Author: MIL-OSI Publisher

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

Following is a question by the Hon Kingsley Wong and a written reply by the Acting Secretary for Health, Dr Libby Lee, in the Legislative Council today (May 21):

Question:

There are views that the content of the Licensing Examination (LE) administered by the Medical Council of Hong Kong (MCHK) is too difficult and its syllabus far exceeds clinical needs, resulting in low pass rates. However, there are also views pointing out that despite its high level of difficulty, LE can ensure that passing candidates are capable of coping with the medical environment in Hong Kong. In addition, a member of the public has relayed to me that he had requested past LE examination papers and the relevant examination information from the Department of Health (DH), but DH pointed out that such information was in the possession of MCHK, which refused to disclose it. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:

(1) whether it has studied if the authorities have the power to access or require MCHK to submit and disclose information, including the examination papers and marking criteria of LE; whether DH has reviewed the LE examination papers and kept full records of the relevant examination materials; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that;

(2) as there have been criticisms that the inclusion of a large number of questions on specialties and rare diseases in LE is a deliberate attempt to create difficulties for overseas candidates, how the authorities ensure that the difficulty of LE examination papers is at a reasonable level while respecting the professional autonomy of MCHK; whether the Director of Health or his/her representative, as an ex officio member of MCHK, has participated in the design of LE examination papers, including giving opinions on the scope and questions of the examination; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that;

(3) as there are views that MCHK’s non-disclosure of past LE examination papers undermines candidates’ learning and makes it difficult for the community to fairly assess the difficulty of the examination papers, whether the authorities and MCHK will explore the disclosure or restricted disclosure of past LE examination papers; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; and

(4) as there are views pointing out that the “Useful Resources” on MCHK’s current website are too simplistic and the number of “Sample Questions” available is insufficient, whether it knows if MCHK will enhance its website and introduce measures to further facilitate overseas candidates in preparing for LE?

Reply:

President,

In response to the questions raised by the Hon Kingsley Wong, after consulting the Medical Council of Hong Kong (MCHK), the consolidated reply is set out below.

The registration and examination of healthcare professionals are matters pertaining to the professional standard and conduct of the sector. Their regulation is administered by the statutory boards or councils of the professions. The regulatory authorities must be accountable to the public when discharging their duties, ensuring Hong Kong’s medical professional standard while protecting the health of citizens and safeguarding the overall interest of society. The Government’s role is to ensure, through effective administrative arrangements, that the boards and councils of the respective professions perform their regulatory duties in accordance with their statutory functions and powers.

The MCHK is an independent statutory body established under the Medical Registration Ordinance (MRO) (Cap. 161) empowered to handle registration and disciplinary regulation of medical practitioners in Hong Kong. Section 7 of the MRO provides that the MCHK shall set a Licensing Examination (LE), the passing of which shows the achievement of a standard acceptable for registration as a medical practitioner. The conduct of LE by the MCHK aims to ensure that those who wish to register as medical practitioners in Hong Kong after having received medical training elsewhere have attained a professional standard comparable to that of the local medical graduates, thereby safeguarding the quality of healthcare services and public health. The MCHK will regularly review the contents of the LE, and provides information to enable non-locally trained doctors who intend to sit for the LE to understand the format and contents of the LE.

The LE consists of three parts: namely Part I Examination in Professional Knowledge, Part II Proficiency Test in Medical English and Part III Clinical Examination. The MCHK adopts a number of measures in organising the LE to ensure that its level and assessment standards are comparable to those of the medical examinations of the two universities in Hong Kong. Among them, the MCHK has set up different sub-committees responsible for matters related to the LE, including organising the LE, approving examination questions and maintaining a database of examination questions, considering and deciding on the eligibility of applicants to sit for the LE, and processing candidates’ applications for review. To ensure representativeness, the sub-committees include representatives from public and private healthcare institutions, the medical schools and the Department of Health. In addition, the two medical schools in Hong Kong will appoint local and non-local medical experts with profound knowledge in relevant disciplines as examiners for each part of the LE to ensure that the quality and level of the examination meet the requirements. These experts will also offer recommendations to further refine the examination contents and arrangements. For Part I Examination in Professional Knowledge, the questions are chosen from the database of examination questions at comparable level as the medical examination of the two medical schools, hence not suitable for publication.

To enhance the transparency of the LE and to increase candidates’ understanding of the LE, the MCHK set up an information portal on the LE in October 2018 (leip.mchk.org.hk). Relevant information of the LE, such as examination formats, sample questions, list of suggested readings, videos of the Clinical Examination and general information about the LE, is available in the LE Information Portal for reference by the public and non-locally trained doctors who intend to seek registration as medical practitioners in Hong Kong. The MCHK reviews and enhances the online portal from time to time, including increasing the number of sample questions, to facilitate candidates in preparing for the LE.

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

Following is a question by Dr the Hon Tik Chi-yuen and a written reply by the Acting Secretary for Health, Dr Libby Lee, in the Legislative Council today (May 21):

Question:

Launched by the Government in late 2016, the Pilot Accredited Registers Scheme for Healthcare Professions (the Scheme) aims to enhance the current society-based registration arrangement of healthcare professions under the principle of professional autonomy, and ensure the professional competency of relevant healthcare professionals. However, there are views pointing out that the implementation of the Scheme has been slow and lacks transparency. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:

(1) whether the Government will assess the effectiveness of the Scheme and submit reports on the Scheme; if so, of the details and timetable; if not, the reasons for that;

(2) whether the Government will provide professional bodies intending to apply for the Scheme with specific reference materials on accreditation applications to enhance the fairness and transparency of the Scheme; if so, of the details (including the timetable); if not, the reasons for that;

(3) whether the Government will establish a formal appeal channel or re-application mechanism for the Scheme, and explain the reasons to professional bodies whose applications are rejected, and proactively assist them in improving their standards in order to meet the accreditation requirements in future; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that;

(4) as the Government has indicated that the Scheme will serve a basis for it to study how to formulate a statutory registration regime for relevant accredited professions, of the progress and timetable of the relevant work; and

(5) as it is learnt that the Professional Standards Authority for Health and Social Care of the United Kingdom has categorised certain types of psychologists (e.g. counselling psychologists, clinical psychologists, and educational psychologists) into one profession (i.e. “Practitioner Psychologists”) and established a registration system for them, whether the Government will consider drawing on such practice and standardise the categorisation of local psychologists as practitioner psychologists for professional registration?

Reply:

President,

The Government introduced the Pilot Accredited Registers Scheme for Healthcare Professions (AR Scheme) in end-2016 to optimise the society-based registration regulatory regime, ensure professional standards of healthcare professionals and enhance information transparency, thereby facilitating the selection of qualified service providers by the public. The Jockey Club School of Public Health and Primary Care of the Chinese University of Hong Kong has been appointed as the Accreditation Agent of the AR Scheme to carry out accreditation procedures for participating healthcare professional bodies. Relevant healthcare professional bodies will only be granted accreditation status upon passing the accreditation assessment.

The reply in response to the question raised by Dr the Hon Tik Chi-yuen is as follows:

(1) to (3)

AR Scheme

The AR Scheme is operated according to the principle of “One Profession, One Professional Body, One Register”. To ensure effective governance structures in professional bodies and professional standards of their members, the Accreditation Agent has established accreditation standards to be met by professional bodies on: (1) governance, (2) operational effectiveness, (3) standards for registrants, (4) educational and training requirements, and (5) management of the register. The Accreditation Agent will review the accreditation standards from time to time, taking into consideration relevant researches, evidence, policies, regulations and developments in healthcare professions, and consult relevant stakeholders. Accreditation standards of the AR Scheme are publicly available information and are published on the Scheme’s dedicated website. As specified in the publicly available information, if an applying professional body disagrees with the Accreditation Agent’s decision regarding its application for accreditation and can demonstrate that there are grounds for appeal, it may submit an appeal to the Appeal Board of the AR Scheme. After making a determination on the appeal, the Appeal Board will provide the applying body with a response explaining the reasons for its determination.

The AR Scheme accepted applications from late December 2016 to mid-February 2017, during which applications were received from a total of 15 healthcare professions. After assessment of the applications, the Accreditation Agent determined that five healthcare professions met the eligibility criteria to undergo the accreditation process of the Pilot Scheme, namely speech therapists, clinical psychologists, educational psychologists, audiologists, and dietitians. Since 2018, one professional body from each of the five healthcare professions has passed the accreditation assessment and was granted full accreditation status. The five accredited professional bodies have already passed the accreditation assessment in two accreditation cycles. The Accreditation Agent has commenced a review on the effectiveness of the first accreditation cycle and will make recommendations on how to enhance the AR Scheme and the way forward. It will soon finalise the final report for submission to the Government. Preliminarily, the Accreditation Agent affirms that the AR Scheme has been operating smoothly in general and has achieved the objective of ensuring professional standards of healthcare professionals, while enabling members of the public to make decisions in choosing healthcare services by providing them with more information.

Considering the development of the other healthcare professions, the Government will continue to make reference to the review and recommendations of the Accreditation Agent in driving forward the AR Scheme. The Government has no plan at present to further expand the scope of professions covered by the Scheme.

(4) and (5) In general, modes of regulation of healthcare professionals include mandatory statutory registration regime, registration under accredited schemes and voluntary registration under a society-based arrangement. These modes of regulation have different levels of regulation on professions. A mandatory statutory registration regime is not the only effective mode of regulation, nor is it applicable to the actual situation of all healthcare professions.

The Government’s policy on the regulation approach for healthcare professions is to adopt a risk-based approach in determining the most suitable mode of regulation applicable to an individual healthcare profession, based on the level of risk posed on public health, healthcare quality and public safety when providing services. In general, the Government will prioritise the implementation of mandatory statutory registration regimes for healthcare professionals involved in medical procedures which are invasive or of a higher risk. At the same time, the Government will also maintain communication with the professions and adopt appropriate modes of regulation taking into consideration the actual situation of the development of various healthcare professions.

The purpose of introducing the AR Scheme is to encourage individual healthcare professions to implement a voluntary registration arrangement under the principle of professional autonomy, so as to enhance the representativeness of healthcare professional bodies, forge consensus and promote professional development. Accredited bodies should focus on strengthening the promotion of their accreditation status and enhancing their professional representation in order to attract more healthcare professionals to apply for registration. Under the risk-based approach, the Government has no plan at present to legislate in respect of the relevant healthcare professions to set up statutory registration regimes.

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

Following is a question by the Hon Chan Chun-ying and a reply by the Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism, Miss Rosanna Law, in the Legislative Council today (May 21):

Question:

It is learnt that due to the prevalence of digitisation and changes in the reading habits of members of the public, the number of visits to public libraries and the number of materials on loan have both dropped significantly in recent years, and quite a number of overseas libraries have gradually transformed themselves from conventional institutions for collecting and lending books into diversified spaces functioning as community centres with intelligent services. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:

(1) of the following information about public libraries for the past two years: (i) the numbers of circulations of physical books, e-books and multimedia items and their year-on-year rates of change, (ii) the expenditure on purchasing such items and its percentage in the overall library expenditure, (iii) the number of visits, (iv) the number of newly registered users, and (v) the number of readers borrowing physical materials;

(2) whether it has reviewed the functions and services of public libraries to ensure that the allocation of resources can meet the needs of the community; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; and

(3) whether it has drawn on the library models of other cities to push forward the modernisation and transformation of Hong Kong’s public libraries in terms of innovative design, application of intelligent technology, community services and so on, as well as to expand their functions and services; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?

Reply:

President,

My consolidated reply to various parts of the question raised by the Hon Chan Chun-ying is as follows:

Under the Leisure and Cultural Services Department (LCSD), there are 71 static libraries, 12 mobile libraries and 3 self-service library stations that offer round-the-clock services, providing free and comprehensive library services for the public.

In the past 2 years, the number of visits to the libraries increased from 21.49 million in 2023 to 23.83 million in 2024. The number of loans of physical books increased from 28.75 million items to 28.97 million items, while that of multimedia materials increased slightly from 616 000 items to 617 000 items. On the other hand, as more people visited the libraries and borrowed physical books, the number of loans of e-books decreased from 2.56 million items to 2.32 million items. In 2023 and 2024, the number of newly registered readers was 43 000 and 38 000 respectively, while the number of readers who borrowed physical materials was 620 000 and 600 000 respectively.

The expenditure on the acquisition of library materials maintained at about $100 million in the financial years of 2023-24 and 2024-25, accounting for about 7 per cent of the overall expenditure of the libraries in the respective financial years.

Libraries in different regions have been facing the challenge of declining patronage due to the availability of more free information online. To facilitate the sustainable development of the libraries, the LCSD has implemented the strategic plan of libraries from 2020 to 2025 to enhance existing facilities and library networks; raise public awareness of the physical collection and electronic resources; launch large-scale reading promotion activities to promote reading interests and expand readership; and enhance library services through the application of information technology. The libraries also conduct opinion surveys through annual Reader Liaison Group gatherings to better understand the reading habits and needs of readers.

At present, the LCSD enhances its library services on various aspects, including planning, library collections, services and application of technology, etc. When planning new library facilities, the LCSD will make reference to the experience of Mainland and overseas libraries, with a view to making a library into a community gathering place. The demographics and needs of different communities will be taken into account when planning the functions, design, services and facilities of libraries to ensure that library services will meet the needs of residents of different age groups in the community. Taking Sham Shui Po Public Library commissioned in 2023 as an example, considering the greater number of young families in the district, a parent-child reading corner and a game wall are specifically provided in its children’s library where the facilities are tailor-made for paired reading by young readers and families. A leisure reading area is also set up in the adult library to provide a comfortable reading environment for patrons, and a create • info zone equipped with more multimedia digital service facilities is provided for the youth. Besides, the library also caters for the needs of the elderly in the district by providing desktop video magnifiers in the newspapers and periodicals section to bring convenience to them when reading newspapers and magazines.

On library collections, the LCSD keeps gathering and analysing usage data of its library collections, including both physical and e-books, for understanding changes in reading habits and demands of readers as well as introducing new library materials that meet the needs of the public. With the ever-increasing popularity of e-reading, the libraries continue to enhance its acquisition of e-books, bringing an increase of over 60 per cent in the e-book collection from 330 000 items in 2019 to about 540 000 items currently. The usage of e-books also rose sharply from 960 000 in 2019 to 2.32 million in 2024.

Apart from the provision of book lending services in libraries, the LCSD libraries also offer outreaching services from time to time, such as block loan of library materials in the community to assist individual community organisations and housing estates with such demand in establishing community libraries for providing book services to their members or residents. Currently, 197 community libraries have been set up across the territory, including two located inside the Community Living Rooms in Sham Shui Po.

In addition, the libraries launch large-scale territory-wide reading activities and hold other activities such as book exhibitions, talks, workshops and pop-up libraries during major events organised by the LCSD to promote library collections and e-reading, with a view to extending the reach to readers.

Like public libraries in other advanced cities, the LCSD strives to enhance library services through the application of new technology, and is developing a new Smart Library System. As an integrated library system, the new system supports the daily operation of all public libraries, including collection management, borrowing and return of library materials and online electronic resources, etc, thereby providing greater convenience to the public in using library services. Thank you, President.

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

Following is a question by the Hon Joephy Chan and a written reply by the Acting Secretary for Health, Dr Libby Lee, in the Legislative Council today (May 21):

Question:

In recent years, I have received from time to time requests for assistance regarding the failure of effective interface and co-ordination among different dental support services for the elderly, including cases where some elderly persons, after participating in the Outreach Dental Care Programme for the Elderly (Outreach Programme) under the Department of Health (DH) and receiving free oral check-up, were not being treated on site and only referred to other services due to the nature of their dental problems; but when they subsequently applied for the Elderly Dental Assistance Programme of the Community Care Fund (CCF Programme) for treatments such as the fitting of dentures, they were rejected due to a restriction in the eligibility criteria (i.e. applicants should not have benefited from the Outreach Programme), thus leaving them in the predicament of “no treatment after check-ups”. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:

(1) as there are views that the current situation where elderly persons who have participated in the Outreach Programme but not being treated on site were unable to apply for the CCF Programme has prejudiced their rights and interests, and the gradual enhancement of services provided under the CCF Programme last year has yet to deal with the aforesaid situation, whether the Government will introduce further enhancement measures to put in place a relevant waiver mechanism and approve applications of special cases in the light of the actual situation; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that;

(2) of the existing monitoring mechanism for the Outreach Programme, including how the Government ensures that the service quality and follow-up workflow can effectively respond to the actual needs of elderly persons, and whether it has inspected the service records of the outreach teams on a regular basis (e.g. the interface and follow-up of referrals after door-to-door inspection, the level of satisfaction and rate of complaint);

(3) whether at present, elderly persons will be clearly informed by the relevant government departments that they will not be able to apply for CCF when they participate in the Outreach Programme and be required to sign a written statement to confirm their acknowledgement; if not, whether additional measures will be put in place to ensure that elderly persons participating in the Outreach Programme are well-informed, so as to avoid misunderstanding;

(4) whether, in the long run, the Government will promote cross-departmental collaboration among the DH, Social Welfare Department and CCF, so as to consolidate resources for outreach check-ups and subsidised treatments, e.g. establishing one-stop services from check-up, referral to treatment, so as to achieve seamless interface and avoid repetitive examination, thereby enhancing policy efficiency and users’ experience; and

(5) as some elderly persons have relayed that while the Government had emphasised the wider scope of treatments under the Outreach Programme than the CCF Programme, the treatment resources under the Outreach Programme might not be able to meet the demand for on-site treatment in a timely manner, whether the Government will allocate resources to expand the scope of treatment services provided by the outreach teams and provide additional on-site treatment items?

Reply:

President,

In response to the Hon Joephy Chan’s question, the Bureau’s consolidated reply is as follows:

Elderly persons residing in residential care homes for the elderly (RCHEs) or receiving services at day care centres for the elderly (DEs) are generally frail or have cognitive deficiencies and therefore have difficulties in accessing conventional dental care services. The Government implemented a three-year pilot project in 2011 to provide free outreach dental services to these elderly persons. The pilot project was regularised in 2014 and named the Outreach Dental Care Programme for the Elderly (ODCP). The ODCP provides free annual oral care services for elderly persons of RCHEs, DEs and similar facilities in the 18 districts of Hong Kong through outreach dental teams set up by non-governmental organisations (NGOs) engaged by the Department of Health (DH). It must be pointed out that these services are not limited to oral check-ups but its scope includes the following examinations and treatment services:

(1) oral check-ups;

(2) scaling, personalised oral care plans for the elderly persons and provision of medication for dental pain relief (if necessary);

(3) free and comprehensive dental treatments will be provided to the elderly persons on-site at RCHEs/DEs if further curative treatments are necessary. The treatments include tooth fillings, tooth extractions, X-ray examinations, denture, removal of dental bridges or crowns, root canal treatment, and the provision of dental bridges or crowns;

(4) if further curative treatments cannot be provided on-site at the RCHEs/DEs due to practical constraints (such as limitations in venue space of the RCHEs or DEs, or unable to meet infection control requirements), the outreach dental team will arrange the elderly persons to receive the required treatment at NGOs’ dental clinics; and

(5) provision of oral care training to caregivers of RCHEs/DEs, and promotion of the oral hygiene information to the elderly persons, their family members and caregivers.

Besides, for treatments that could not be carried out on-site, the Government will subsidise the NGOs to provide transport and escort services to facilitate the elderly persons to receive treatments at NGOs’ dental clinics. In case the oral health conditions of an elderly person change and require further dental treatments after oral check-up, arrangements can be made with the respective NGO through liaison by RCHE/DE.

Regarding the monitoring of the ODCP, the DH reviews the implementation and effectiveness of the ODCP through surveys, which include verification of eligibility of service users, satisfaction level of services provided by the NGOs, and suggestions on improvements of the ODCP services. The results of the past interview surveys indicated that the RCHEs/DEs interviewed are satisfied with the ODCP. In addition, the DH also arranges on-site inspections by professionals (including dentists) and examines the oral conditions of elderly persons randomly selected to ensure that the services provided by the NGOs meet the standard.

The Government has increased the resources and been promoting and encouraging RCHEs/DEs to participate in the ODCP. In 2024-25 service year, nearly 90 per cent of RCHEs/DEs participated in the ODCP. From 2024-25, the number of NGOs participating in the ODCP has increased to 11 and a total of 25 outreach dental teams have been set up, and over 50 000 elderly persons residing in RCHEs or receiving services at DEs received the aforementioned dental care services within the year.

The ODCP and the Elderly Dental Assistance Programme (EDAP) funded by the Community Care Fund (CCF) are two completely different programmes designed for different target groups. The ODCP is a programme designed to provide comprehensive examination and treatment services to frail elderly persons residing in RCHEs or receiving services at DEs who have difficulty in accessing conventional dental care services. The EDAP with funding from the CCF, mainly provided free removable dentures and related dental treatments to low-income elderly persons when launched in 2012. It was subsequently enhanced in the third quarter of 2024 to allow eligible elderly persons to receive dental services stipulated under the EDAP, i.e. dental examinations, scaling and polishing, tooth extractions, tooth fillings, etc, even they are unfit for denture fitting.

The objective of establishing the CCF is to provide assistance in a more focused manner to people facing financial difficulties, in particular those who fall outside the social safety net or those who are unable to benefit from other assistance programmes. In view of the objective of establishing the CCF and along with the principle of effective use of public resources, since the EDAP was launched in 2012, the beneficiaries have all along excluded the elderly persons who have benefited from the ODCP or those currently receiving Comprehensive Social Security Assistance (CSSA) under the Social Welfare Department. These requirements have been clearly stated in the EDAP promotional pamphlets and the application forms.

It must be pointed out that aside from targeting different groups, the EDAP limits on the number of subsidised services and the services provided are not continuous in nature. Under the EDAP, eligible elderly persons can receive services at a maximum of two times. To receive the service for the second time, the elderly persons must have reached the age of 75 and have not received the dental service under the EDAP within the past five years. In contrast, the ODCP is a regularised programme with a broader treatment scope, which includes all service items under the EDAP, and eligible elderly persons can receive ODCP services annually. As such, elderly persons who received ODCP services will not be referred to the EDAP and the issue of “no treatment after check-up” as raised in the question does not exist.

To safeguard the oral health of the public, the Chief Executive announced in the 2022 Policy Address to conduct a comprehensive review of the dental services provided or subsidised by the Government. The Working Group on Oral Health and Dental Care (Working Group) was set up in end-2022. In response to the final report of the Working Group published in end-2024, the Government has adopted the oral health policies that:

(1) Oral health is an integral component of general health. The Government’s oral health policies aim to enable all Hong Kong citizens to improve their oral hygiene and lifestyles conducive to both oral and overall health levels;

(2) Through publicity, education, promotion and development of primary oral health and dental care, the Government facilitates all Hong Kong citizens to manage their oral health, and put prevention, early identification and timely intervention of dental diseases into action with the objective of tooth retention; and

(3) The Government provides appropriate oral health and dental care services targeting underprivileged groups with financial difficulties and special needs, ensuring these groups have access to essential dental care services.

Under the Government’s Oral Health Action Plan, the ODCP, the EDAP together with the dental grants under the current CSSA Scheme all play a role in focusing the provision of dental care services to underprivileged groups who have difficulties in accessing dental services. To further strengthen the relevant services, in addition to the continuation of the provision of the free emergency dental treatment to the general public through allocation of a fraction of the existing service capacity of the DH’s government dental clinics (generally referred to as General Public sessions), the DH will implement the Community Dental Support Programme on May 26 this year to enhance dental services to the underprivileged groups including the elderly persons with financial hardship, and it will supplant the EDAP within 2026. With the major premise of optimising the use of public resources, the Government will consider various factors in providing dental services to different underprivileged groups as appropriate and to tie in with the oral health policies.

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

     The Secretary for Housing, Ms Winnie Ho, continued her visit to Paris, France, yesterday (May 20, Paris time). She visited the headquarters of a local social housing association, L’Union sociale pour l’habitat (USH), in the morning and met with the Director of Economic and Financial Studies at the USH, Mr Christophe Bellégo, to learn about the organisation’s work, including conducting research and analysis on local housing issues, and contributing to their government’s policy formulation.
 
     Ms Ho shared in the meeting the work of the Housing Bureau (HB) and the Hong Kong Housing Authority (HKHA). She said that housing is the greatest concern among all key issues of the current-term Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government, and that the HB strives to formulate suitable housing policies and deliberate on different measures to address housing issues to cater for the housing needs of different social strata. The policy initiatives include building expeditiously Light Public Housing (LPH) and transitional housing to improve the living conditions of people living in inadequate housing at the soonest.
 
     She said that the HKHA, established over 50 years ago, has long been providing affordable rental housing to low-income families with housing needs. It continuously enhances the housing ladder to help low- to middle-income families gain access to subsidised home ownership, encouraging them to move up the housing ladder and thus enhance people’s sense of contentment and happiness. Ms Ho presented to the participants of the meeting the “Well-being design” guide launched by the HB and the HKHA last year, which covers eight well-being concepts, namely “Health & Vitality”, “Green Living and Sustainability”, “Age-Friendliness”, “Intergenerational & Inclusive Living”, “Family & Community Connection”, “Urban Integration”, “Upward Mobility” and “Perception & Image”. It serves as a reference for the future design of new public housing estates and the improvement works of existing estates to create a more comfortable and vibrant living environment for its residents. Apart from housing construction, to continuously enhance the management efficiency and service quality of its nearly 200 public housing estates, the Housing Department has been actively promoting smart estate management and bringing in new technologies to help optimise estate management and building maintenance services so that residents can enjoy a better living environment.
 
     Guided by the USH, Ms Ho visited two eco-neighbourhoods in Paris, Clichy-Batignolles and Ecoquartier Nanterre Université. Clichy-Batignolles is a sustainable urban development project transforming a former rail yard into a mixed-use area with social and private housing, commerce and retail, restaurants, community facilities and a park. Ecoquartier Nanterre Université preserves green spaces while redeveloping the old district. The project has provided various types of social and private housing as well as relevant ancillary facilities, creating a more vibrant neighbourhood and promoting inclusivity. Ms Ho said that the HKHA also attached importance to promoting low carbon and energy-saving buildings, green spaces and connectivity with the nearby community when planning and developing new public housing projects.
 
     In the afternoon, Ms Ho called on the Chinese Ambassador to France, Mr Deng Li, to share Hong Kong’s latest housing policies and initiatives, which included promoting the development of housing construction technologies by leveraging the power of the Greater Bay Area. She also learned about Hong Kong’s strengths as a “super connector” and a highly international city during the conversation with the Ambassador.
 
     Ms Ho will continue her visit today (May 21, Paris time) and meet with the local trade to promote Hong Kong’s innovative construction technologies.

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

     Following is a question by the Hon Jimmy Ng and a written reply by the Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development, Mr Algernon Yau, in the Legislative Council today (May 21):

Question:

     The 2024 Policy Address announced the reduction of the duty rate for liquor. There are views pointing out that reduction of liquor duty will help promote liquor trading, and at the same time benefit industries such as catering, hotel, logistics, warehousing, auctioning, financial and professional services, arousing public concern about whether the Government will further reduce liquor duty. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:

(1) whether it has compiled statistics on the respective numbers of additional companies engaging in the liquor-related businesses and new jobs in the liquor-related industries after the reduction of liquor duty;

(2) as it has been reported that the Government will review in a timely manner whether liquor duty will be further reduced, of the details of the relevant work (including the estimated time required for the work and the staff establishment involved); and

(3) whether it will make reference to the successful experience of abolishing the duty on wine and study the complete abolition of liquor duty as early as possible; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?

Reply:

President,

     Having consulted the Census and Statistics Department (C&SD), the consolidated reply to the question raised by the Hon Jimmy Ng is as follows:

     According to the results of the Quarterly Survey of Employment and Vacancies conducted by the C&SD, as of the end of 2024, the number of establishments in alcoholic beverage-related industries (Note), covering liquor, wine, beer, etc., was around 2 130 with approximately 6 720 persons engaged, representing an increase of 110 establishments and a decrease of 270 persons respectively compared to the end of 2023. Nonetheless, the C&SD does not compile statistics broken down by type of alcoholic beverage. In fact, most companies selling alcoholic beverages also sell liquor and other alcoholic beverages at the same time, making it difficult to distinguish businesses specifically related to liquor.

     Since the reduction of duty rate on high-end liquor until late April this year (i.e. a 6.5 month period), we note that the volume of duty-paid liquor imported (in litre) rose by more than 15 per cent as compared with the 6.5-month period before the reduction of duty rate, while its value went up significantly by nearly 60 per cent, reflecting that the two-tier system introduced by the Government is effective in boosting high-end liquor trading. Moreover, the trade grasped the opportunity brought about by the reduction of liquor duty and organised various kinds of wine and spirits fairs, in which the proportion of liquor on sale has evidently risen. Some liquor traders have also lowered the prices of liquors. The response of the market has been positive.

     We understand that the trade welcomes the measure and considers it conducive to increasing business opportunities. Regarding the suggestion from some members of the trade that the Government should further reduce or even abolish the duty for liquor, we would like to reiterate that the purpose of lowering liquor duty is to encourage the trade and auctions of high-end liquor in Hong Kong, thereby giving impetus to the development of other high value-added sectors such as logistics and storage, tourism as well as high-end food and beverage consumption. At the same time, we are also mindful of the need to avoid increasing liquor consumption among the public as a result of reducing liquor duty, thereby leading to other problems.

     When introducing the relevant measures, the Government has fully balanced different policy considerations such as promoting economic development, maintaining stable public finances and protecting public health. We will closely monitor the development of the liquor trade and review the effectiveness of the measures in a timely manner. Any further adjustments will require careful consideration of the impact on different aspects with prudent planning.

Note: Alcoholic beverage-related industries refer to manufacture of beer, manufacture of alcoholic beverage other than beer, export trading of alcoholic drinks, import for wholesale of alcoholic drinks, wholesale of alcoholic drinks, and retail sale of alcoholic beverages in specialised stores.

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region