult stakeholders on the proposal to convert bus-only lanes into “public transport-only lanes” with a view to allowing the shared use by other public transport modes. Meanwhile, according to information from the Transport Department, the number of bus trips along busy corridors in certain districts decreased cumulatively by 6 762 trips between 2014 and 2023. As such, there are views that this is an appropriate time to review the bus-only lane policy. However, the Government has indicated earlier on that it currently has no plans to open bus-only lanes for use by other vehicles. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:

(1) whether it has compiled statistics for each year of the past five years on the changes in the number of bus-only lanes in Hong Kong, the average traffic volume and vehicle speed in these lanes during peak hours, as well as how these figures compare with those for other lanes on the same road sections; if so, of the details; if not, how the Government determines the number of bus-only lanes to be added or reduced in the absence of such data;

(2) of the findings of the Government’s study and consultation on the aforesaid proposal to convert bus-only lanes into “public transport-‍only lanes”, as well as whether there are specific reasons and actual data supporting the current decision of not to open up bus-only lanes; and

(3) with regard to the reduction in the number of bus trips along certain busy corridors in recent years, whether the authorities have reassessed the need for bus-only lanes on such corridors and studied the opening up of such lanes; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?

Reply:

President,

     Hong Kong citizens mainly commute by public transportation, which accounts for nearly 90 per cent of the total passenger trips each day. Franchised bus is a road-based public transport mode with the highest carrying capacity. The average daily patronage in 2024 exceeded 3.7 million, making up over 30 per cent of the total daily public transport ridership.

     Bus-only lanes (BOLs) (see note) are traffic lanes designated for use only by “franchised bus” or “franchised and non-franchised bus” during the prescribed time. Other vehicles have to make use of other traffic lanes next to the BOLs or alternative routes. Under the policy of giving priority to public transportation, the Transport Department (TD) has implemented BOLs to accord priority to buses with high carrying capacity to use the roads, thereby reducing delays caused by traffic congestion and encouraging the public to use convenient public transportation for travel. 

     Our reply in response to the questions raised by the Hon Adrian Ho is set out below:

(1) In implementing bus priority measures, the TD will consider the actual road situation and traffic conditions, including the design of roads and junctions, the number of traffic lanes, the number of bus routes and bus service frequencies, the traffic volume of other types of vehicles, availability of alternative routes, the impact on the flow of other vehicles, etc and carefully assess the feasibility of such measures, in order to strike a proper balance and ensure smooth operation of the transport network. In addition, the TD will work out the appropriate effective period of bus priority measures based on the actual road conditions and consult relevant stakeholders and districts to ensure the measures are in the interest of the public.

     As of May 2025, there were 115 BOLs in total across Hong Kong Island, Kowloon and the New Territories. Over the past five years, the TD added 16 BOLs. According to the TD’s on-site observations as well as feedback from bus companies, BOLs can effectively minimise the impact of traffic congestion on bus services, enhance the stability and efficiency of bus frequencies and facilitate the travel of the public. The TD did not compile statistics on the daily average volume of bus traffic and vehicle speed in respect of each BOL compared with those for other lanes on the same road sections.
 
(2) The TD has examined the proposal of converting some BOLs into “public transport-only lanes” for the shared use by other modes of public transport such as taxis and public light buses (PLBs). In doing so, we need to consider the pros and cons. While the proposal can benefit passengers of PLBs and taxis, it will at the same time increase the number of vehicles sharing the same road space with buses, making BOLs busier and affecting bus passengers. Taking the BOL of Tuen Mun Road eastbound near Harrow International School Hong Kong to Sham Tseng Interchange as an example, about 510 buses pass through the BOL per hour during peak hours on weekdays carrying about 21 000 passengers, compared with the services of taxis and PLBs carrying about 1 100 passengers per hour during peak hours on weekdays at the same road section. On the premise of maintaining smooth operation of the BOL and balancing the needs of various road users, this section of BOL was not opened up. In light of changes in traffic flow and bus operation of Tuen Mun Road after the implementation of new toll plans at the Tai Lam Tunnel, the TD will review the arrangement of BOL of Tuen Mun Road in a timely manner under the public transport-oriented policy.

     If the opening up of certain BOLs can improve the operational efficiency of other public transport modes, the TD will make better use of these BOLs through various means by taking into account relevant factors. For example, some green minibus (GMB) routes require access to specific BOLs to reach designated pick-up and drop-off points. After considering factors such as service frequencies, boarding/alighting points as well as bus traffic of the relevant BOLs, the TD will issue permits to the routes concerned for using the relevant BOLs. At present, a total of 56 GMB routes have been granted such permits.

(3) The TD is committed to reducing the number of buses plying on busy roads in Central, Causeway Bay and Yau Tsim Mong districts with a view to reducing roadside air pollution, traffic congestion, etc. As most of the BOLs are not located at these busy roads, there is no direct impact on the overall bus traffic of BOLs.

     The TD has from time to time reviewed and improved BOLs and traffic facilities of the road sections in the vicinity. For example, the TD has reviewed the arrangement of the BOL from 200 Hennessy Road westbound to the section of Hennessy Road near Luard Road. After reviewing the traffic data, actual road situation and other factors as well as consulting relevant stakeholders and the district, the TD adjusted the effective period of the BOL of Hennessy Road westbound between Fleming Road and Luard Road from 7am – 9am to 5pm – 7pm, and shortened the BOL by 65 metres to balance the needs of other vehicles for loading and unloading.

     In summary, the TD will continue to monitor the implementation of BOLs and road traffic, and review and enhance individual road sections in a timely manner. 

     Thank you, President.

Note: BOLs refer to bus lanes and designated bus gates.

Source: Government of the Republic of Korea

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

     Following is a question by the Hon Chan Pui-leung and a written reply by the Secretary for Labour and Welfare, Mr Chris Sun, in the Legislative Council today (June 4):
 
Question:
 
     Training courses of the Employees Retraining Board (ERB) offered by the appointed Training Bodies (retraining courses) aim at assisting service targets in entering the employment market and continuously upgrading their skills. It has been reported that at present, the ERB had a balance of over $13 ‍billion but an annual deficit of about $800 million to $900 million, which has aroused public concern about issues such as the effectiveness and coverage of its courses, as well as the adequacy of its financial resources in the long run. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
 
(1) whether it knows the overall placement rate of trainees who had completed retraining courses in each of the past three years, together with a breakdown by training course;
 
(2) whether it knows if the ERB has followed up on a long-term basis the employment situation of trainees who have completed placement-tied courses and collected the relevant data (e.g. the average time taken to successfully secure employment, the proportion of trainees who have not successfully secured employment and the reasons for that); whether the ERB has provided trainees with the relevant employment advice; if the ERB has, of the details; if not, the reasons for that;
 
(3) as it is learnt that some people have repeatedly attended retraining courses for the purpose of applying for retraining allowance, leading to abuse and waste of resources, whether the Government has followed up in this regard; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that;
 
(4) as there are views that the contents of some retraining courses are overlapping and outdated, whether the Government knows if the ERB will consider keeping abreast of the times and further enhancing the courses, as well as adding more relevant courses to tie in with the current market demand; if the ERB will, of the details; if not, the reasons for that;
 
(5) whether the Government has assessed the effectiveness of retraining courses; as there are views pointing out that the enrolment rate of young people in retraining courses is relatively low, how the authorities promote and attract trainees of different age groups to enrol in such courses; and
 
(6) given that the ERB currently has an annual deficit of about $800 million to $900 million, how the Government ensures its long-term financial sustainability so that it can continue to provide retraining courses?

Reply:
 
President,
 
     Since its establishment in 1992, the Employees Retraining Board (ERB) has been playing an important part of the training strategy for the labour force. The 2024 Policy Address announced the reform of the ERB to enhance its role and positioning from providing employment-related training for low-skilled workers to devising skills-based training programmes and strategies for the entire workforce. Since January 2025, the ERB lifted the restriction on educational attainment of trainees and expanded the service targets to the entire workforce; increased the annual number of training places by at least 15 000; strengthened collaboration with higher education institutions and leading enterprises, etc; and enhanced career planning and job matching services, etc. In addition, the ERB is working out the details and timetable for medium- to long-term work, including how it could gauge and project future skills requirements, reposition itself and build a new branding, adjust its structure and staffing and amend the Employees Retraining Ordinance (the Ordinance). The ERB will submit its recommendations by the end of this year.
 
     The ERB’s operation is funded by the Employees Retraining Fund (ERF) under its administration. At present, the major sources of income of the ERF are investment return, Employees Retraining Levy (Levy) and course fees. In 2014, the Government injected $15 billion into the ERF for generating investment income to finance the services and operation of the ERB. In addition, the Government injected $2.5 billion into the ERF in 2020 to enable the ERB to implement the “Love Upgrading Special Scheme” and to meet the anticipated commitment arising from the increase in the statutory cap of monthly training allowance per trainee. On the Levy, all employers of workers imported under the labour importation schemes designated under the Ordinance are required to pay the Levy. The Levy is transferred to the ERF for the provision of training and retraining to local workers. In 2021-22 to 2023-24, the average annual Levy income was around $59 million. The ERB has to optimise the use of the Government injection and strive to operate on a financially sustainable basis with due regard to cost effectiveness.
 
     On the Member’s question, in consultation with the ERB, my reply is as follows:
 
(1) and (2) At present, the ERB provides three main types of training courses, namely placement-tied courses, skills upgrading courses and generic skills courses. Of these, placement-tied courses are tailored for the unemployed to assist them in acquiring industry-specific vocational skills to enhance their employability.
 
     Training bodies appointed by the ERB provide three to six-month placement follow-up services to all trainees who completed placement-tied courses (i.e. with an attendance rate of at least 80 per cent), such as provision of job vacancy information, arrangement of placement counselling and recruitment activities, to help them enter the employment market. In light of the reform measures recommended in the 2024 review, the ERB has strengthened its career planning and job matching services, etc. The ERB will explore ways to enhance the level of its career planning and employment support services, thereby providing more comprehensive career development support for its service targets.
 
     The employment decisions of trainees are affected by multiple factors such as the prevailing market situation, family factors and personal plans. In the past three years (2022-23 to 2024-25), the overall placement rates of ERB’s placement-tied courses were above 80 per cent. The ERB is unable to breakdown the placement rate by training courses as the number of such courses is substantial.
 
(3) At present, retraining allowance will be provided for full-time placement-tied courses with duration of seven days or more to subsidise trainees’ expenses for transport and meals during the period for attending the courses, with a view to encouraging and supporting citizens in receiving training. Trainees in placement-tied courses are required to pass the interviews conducted by training bodies to ascertain their intention to engage in employment. Only trainees who attain an attendance rate of at least 80 per cent are eligible to apply for retraining allowance. In addition, trainees can enrol in no more than two placement-tied courses within one year, and they are not allowed to apply for the same course, or course at a similar or lower level of competency in the same discipline as the course previously enrolled.
 
     The ERB keeps under review the arrangement for disbursement of retraining allowance and implements enhancements in a timely manner to ensure the effective use of training resources. Starting from April 1 this year, the ERB has tightened the number of times a trainee can apply for retraining allowance each year, from a maximum of two times within one year and four times within three years to no more than once a year, to ensure effective use of the ERB’s resources and that more citizens have access to training opportunities.
 
(4) The ERB closely observes the latest developments in the local employment market. To ensure that training courses meet the market demand, the ERB, during course development, conducts market research and demand analysis, consults stakeholders of various sectors such as employer associations, trade unions, the ERB’s relevant industry consultation networks, industry experts and technical advisors. This is to ensure that the training courses meet the market needs and complement the industry’s training needs. The ERB also conducts regular reviews of courses and make adjustments as needed after rolling out the courses.
 
     In terms of medium- to long-term measures, the ERB will strengthen its research capabilities to grasp the trends for prevailing and future skills demands and the manpower needs of different industries (including emerging sectors). The ERB will formulate an appropriate training framework to guide its training bodies to develop suitable courses to meet the upskilling needs of people with different backgrounds and educational attainments. The ERB will also strengthen collaboration with higher education institutions and leading enterprises to offer more and a wider diversity of courses on skills upgrading. 
     Apart from training courses for the general public, the ERB also provides dedicated youth programmes for young people aged 15 to 29 to assist them in acquiring vocational skills training and placement services. In the past three years (2022-23 to 2024-25), the number of intakes aged 15 to 29 was around 6 per cent of the total number of intakes of ERB courses. The number of intakes of the dedicated youth programmes was also on the rise.
 
     The ERB convenes regular meetings of the “Focus Group on Training for Youth” with representatives of employers, youth concern groups, social service sector, training bodies and the relevant government departments to review the dedicated youth programmes. The ERB also collects information on the employment and further studies of the graduates of placement-tied courses, to ensure that the courses align with the latest development and cater for the needs of the youth. The reformed ERB will continue to explore development of more skills-based and a wider diversity of courses to meet the upskilling needs of people with different backgrounds and educational attainments (including the youth).
 
(6) As of March 31, 2024, the ERF’s balance was around $13.5 billion. In 2021-22 to 2023-24, the ERF recorded deficits of around $970 million, $880 million and $930 million respectively. During the same period, the incomes of the ERF was around $610 million, $730 million and $640 million respectively, with interest income being the major income source; the ERB’s expenditure was around $1.59 billion, $1.6 billion and $1.57 billion respectively, with training courses and programme expenses being the major expenditure. The ERB will continue to closely monitor its financial position and report regularly to the full Board and its Finance and Administration Committee.
 
     The medium- to long-term work recommended in the comprehensive review comprises reforming the ERB’s functions, organisational structure and operating mode and consolidation of training resources. These involve amendments to the Ordinance and resources deployment. The ERB is further studying the medium- to long-term reform work with a view to submitting its recommendations to the Government by the end of this year. The Government will then study the follow-up work with the ERB and jointly implement the reform.

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

Source: Hong Kong Information Services

This year’s International Science, Technology & Innovation Forum, organised by the Boao Forum for Asia, will be held at the Convention & Exhibition Centre this Friday and Saturday.

Under the theme “Transitioning Towards the Future: Powered by Science, Technology & Innovation”, the forum will explore how to capitalise on Hong Kong’s unique advantage of being connected both to the Mainland and the outside world, and how to foster global co-operation in the field of innovation and technology (I&T).

Focusing on global innovation, the forum is one of the world’s major platforms for high-level I&T co-operation and exchanges.

Previously held in Macau, Guangzhou and Zhuhai, the forum is being held in Hong Kong for the first time this year. Cohosted by the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government and the Boao Forum for Asia, the event affirms Hong Kong’s advantages of as a highly internationalized city that is a gateway to both China and the world.

With an expected attendance of more than 800 top experts, scholars and political and economic leaders from Hong Kong and abroad, the forum will serve to deepen regional and international I&T collaboration, and accelerate Hong Kong’s development as an international I&T hub.

A Hong Kong Forum, themed “Leveraging the Advantages of Connecting with Both the Mainland & the World to Foster Global Innovation & Technology Collaboration”, will be staged on Saturday. It will bring together renowned experts, as well as political and business leaders from different fields, to explore how Hong Kong can fully leverage its unique advantages, in terms of internal and external connectivity, to promote collaboration among the Government, industry, academia, the research community and investors, with a view to fostering global I&T development.

Sub-forums, fringe sessions and roundtable events during the two-day conference will involve former foreign heads of state and political leaders, senior representatives of international organisations, renowned scientists and academics, entrepreneurs and youth leaders from various countries, sharing their insights on a host of issues in the I&T field.

Click here for more details on the forum.

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region