Author: MIL-OSI Publisher

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region – 4

     Following is a question by the Hon Louis Loong and a written reply by the Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury, Mr Christopher Hui, in the Legislative Council today (July 9):
 
Question:
 
     In order to help homeowners under the Mortgage Insurance Programme (MIP) meet their special needs arising from changes in personal or family circumstances, the HKMC Insurance Limited (HKMC) announced in August last year a new arrangement, in which a waiver of the owner occupancy requirement under MIP will be granted, on a case-by-case basis, to an eligible homeowner applying for renting out the property subject to the fulfilment of one of the following three conditions: (i) the homeowner’s family is expecting newborn(s) or adopting child(ren), resulting in a change in housing needs; (ii) the homeowner has become unemployed and requires more flexible housing or financial arrangements; or (iii) the homeowner has other special needs to rent out the property, and has been residing in the relevant property for not less than 12 months. In addition, homeowners whose applications are approved will be subject to undertakings that so long as the waiver is in effect, they or their spouses or cohabitants who are also obligors under the MIP should not purchase any additional residential properties in Hong Kong. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
 
(1) whether it knows the respective numbers of applications received and approved for waiver of the owner occupancy requirement by HKMC on the basis of the conditions (i), (ii) and (iii); and
 
(2) whether consideration will be given to the enhancement of the existing arrangement to provide further assistance to homeowners under MIP who wish to seek alternative accommodation by waiving their restriction on purchasing additional residential properties in Hong Kong for a period of up to 12 months, so as to give them a window of time to dispose of their properties under MIP upon acquisition of new properties; if not, of the reason for that?
 
Reply:
 
President,
 
     The Mortgage Insurance Programme (MIP) is administered by the HKMC Insurance Limited (HKMCI) for promoting home ownership in Hong Kong. In August 2024, the HKMCI put in place a new arrangement under the MIP to approve on a case-by-case basis eligible homeowners’ applications for renting out their self-occupied properties, so as to help them meet their special needs arising from changes in personal or family circumstances (new arrangement).
 
     After consulting the HKMCI, our reply to the two parts of the question is as follows:
 
(1) As of end-June 2025, the HKMCI has received about 1 800 applications for the new arrangement. Among them, 1 697 applications were approved, while the remaining applications were either rejected for not meeting the eligibility requirements or are under processing. The breakdowns of the applications approved are as follows:
 

 
(2) As the aim of the MIP is to promote home ownership, the owner occupancy requirement remains a key eligibility criterion of the MIP. The new arrangement is an exceptional measure that seeks to assist those with special needs. In fact, the MIP by nature is an insurance product, with credit risk being one of the key factors of consideration. If homeowners who have been given consent to rent out their properties under the MIP are allowed to purchase additional residential properties without having sold their existing ones, it is likely for the respective homeowners to take on extra financing liabilities on top of their current high loan-to-value ratio mortgage loans. This will bring additional credit risk to the MIP.
 
     The new arrangement has been launched for around one year and operating smoothly, offering substantial assistance to homeowners with special needs. The HKMCI has no plan to make changes to the new arrangement at the moment, and will keep the MIP under review from time to time in the light of the market circumstances.

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region – 4

     The Government today (July 9) invites tenders for a short-term tenancy (STT) of one lot of government land at Po Tai Street in Ma On Shan (STT No. STTST0065) to be used for a fee-paying public car park, with the installation of an automated parking system (APS) as the sixth APS project at a government STT site so far. The tenancy is for a fixed term of seven years and renewable thereafter on a half-yearly basis.

     A spokesman for the Transport Department said that the application of APS can utilise space more effectively and increase parking efficiency, alleviating the public demand for parking spaces. The Government is actively taking forward APS projects in suitable STT car parks. The first three APS projects at Hoi Shing Road in Tsuen Wan, Pak Shek Kok in Tai Po and Tung Chau Street in Sham Shui Po have already commenced services, providing about 180 automated parking spaces in total. The APS project at the STT car park at Hoi Wang Road in Yau Ma Tei is expected to be commissioned this year. In addition, APS will also be installed at the STT car park at Lok Wah Street in Tsz Wan Shan and the above project at Po Tai Street in Ma On Shan, and tendering is under way.

     Regarding the tender for the Ma On Shan project, under the tenancy agreement, the successful tenderer is required to erect, construct and install an APS at the site within 15 months from the commencement date of the tenancy, providing not less than 104 automated parking spaces out of a total minimum of 247 parking spaces. 

     The Tender Document can be obtained from the Lands Department website (www.landsd.gov.hk) or the following offices: 

1. The Survey and Mapping Office, Lands Department, 6/F, North Point Government Offices, 333 Java Road, North Point; and
2. The District Lands Office, Sha Tin, 11/F, Sha Tin Government Offices, 1 Sheung Wo Che Road, Sha Tin.

     Prospective tenderers must pay attention to all the requirements set out in the tender notice and the tenancy agreement of the tender document.

     Tenders must be deposited in the Public Works Tender Box situated at Room 503, 5/F, Low Block, Queensway Government Offices, 66 Queensway, Hong Kong, before noon on August 22 (Friday). Late tenders will not be accepted.

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region – 4

​The 2025 Maker in China SME Innovation and Entrepreneurship Global Contest – Hong Kong Chapter (MiCHK) opens for enrolment today (July 9). Hong Kong start-ups and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are welcome to join the contest, seizing the opportunity to expand into the Mainland market. The deadline for enrolment is August 20.
 
The contest focuses on frontier innovation and technology (I&T) fields that drive the development of new quality productive forces, including fintech, AI and big data, intelligent devices and robotics, smart living and smart mobility, third generation Internet and metaverse, semiconductors and integrated circuits, biomedicine and health, low-altitude economy and aerospace, new energy and green technology, as well as new materials.
 
The contest serves as a vital bridge for Hong Kong start-ups and SMEs to tap into the Mainland market, while also allowing Mainland investors and enterprises to know more about the local industry’s I&T products and solutions. The MiCHK 2025 Final will be held on September 25 this year, during which one-on-one business matching sessions will be arranged for the top 10 finalists to meet with investors and representatives of enterprises from the Mainland to promote financing and interfacing of businesses. In addition, the contesting teams will have the opportunity to receive support to participate in various start-up programmes and exhibition activities, and to showcase their potential innovative projects to different regions through multiple platforms. The champion, first runner-up and second runner-up will represent the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) to compete in the national-level Maker in China SME Innovation and Entrepreneurship Global Contest Final to be held in Guangzhou in the fourth quarter of this year, when they will compete with the winning teams of other regional chapters for the championship and opportunities to gain multifaceted support in connecting with Mainland investors, setting up businesses in Mainland entrepreneurial parks, and receiving guidance on outcome transformation.
 
The MiCHK 2025 is jointly organised by the Digital Policy Office of the HKSAR Government, the China Centre for Promotion of SME Development of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology of the People’s Republic of China, the Department of Youth Affairs of the Liaison Office of the Central People’s Government in the HKSAR, and the China International Cooperation Association of SMEs. It is formulated by the Hong Kong Cyberport Management Company Limited, the Angel Investment Foundation and the Guangzhou SME’s Promotion Association For Specialization Refinement Differentiation Innovation Development. For more details about the contest, please visit makerinchina.hk/.

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region – 4

Attention TV/radio announcers:

Please broadcast the following as soon as possible:

Here is an item of interest to swimmers.

The Leisure and Cultural Services Department announced today (July 9) that due to big waves, red flags have been hoisted at Hung Shing Yeh Beach and Pui O Beach in Islands District. Beachgoers are advised not to swim at these beaches.

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

Source: Hong Kong Information Services

The Government announced today a proposal to increase the tolls for the Aberdeen Tunnel and Shing Mun Tunnels to $8, the maximum fee for metered parking to $4 per 15 minutes and the fixed penalty for illegal parking to $400.

The current toll of the Aberdeen Tunnel and Shing Mun Tunnels for all vehicles throughout the day is $5.

The Transport & Logistics Bureau noted that the tolls for these two tunnels have not been adjusted for 34 years, during which time inflation has exceeded 130%, resulting in operational deficits. 

The $8 toll is expected to have a minimal impact on traffic, and the adjusted tolls will enable the tunnels to break-even in operations. The new tolls will be effective on September 21.

The Government also proposed to introduce an $8 toll for the Central Kowloon Bypass, which will be fully commissioned in 2026.

The bureau noted that the Central Kowloon Bypass will alleviate the current traffic congestion on major trunk roads in Kowloon, offering a shorter route with higher speeds, making it highly attractive to drivers.

If no toll is charged for the use of the Central Kowloon Bypass, it is expected that its utilisation rate will approach a saturation point shortly after its commissioning.

Taking into account the views of the Legislative Council Panel on Transport and the community, and to attract more motorists to use the bypass, the Government is proposing an $8 toll.

The proposed toll level will effectively divert approximately 20% of the overall traffic from saturated major roads in Kowloon, while reserving about 15% of spare capacity of the Central Kowloon Bypass to accommodate future traffic growth.

It will also recover nearly 80% of basic operational costs, and according to the efficiency-first principle, the fees payable by commercial and public transport vehicles will be consistent with the moderate toll charged for smaller private cars.

In addition, the Government proposed to revise the annual licence fee structure for electric private cars by charging licence fees based on their rated power.

A five-tier licence fee structure will be introduced and the adjustments will take five phases over six years to complete, to align with technological advancements and practices in other regions.

The new licence fee structure will take effect from November 1 and apply to newly registered electric private cars, while existing electric private cars will be granted a four-month grace period.

To optimise the use of limited parking resources, the Government proposes to increase the maximum fee for metered parking from $2 per 15 minutes to $4 per 15 minutes, viz. a maximum fee of $16 per hour to increase the turnover of vehicles using metered parking spaces to meet the short-term parking needs of motorists.

The new charges for metered parking spaces will take effect from September 28. The fees for metered parking spaces for goods vehicles, buses and coaches will be maintained at the existing level.

For the illegal parking fixed penalty, the Government proposed an increase of 25% from the current $320 to $400. The fixed penalties for 19 other traffic offences related to road safety and traffic congestion will be increased 50% to a new range of $480 to $1,500.

Legislative amendments regarding the adjustment of tunnel tolls, rationalising the licence fee structure and levels for electric private cars as well as adjustment of parking meter charges will be gazetted on July 18 and tabled at LegCo on July 23 for negative vetting.

As for the adjustment of fixed penalties for traffic offences, the Secretary for Transport & Logistics will move a motion at the LegCo meeting on July 30 to pass the resolutions.

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

The following is issued on behalf of the Hong Kong Housing Authority:

     The Hong Kong Housing Authority (HA) announced today (July 9) that the Sale of Green Form Subsidised Home Ownership Scheme (GSH) Flats 2024 (GSH 2024) will open for applications from eligible Green Form (GF) applicants for three weeks, starting from 8am on July 17 until 7pm on August 6.

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 Housing, Ms Winnie Ho, in the Legislative Council today (July 9):
 
Question:　

     According to the latest information of the Housing Department (HD), as at the end of March this year, the average waiting time for general applicants who were housed to public rental housing (PRH) in the past 12 months maintained at 5.3 years, reflecting that PRH supply is still in severe shortage. However, the Office of The Ombudsman, Hong Kong, launched a direct investigation in 2023 into the Housing for Senior Citizens (HSC) and converted one-person (C1P) units, which were introduced by the HD in the 1980s, pointing out that these units are outdated in design due to the need to share facilities such as bathrooms and kitchens, resulting in persistently high vacancy rates and failure to make effective deployment of public housing resources. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council: 
(2) Information on the vacancy period of HSC units is listed in Annex 3.
 
(3) The total number of PRH applicants who were allocated HSC units, and the number of refusals in the past three years are listed in Annex 4.
 
(4) The number of HS1 and C1P units converted into ordinary PRH flats in the past five years (from 2020 to 2024) and the respective PRH estates/courts are listed in Annex 5.
 
(5) It is the objective of the Government and the HA to provide PRH to low-income families who cannot afford private rental accommodation. Existing PRH resources (including HSC) should, as far as possible, be allocated to families or individuals on the PRH waiting list in accordance with established mechanisms to address their housing needs more directly and sustainably. Under the current policy, the purpose of existing transit centres and interim housing aim to meet temporary and transitional housing needs, and the current supply is sufficient to meet the demand. Currently, we have no plan to convert the vacant units into transit centre or interim housing.
 
     The Light Public Housing (LPH) initiative has progressed well, with about 9 500 units completed for intake this year, and around 20 300 units and the remaining 200 units expected to be completed by 2026 and early 2027 respectively, steadily moving towards the goal of completing about 30 000 LPH units by 2027. Converting the remaining small and scattered vacant units across various estates into LPH is not cost-effective. We will continue to work closely with the Social Welfare Department and social welfare organisations to encourage tenants residing in HS1 and C1P units to consider transfer by offering incentives and benefits, including joining the “Full Rent Exemption Scheme for Elderly Households” to enjoy lifetime rent exemption and domestic removal allowance, and appropriate support provided based on individual housing and welfare needs.

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region