Author: MIL-OSI Publisher

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

Hong Kong Customs shut down two suspected illicit cigarette storage centres in Sham Shui Po today (July 16), seizing a total of about 1 million suspected illicit cigarettes with an estimated market value of about $4.5 million and a duty potential of about $3.3 million. One 45-year old non-local man was arrested.

Customs officers conducted an anti-illicit cigarette operation in Sham Shui Po this afternoon and spotted a suspicious man moving some carton boxes near an illicit cigarette black spot in Kweilin Street. Customs officers then intercepted the man and found about 70 000 suspected illicit cigarettes. After follow-up investigations, about 80 000 and about 850 000 illicit cigarettes were uncovered respectively from two units at a nearby rear lane.

After preliminary investigations, Customs believes that the two suspected illicit cigarette storage centres have been operating for about three months, supplying illicit cigarettes to the aforesaid black spot. An investigation is ongoing.

Hong Kong Customs has been mounting a territory-wide enforcement operation codenamed “Thunder” since last week to combat illicit cigarette telephone-ordering activities, including illicit cigarette storage centres, black spots and peddling. Customs will continue its risk assessment and intelligence analysis for interception at source as well as through its multipronged enforcement strategy targeting storage, distribution and peddling to spare no effort in combating illicit cigarette activities.

Customs stresses that it is an offence to buy or sell illicit cigarettes. Under the Dutiable Commodities Ordinance, anyone involved in dealing with, possession of, selling or buying illicit cigarettes commits an offence. The maximum penalty upon conviction is a fine of $1 million and imprisonment for two years.

Members of the public may report any suspected illicit cigarette activities to Customs’ 24-hour hotline 182 8080 or its dedicated crime-reporting email account (crimereport@customs.gov.hk) or online form (eform.cefs.gov.hk/form/ced002).

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

The Government will gazette the Road Traffic (Construction and Maintenance of Vehicles) (Amendment) Regulation 2025 and the Road Traffic (Public Service Vehicles) (Amendment) Regulation 2025 this Friday (July 18). The Amendment Regulations seek to mandate the installation of Journey Recording Systems (JRS) on all taxis and require all taxi drivers to allow taxi fares to be paid by electronic payment means (e-payment means), with a view to enhancing the overall taxi service quality with technology and meeting public’s demand. 

A spokesperson for the Transport and Logistics Bureau said, “The JRS should be capable of making video recordings with audio inside a taxi compartment (in-vehicle recordings) as well as making video recordings of the clear front and rear views outside the taxi. It should also capture data concerning the location of the taxi via a global navigation satellite system and be properly sealed and examined. We believe that these functions will help deter taxi drivers’ malpractices, enhance driving safety of taxis and safeguard the interest of drivers and passengers in the event of disputes.”

To assist the trade in preparing for the new requirements relating to the JRS, the Transport Department (TD) will inform the trade of the relevant requirements through various channels, such as the TD’s website, the regular publication of the Taxi Newsletter, publicity leaflets and regular meetings with the taxi trade, in the second half of this year. The TD will also carry out works relating to the authorisation of suppliers starting from the fourth quarter of this year, so that the trade may start installing the JRSs inside taxi compartments in 2026. Upon completion of such installation on all taxis, the JRSs will be ready to come into operation and will have to be connected to the centralised Information System of the TD.

To protect the privacy of passengers and drivers, the recordings and data captured by the JRS should be encrypted. Only under specified purpose(s) (e.g. investigating any conduct that may constitute a traffic-related contravention under any law of Hong Kong), law enforcement agencies, the Commissioner for Transport and authorised persons can retrieve or access the in-vehicle recordings.  

“In addition, since many taxis now still accept cash only which has caused great inconvenience to passengers (especially tourists), our Amendment Regulation will require all taxi drivers to allow fares to be paid by e-payment means. To help drivers to prepare for the new requirement before it comes into effect, the TD will actively co-ordinate with various e-payment platforms in arranging workshops or briefings to assist drivers in learning how to collect fares through e-payment means. This requirement will come into operation on April 1, 2026,” the spokesperson added.

The Legislative Council (LegCo) Panel on Transport and the Transport Advisory Committee were briefed respectively on the proposals in December 2024 and Members were supportive of the proposals. The Amendment Regulations will be tabled at the LegCo on July 23, 2025 for negative vetting.

Details of the proposals and the commencement of the provisions relating to the JRS and e-payment means are set out in the LegCo brief issued by the Government today (July 16).

Source: Hong Kong Information Services

The Security Bureau today said all analogues of etomidate and another six substances will be listed as dangerous drugs under the law from Friday, following the publication of the Dangerous Drugs Ordinance (Amendment of First Schedule) (No. 2) Order 2025 in the Gazette that day.

The order, which is subject to the Legislative Council’s negative vetting procedure, will take effect on the same day.

The bureau said the amendment aims to deter any potential trafficking and abuse of those dangerous drugs, and will help fortify Hong Kong’s defence against drugs.

It added that illegal use of etomidate and its analogues are addictive and would seriously damage one’s health. 

The bureau also pointed out that recent scientific analysis has shown that certain analogues of etomidate may potentially be abused.

It highlighted that the Government is determined to safeguard the public, thus taking a pre-emptive step to strengthen the control of all etomidate analogues. 

Under the strict control of the Dangerous Drugs Ordinance, trafficking and manufacturing of those substances are liable to a maximum penalty of life imprisonment and a fine of $5 million.

Possession and consumption of those substances in contravention of the Dangerous Drugs Ordinance will be subject to a maximum penalty of seven years’ imprisonment and a fine of $1 million.

The bureau also said the Government has launched a preventive education and publicity strategy against the “space oil drug”, apart from legislation and law enforcement.

It added that the Government will continue to adopt targeted and innovative strategies to combat drug-related harm in partnership with the community. 

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region – 4

     Following is a question by the Hon Chan Siu-hung and a reply by the Secretary for Transport and Logistics, Ms Mable Chan, in the Legislative Council today (July 16):

Question:

The National Development and Reform Commission has earlier on emphasised the expansion of application scenarios for low-altitude economic activities in a well-classified and orderly manner, on the premise that risks be stringently controlled and safety be ensured. On promoting the safe and healthy development of the low-altitude economy industries, will the Government inform this Council:

(1) given that the establishment of a “visible and manageable” fully digitalised low-altitude airspace management system is a key element in managing and controlling the safe and orderly flights of a wide range of high-traffic-density and high-frequency aircrafts in the airspace, whether the Government has a timetable for the establishment of the system concerned; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that;

(2) as there are views pointing out that the data derived from the low-‍altitude economy have high economic values, and data security will have a direct impact on the efficiency and safety of the use of airspace, whether the Government will study the establishment of a data security system to promote standardised management and the safe and efficient use of low-altitude data, as well as to facilitate the transformation of data value; and

(3) whether it will, by drawing reference from the development experience in the Mainland and other places around the world, conduct quantitative analysis on the economic benefits brought about by low-altitude infrastructure and the related industries, and formulate a plan for development of such facilities through a public-‍private partnership approach, so as to attract more infrastructure investments; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?

Reply:

President,

Low-altitude economy (LAE) is a national strategic emerging industry and an example of developing new quality productive forces. For LAE to “fly far”, it must first “fly steady”. Therefore, safety is undoubtedly a prerequisite for LAE development.

In consultation with the Innovation, Technology and Industry Bureau, the Development Bureau (DEVB) and the Civil Aviation Department, the reply to the Hon Chan’s question is as follows:

(1) Robust low-altitude infrastructure is a critical element in ensuring the safe and orderly operation of low-altitude flying activities. Given Hong Kong’s unique urban landscape characterised by dense high-rise buildings and varied terrain, the low-altitude operating environment is particularly challenging. The establishment of digitalised low-altitude infrastructure, particularly the Smart Low-altitude Traffic Management System, coupled with the formulation of a comprehensive data policy, is essential to ensuring the safe, efficient, and sustainable development of LAE.

Building on the experience gathered from the Regulatory Sandbox (Sandbox) pilot projects, the Government will formulate the conceptual model and technical specifications for a Smart Low-altitude Traffic Management System. To implement these plans, the Government will commence a technical study within this year, drawing on the Mainland and international advanced practices to ensure that the technical parameters of low-altitude infrastructure, including the Smart Low-altitude Traffic Management System, are compatible with regional and international regulatory standards.

(2) The development of LAE will generate significant volumes of data resources such as flight data collected during unmanned aircraft operations, the secure and efficient utilisation of which will directly affect the industry’s development potential. In respect of data management and data security of government systems, the relevant bureaux and departments (B/Ds) at present must comply with the Government IT Security Policy and Guidelines, which require for example encrypting data both in transit and at rest, prohibiting the storage of sensitive and personal data on public cloud platforms, and conducting regular security risk assessments and audits as well as privacy impact assessments for B/Ds’ information systems. These measures aim to ensure that data are kept secure and reliable and meet all applicable legislative and regulatory requirements, including requirements on privacy protection of personal data.

Given the above and in accordance with the open data policy of the Government, data collected by LAE projects can, depending on the circumstances, be made available to the public via the existing digital infrastructures such as the Open Data Portal and the Common Spatial Data Infrastructure Portal (CSDI), thereby fostering more LAE-related applications and industry development. In fact, a considerable amount of data beneficial to the development of the LAE, e.g. maps, aerial photographs, 3D spatial data, building data, traffic data and weather data, etc, has already been shared with the industry through the aforementioned government data platforms, facilitating various sectors to explore more application scenarios of low-altitude flying activities and unlock the full potential of the data.

Furthermore, the DEVB, the Lands Department and relevant departments will jointly explore the feasibility of sharing LAE-related data through a unified platform, and build a three-dimensional information hub dedicated to low-altitude flying activities as a pilot project to conduct a proof-of-concept for sharing data collected by unmanned aircraft. This hub will make reference to the data sharing model of the Mainland and closely connect with the CSDI developed by the DEVB to unify and integrate data from different sources, and be equipped with relevant data dashboards to enable thematic information sharing between the Government and relevant stakeholders relating to low-altitude flying activities.

(3) The development of low-altitude infrastructure is a forward-looking systematic project. Through government guidance and cross-sector collaboration, it can accelerate industrial upgrading and drive the robust growth of LAE. In addition to the investment of government resources, we believe that private market participation is also an indispensable driving force, particularly in areas such as the construction of takeoff/landing sites and the planning of mobile radio communications network. Drawing reference from the experiences and various models adopted in the Mainland and other regions, we will proceed step-by-step in taking forward the relevant work on the development of LAE infrastructure. Throughout this process, the Government will, on the premises of safeguarding aviation and public safety, explore various operational models conducive to the development of LAE to foster long-term economic benefits.

At present, the Government is testing different low-altitude flying application scenarios, technical and site requirements, and cross-departmental regulatory co-ordination through the Sandbox pilot projects. The aims are to gather data, accumulate experience, and examine the infrastructure, safety standards, and legislative and regulatory framework necessary for LAE development, thereby providing trial experience and evidence-based foundation of various application scenarios for the planning of LAE development, including the feasible models for the construction of LAE infrastructure. Our vision is that while the Government creates a favourable ecosystem through top-level design, standard-setting, and institutional innovation, the private sector will drive industrial advancement through technological breakthrough and business model innovation. This public-private collaboration model will pave the way for the sustainable development of LAE in Hong Kong.

Thank you, President.

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region – 4

Hong Kong Customs on July 11 seized about 2.7 kilograms of suspected scheduled rhino horns, with an estimated market value of about $1 million, at Hong Kong International Airport.
 
Through risk assessment, Customs officers inspected two air postal packets declared to contain “ceramic ornament statues” imported from Spain. Upon inspection, the suspected scheduled endangered rhino horns were found mingled with ceramic products inside the cartons.
 
After a follow-up investigation, Customs officers arrested two men, aged 40 and 33, suspected to be connected with the case.
 
The two arrested men will be charged with illegal import of an Appendix I species. They will appear at the West Kowloon Magistrates’ Courts tomorrow (July 17).
 
Under the Protection of Endangered Species of Animals and Plants Ordinance, any person importing, exporting or possessing specimens of endangered species not in accordance with the Ordinance commits an offence and will be liable to a maximum fine of $10 million and imprisonment for 10 years upon conviction with the specimens forfeited.
 
Members of the public may report any suspected smuggling activities to Customs’ 24-hour hotline 182 8080 or its dedicated crime-reporting email account (crimereport@customs.gov.hk) or online form (eform.cefs.gov.hk/form/ced002).

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region – 4

Following is a question by the Hon Dennis Leung and a written reply by the Secretary for Transport and Logistics, Ms Mable Chan, in the Legislative Council today (July 16):

Question:

Last year, the Government conducted trials of diagonal crossings at the two crossroads at the junction of Sha Kok Street and Yat Tai Street in Sha Tin and the junction of Carnarvon Road and Granville Road in Tsim Sha Tsui. Some Tseung Kwan O residents have relayed that as the pedestrian flows at the crossroads at the junction of Tong Chun Street and Po Yap Road in Tseung Kwan O (the Tseung Kwan O crossroads) during different periods are extremely high, they hope that diagonal crossings can be tried out and implemented at that crossroads, so as to facilitate the travelling of local residents to and from MTR Tseung Kwan O Station. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:

(1) whether it has assessed and prepared a report on the effectiveness of the two trials of diagonal crossings in Sha Tin and Tsim Sha Tsui; if so, of the contents of the report; if not, when it will conduct such an assessment;

(2) whether it will include the Tseung Kwan O crossroads as a new trial location for diagonal crossings; if so, when the trial will be conducted; if not, of the reasons for that; and

(3) as there are views that while the Tseung Kwan O crossroads has five to six carriageways on each side with a diagonal distance of as long as 40 to 50 metres, its traffic signal cycle time is similar to that of other crossroads, leaving insufficient time for pedestrians to cross the road diagonally, whether the Government will consider readjusting the traffic signal timings at that crossroads, so as to facilitate a trial of diagonal crossings?

Reply:

President,

Diagonal crossing is one of the pedestrian-friendly crossing facilities introduced by the Transport Department (TD). Such facilities at appropriate junctions give pedestrians the choice to cross directly to a diagonal corner with shorter walking distance and time, thereby improving the walking environment. After consulting the TD, my consolidated response to the questions raised by the Hon Dennis Leung is as follows:

(1) To assess how road users navigate junctions and to evaluate the safety and detailed design of diagonal crossings, the TD has conducted trials at the junction of Sha Kok Street and Yat Tai Street in Sha Tin in the first half of 2024 and the junction of Carnarvon Road and Granville Road in Tsim Sha Tsui in the second half of 2024, which will help inform the development of design standards and guidelines for diagonal crossings that are appropriate for Hong Kong. As observed by the TD, the trial results have been positive so far. The trial junctions have been operating safely and smoothly, and reduced walking time for pedestrian crossing the junction diagonally. 

(2) and (3) In assessing the suitability of diagonal crossing implementation at individual junctions, the TD has to address the needs of different road users, as well as carefully consider the traffic characteristics (including factors such as traffic flow, pedestrian flow and junction layout, etc.) of individual junctions, examine the vehicular capacity of the junctions and its impact on nearby traffic, and explore different engineering options to establish the feasibility. As regards the cross junction of Tong Chun Street and Po Yap Road in Tseung Kwan O, given the relatively long crossing distance and busy traffic flow of the junction, the implementation of diagonal crossing will require significant adjustments to traffic signal (such as reduction of traffic green time) so as to allow sufficient time for pedestrians to cross the road diagonally in a safe manner and this may affect the traffic at the junction and its vicinity. 

In addition to the two trial junctions mentioned above, the TD is actively assessing the feasibility of diagonal crossing implementation at other signalised junctions, including locations suggested by the public and Legislative Council/District Council Members during the trial period, in order to further promote diagonal crossings. The TD anticipates that the assessment would be completed in the second half of this year with a view to selecting a new batch of suitable junctions for implementation. Thereafter, the TD will progressively plan and take forward the associated works in the light of the assessment results, the specific conditions of the sites and the complexity of the works involved.

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region – 4

     Following is a question by the Hon Shang Hailong and a written reply by the Secretary for Labour and Welfare, Mr Chris Sun, in the Legislative Council today (July 16):

Question:

     It has been reported that Hong Kong’s fertility rate has remained persistently low in recent years, with the total fertility rate for 2023 standing at only 0.8, which is significantly below the replacement level of 2.1 required to maintain the population level. This situation presents profound challenges to Hong Kong’s future economic development, public service demands and workforce structure. The latest report published by the United Nations Population Fund indicates that the primary cause of the global decline in fertility rates is insufficient “reproductive autonomy”, which includes structural barriers such as economic pressure, gender inequality, lack of partner support and want of comprehensive reproductive health services. There are views that Hong Kong’s current pro-natalist policies largely focus on providing short-term economic incentives (e.g. allowances and increased maternity leave) without formulating long-term strategies to address the aforementioned structural barriers. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:

(1) whether it will conduct a comprehensive review of the effectiveness of the existing pro-natalist measures, and propose ground-breaking policies to address the current structural economic issues faced by citizens (such as high housing costs, intense educational competition, and job instability); 

(2) given that a survey has reportedly indicated that only 22 per cent of enterprises offer family-friendly measures beyond those required by law, whether the authorities will consider implementing a “family-friendly workplace certification” programme, through which enhanced subsidies would be provided to enterprises to offer more flexible working arrangements and childrearing support; 

(3)whether the authorities will consider drawing on overseas and the Mainland experiences to actively expand the childcare service network, such as by exploring the introduction of a “neighbourhood childcare voucher scheme”, subsidising parents to use qualified private childcare services within their communities, or making better use of idle government sites or community facilities in commercial areas to establish more childcare service centres; and 

(4) whether the authorities will consider allowing “top talent”, “quality migrants” and “professionals” admitted under various talent admission schemes to apply for the Newborn Baby Bonus scheme, with a view to encouraging more talent to stay in Hong Kong and contribute to its development?

Reply:

President,

     The issue of childbearing straddles across a number of policy areas and bureaux, including the Deputy Chief Secretary for Administration’s Office, the Labour and Welfare Bureau, the Education Bureau, the Home and Youth Affairs Bureau, the Financial Services and the Treasury Bureau, the Health Bureau and the Housing Bureau. A consolidated reply by relevant government bureaux and departments is as follows:

(1) Childbearing is a major life decision which involves different considerations. Fertility cannot be boosted substantially by Government’s policies alone. Various government bureaux and departments have adopted a range of measures to encourage fertility.

     In respect of child care, the Government has been supporting parents who cannot take care of their children temporarily through subsidising NGOs to provide a variety of day child care services, including Child Care Centre (CCC) services for children aged from birth to under three, After School Care Programme and Neighbourhood Support Child Care Project (NSCCP). To strengthen support for working families in childbearing, the Social Welfare Department (SWD) is setting up 11 aided standalone CCCs in phases over the three years starting from 2024, doubling the total number of service places to reach around 2 000. The SWD is also extending the After School Care Programme for pre-primary children to cover all districts in phases, and increasing the number of service places under the NSCCP to 2 500 with the estimated number of beneficiaries increasing to 25 000. The Government has also launched the School-based After School Care Service Scheme to provide focused support for students in need (particularly those from single-parent families) to stay in school after school hours for care and learning support, thereby allowing their parents to take up jobs. Over 120 primary schools covering 18 districts across the territory participated in the scheme in the 2024/25 school year, providing about 6 000 places. We will encourage more schools to participate in the scheme in the 2025/26 school year without imposing any quota. Meanwhile, the Government reviews the Working Family Allowance (WFA) Scheme from time to time. The rates of the household and child allowances under the WFA Scheme have been increased by 15 per cent across the board with effect from April 2024, benefiting all households receiving the WFA. The WFA Scheme provides additional allowances for relevant childbearing families, and increasing the rates of the WFA helps further alleviate the burden of grassroots working families. Taking a four-person household with two eligible children as an example, the maximum monthly WFA they may receive have increased from the original amount of $4,200 to $4,830 at present.

Hong Kong’s education system values equity and diversity. The government provides 12 years’ free primary and secondary education through public sector schools, and ensures the provision of sufficient public sector school places for students eligible for receiving education in Hong Kong. Regardless of students’ backgrounds, all are given access to quality education. Diversified support mechanisms are in place to cater to individual differences and promote whole-person development. Our competitive edge is clearly reflected in the excellent performance of Hong Kong students in international studies and assessments. The Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) 2022 results underscore Hong Kong’s outstanding performance in educational equity. Hong Kong ranked second among countries or economies with high academic achievements, indicating that the family socio-economic status of Hong Kong students, including occupation and education level of their parents, had minimal bearing on their performance. This demonstrates that, under our education system, schools are able to provide ample and appropriate education support services for students with different socio-economic backgrounds. The results reaffirmed the merits of the Hong Kong education system in providing all students with quality and equal education opportunities, thereby facilitating social mobility. Besides, the Government has launched the Kindergarten Education Scheme since the 2017/18 school year with the objectives of providing good quality and highly affordable kindergarten education, and enhancing the accessibility of students to different modes of services that suit their specific needs. About 90 per cent of half-day kindergartens are currently free of charge, while the school fees for whole-day kindergartens are maintained at a low level. Families with financial needs may apply for fee remission under the Kindergarten and Child Care Centre Fee Remission Scheme (KCFRS). At present, parents can receive full level of fee remission under the KCFRS.

     The Home and Youth Affairs Bureau (HYAB) has been supporting the work of the Family Council (the Council) in promoting a culture of loving families to the general public through organising different publicity programmes and activities. In October 2024, the HYAB and the Council launched the five-year Funding Scheme on the Promotion of Family Education (the Scheme). With annual funding of $8 million, the Scheme subsidises non-profit-making community projects in promoting family education to meet the needs of different families. For the 2024-25 round of applications, a total of 12 projects have been approved. On the other hand, the Council has been encouraging the wider adoption of more diversified and flexible family-friendly employment practices (FFEPs) in the community. These measures will also help promote a childbearing-friendly environment. Since 2023-24, the Council has been launching promotional videos entitled “Family-friendly Workplace” featuring various FFEPs adopted by local companies with sharings by employers and employees. The FFEPs presented include breastfeeding-friendly arrangements, allowing employees to bring their children to work during summer vacation, work-from-home arrangement and flexible work hours, etc. The Council has also collaborated with the Radio Television Hong Kong to produce radio programmes to promulgate different FFEPs. The Council will continue the relevant promotion work.

     In terms of tax measures, the basic child allowance and the additional child allowance for each child born during the year of assessment (YA) have been raised to $130,000 starting from YA 2023/24. Moreover, starting from YA 2024/25, for taxpayers who live with their children born on or after October 25, 2023, and meet the prescribed conditions, the deduction ceiling for home loan interest or domestic rents may be raised from $100,000 to $120,000 for a maximum of 19 YAs. These measures help alleviate the financial burden of taxpayers from raising children.

     As regards healthcare services, the Government has been committed to supporting assisted reproductive (AR) services and promoting healthy fertility, to assist those who wish to have children. Currently, nine public hospitals under the Hospital Authority (HA) offer assisted reproductive services, among which Queen Mary Hospital, Prince of Wales Hospital, and Kwong Wah Hospital provide in-vitro fertilisation (IVF) services. The HA is gradually increasing the publicly subsidised service quotas of assisted reproductive services for IVF treatment starting from 2024-25, from the previous 1 100 per year to 1 800 per year in 2028-29, and in parallel enhancing the training for relevant professionals. Achievement of the relevant target is underway, where the HA provided 100 additional subsidised service quotas in 2024-25 as planned, and 300 more quotas will be in place in 2025-26, followed by an additional service quota of 100 places per year in the three years that follow. In addition, the HA repositioned seven AR drugs from self-financed items to special drugs in the HA Drug Formulary in late April this year, whereby patients are only required to pay standard fees if prescribed these seven drugs under specified clinical applications, reducing the financial burden on patients receiving the relevant AR drug therapies. Aside from public AR services, starting from the year of assessment 2024-25, the Government is providing tax deductions for expenses on AR services under salaries tax and personal assessment, to relieve the financial burden from the relevant expenditure and encourage couples faced with fertility difficulties to seek medical assistance as necessary. In the meantime, the Department of Health will also revamp maternal and child health and family planning services, providing new pre-pregnancy health services to reproductive age group women at the Maternal and Child Health Centres in phases, as well as review and adjust the scope of the subsidised family planning service currently provided by non-government organisations, to promote healthy fertility. Furthermore, the Council on Human Reproductive Technology plans to lift the statutory maximum storage periods of gametes and embryos for own use within this year, to allow the members of the public to make their own decisions on the storage duration of gametes and embryos depending on their health and other conditions, so as to better realise reproductive autonomy.

     In respect of housing, the Hong Kong Housing Authority (HA) has implemented the Families with Newborns Allocation Priority Scheme and the Families with Newborns Flat Selection Priority Scheme to encourage childbearing by giving incentives to family applicants of public rental housing (PRH) and subsidised sale flats (SSF) sale exercises. Regarding the allocation of PRH, the HA has implemented the Families with Newborns Allocation Priority Scheme since April 1, 2024. PRH family applications with babies born on or after October 25, 2023, and aged one or below are credited one year of waiting time. As at end-June 2025, about 5 000 PRH applications have been credited one year of waiting time under the scheme, of which about 420 families have already been successfully housed to PRH. As for SSF, starting from the Sale of Home Ownership Scheme (HOS) Flats 2024 (HOS 2024), the HA has implemented the Families with Newborns Flat Selection Priority Scheme which was announced in the 2023 Policy Address. A quota of about 40 per cent of the new flats for sale (i.e. 2 900 flats) under HOS 2024 were set aside for eligible applicants under the Families with Newborns Flat Selection Priority Scheme and the Priority Scheme for Families with Elderly Members for balloting and priority flat selection. Family applicants of HOS with babies born or after October 25, 2023, are eligible if their children are aged three or below on the closing day of the application. During the application period of HOS 2024, the HA received a total of around 106 000 applications. Among them, around 50 000 were family applicants, of which around 19 000 (i.e. about 40 per cent) applied under the Priority Scheme for Families with Elderly Members and Families with Newborns Flat Selection Priority Scheme. Among these 19 000 applicants, 800 applicants have successfully purchased flats through the Families with Newborns Flat Selection Priority Scheme. If eligible families applying under the Families with Newborns Flat Selection Priority Scheme fail to purchase a flat under HOS 2024, they may still apply under the Scheme for priority flat selection as long as their children are aged three or below on the closing day of the application in subsequent SSF sale exercises.

(2) Through publicity and promotional activities, the Labour Department (LD) motivates employers to adopt employee-oriented good human resources management measures and implement family-friendly employment practices, including allowing flexible work arrangements, granting special leave approval to cater for family needs of employees and providing relevant support to employees’ family life, etc. Implementing FFEPs enables employees to balance the needs of taking care of their family, and also helps employers recruit and retain staff. Considering the diverse circumstances of enterprises, it is more appropriate to adopt an approach that motivates and encourages enterprises to flexibly implement FFEPs. The LD will continue to take forward relevant work by launching publicity and promotion through various channels, including organising activities on the Good Employer Charter.

(3) As regards the network of child care services, the SWD is setting up 11 aided standalone CCCs in phases over the three years starting from 2024. The SWD has been continuously reviewing the service planning for CCCs and would consider the overall situations of child care services and the characteristics of individual districts so as to take follow-up measures in a timely manner, including enhancing service promotion, and adjusting the planned provision of CCCs and the distribution of service places, etc., to better meet the service demand of the community.

     Regarding the planning for child care facilities, the Government has incorporated the population-based planning ratios into the Hong Kong Planning Standards and Guidelines in respect of aided standalone CCCs, with a view to reserving necessary sites and space for these facilities early in the planning process of new and redeveloped areas. The SWD has been maintaining close contact with relevant departments to identify suitable sites in various development or redevelopment of public housing estates and urban renewal projects for the provision of child care facilities. In addition, the SWD will make the best use of vacant government accommodation/premises and vacant non-domestic premises in public housing estates to explore whether they are suitable for the use of child care facilities. The SWD will also provide relevant information and assistance to private organisations applying for registration to operate CCCs, and encourage private organisations to provide child care support for their employees.

(4) The Government announced in the 2023 Policy Address that a cash reward of $20,000 will be provided to eligible parents for each baby born from October 25, 2023, for a period of three years. Starting from October 25, 2023, parents can submit an application for the bonus at the same time when registering the birth of their baby and applying for a birth certificate. As of end-June 2025, a total of 49 567 qualified applications have been received, and the bonus has been distributed to 48 984 applicants, at a total amount of approximately $979 million. The Office of the Deputy Chief Secretary for Administration is carrying out a review of the Newborn Baby Bonus Scheme. In the review, suggestions which have been raised in the community, including whether to cover families under different talent schemes, will be considered. 

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region – 4

The 2024 Annual Report of the Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) Complaints Committee was tabled in the Legislative Council today (July 16). The report gives a summary of the Committee’s work in 2024.

The Committee is tasked with the responsibility of monitoring the handling of non-criminal complaints against the ICAC and its officers. The Committee takes an independent view on the ICAC’s investigation findings on the complaints received, reviews the ICAC’s procedures which may lead to complaints, and makes recommendations for improvement.

In 2024, the Committee received 13 complaints involving 53 allegations against the ICAC or its officers which required full investigations. Among the allegations registered in 2024, 92 per cent were related to neglect of duties by ICAC officers, 6 per cent to misconduct matters and 2 per cent to abuse of power.   

The ICAC submits investigation reports to the Committee after conducting full investigations on complaint cases. During 2024, the Committee considered the investigation reports of 17 complaint cases including 13 cases received in 2024 and four cases received in 2023 for which the related investigation was completed in 2024. These complaints contained a total of 66 allegations in which one allegation involving one ICAC officer was found to be substantiated. In this year, the Committee also considered and endorsed six assessment reports submitted by the ICAC for complaints which did not warrant a full investigation. Preliminary assessments showed that the six cases were irrational complaints or had already been dealt with during the court trial with a decision made, and the Committee agreed that no further investigative actions should be taken.

After a careful examination of the issues identified in the investigation reports considered during 2024, the ICAC has strengthened training programmes for frontline officers to enhance their vigilance and professionalism when discharging their duties.

The annual report of the Committee is available on the Administration Wing’s website (www.admwing.gov.hk/eng/links/icac.htm) and also at the ICAC’s regional offices.

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region – 4

A spokesperson for the Security Bureau said today (July 16) that following the publication of the Dangerous Drugs Ordinance (Amendment of First Schedule) (No. 2) Order 2025 (DDO Order) in the Gazette on Friday (July 18), (a) all analogues of etomidate; and (b) another six substances, will be listed as dangerous drugs under the law. 

The DDO Order will take effect upon its gazettal on July 18, 2025. The DDO Order is subject to the negative vetting procedure of the Legislative Council. Details including the justifications of the legislative proposal could be found from the brief for the Legislative Council issued today at the Annex.  
 
The DDO Order would impose control on the following substances by placing them under the First Schedule to the Dangerous Drugs Ordinance (DDO) (Cap. 134):

(1) all analogues of etomidate; and 
(2) six substances, namely, (i) N-Pyrrolidino protonitazene; (ii) N-Pyrrolidino metonitazene; (iii) N-Piperidinyl etonitazene; (iv) N-Desethyl isotonitazene; (v) hexahydro derivatives of cannabinol and their 3-alkyl homologues (including hexahydrocannabinol (HHC)); and (vi) carisoprodol.   

The listing of the six substances in sub-paragraph (2) above is based on the latest international control regime. These six substances are not related to the “space oil drug”.

The spokesperson said, “Illegal use of etomidate and its analogues are addictive and would seriously damage one’s health.  Recent scientific analysis has shown that certain analogues of etomidate may potentially be abused. The Government is determined to safeguard the public and so we are taking a pre-emptive step to strengthen the control of all etomidate analogues. From July 18, all etomidate analogues, including but not limited to isopropoxate, metomidate, and propoxate, will become dangerous drugs.” Under the strict control of the DDO, trafficking and manufacturing of these substances are liable to a maximum penalty of life imprisonment and a fine of $5 million. Possession and consumption of these substances in contravention of the DDO will be subject to a maximum penalty of seven years’ imprisonment and a fine of $1 million.

     “Beyond legislation and law enforcement, the Government has launched a preventive education and publicity strategy against the ‘space oil drug’. The Government will continue to adopt targeted and innovative strategies to combat drug-related harm in partnership with the community,” the spokesperson said. 

The spokesperson added, “The amendment aims to deter any potential trafficking and abuse of these dangerous drugs. This will help fortify Hong Kong’s defence against drugs.”