Author: MIL-OSI Publisher

Source: Assainir, relancer et développer ensemble : les orientations du 18e gouvernement

The Housing Authority Subsidised Housing Committee today endorsed measures to tighten policies in relation to well-off public rental housing (PRH) tenants and encourage their upward mobility.

Households whose family income exceeds two times and not more than three times the prevailing PRH income limits (PRHILs) will be required to pay 2.5 times the standard rent instead of the existing 1.5 times.

Households with family income exceeding three times and not more than four times the prevailing PRHILs will pay 3.5 times the standard rent, in lieu of the existing double rent.

As for households whose family income exceeds four times and not more than five times the prevailing PRHILs, they have to pay 4.5 times the standard rent instead of the existing double rent.

The new additional rent levels will take effect from the next declaration cycle in October of this year, and the first batch of well-off tenants will pay rent at the new levels from October 1, 2026.

The threshold for vacating PRH flats will also be adjusted. PRH tenants with income levels exceeding four times but not five times the PRHILs after two declaration cycles, i.e. four years in total, must relinquish their tenancies.

To encourage the upward mobility of well-off tenants, starting from the next home ownership scheme (HOS) sale exercise, the quota allocation ratio of Green Form to White Form applicants will be adjusted to 50:50.

Moreover, well-off tenants paying additional rents, irrespective of the rent level, can retain their Green Form status for four years after voluntarily moving out of their flats. This policy will be effective from October 1.

Relevant declaration arrangements will also be enhanced. Each family member will have to declare individually whether they own any domestic property in Hong Kong. This will allow identification of false declarations and corresponding enforcement measures to be taken.

Those who make false declarations will be subject to a five-year debarment from applying for PRH and will also be liable to prosecution.

Meanwhile, the authority’s Subsidised Housing Committee endorsed today the proposed income and asset limits for applicants of different household sizes for PRH for 2025/26. These will take effect from April 1. Click here for details.

Source: Assainir, relancer et développer ensemble : les orientations du 18e gouvernement

The Government today said it will adjust the conditions of sale for the tender of two sites in Hung Shui Kiu and Ha Tsuen for multistorey buildings for modern industries (MSBs) and extend their tender period to July 25.

The original tender closing date of Hung Shui Kiu Town Lot No. 10 and Yuen Long Town Lot No. 545 was tomorrow. 

Given the substantial investment outlay the project would involve and the latest market conditions, some potential bidders recently indicated that they hoped the Government would consider making some adjustment to the tender conditions.

Taking into account market feedback and without deviating from the original policy intent, the Government decided to adjust some of the conditions of sale for the two MSB sites. 

Upon completion of the MSB, the successful bidding enterprise will lease part of the floor space to the Government at a nominal rent for 10 years. The Government or its appointed agent will manage and rent out the floor space to brownfield operators affected by government development projects. 

This arrangement will replace the requirement under the original conditions of sale that the enterprise must permanently assign designated floor space to the Government at nil cost.

In other words, the revised conditions will allow ownership of the MSB to be fully consolidated in the hands of the enterprise being awarded the site. 

Secondly, the Government will adjust the minimum floor space required to be leased to the Government within the 10-year period to around 46,000 sq m for the Hung Shui Kiu Lot and around 29,000 sq m for the Yuen Long Lot.

In other words, the basis for calculating the floor space to be leased to the Government is changed from the maximum gross floor area (GFA) permissible to the minimum GFA permissible on the lot.

Thirdly, the floor loading requirement of the floor space to be leased to the Government for the Hung Shui Kiu Lot will be adjusted from 30 kilonewtons per sq m to 25 kilonewtons per sq m, same as the floor loading requirement for the Yuen Long Lot, thereby achieving greater consistency with the requirement for industrial buildings in general and reduce the construction cost.

The revised land sale documents for the two sites will be available online in early April, while the extension will give interested bidders sufficient time to prepare for their tender submission, the Government added.

Source: Assainir, relancer et développer ensemble : les orientations du 18e gouvernement

The Government today launched a first batch of 38 low-altitude economy (LAE) Regulatory Sandbox pilot projects.

The Working Group on Developing LAE approved the 38 projects after reviewing 72 project proposals. They cover a wide range of fields and application scenarios, including emergency and rescue, logistics and distribution, inspections and safety maintenance, surveillance, and low-altitude infrastructure.

The projects are being implemented by enterprises, research institutes, public utilities and government departments.

Officiating at today’s launch event, Chief Executive John Lee said: “The LAE is one of our nation’s strategic emerging industries, as well as the example in exploring new quality productive forces.”

He outlined that the LAE not only gives rise to various emerging industries, but also opens up a wide range of application scenarios with great potential.

“It is set to strengthen city management and business efficiency, and create a whole new experience of smart living for the public, making it an important growth engine for the economy.

“The Government will unleash the potential of the LAE by bringing together research and development outcomes and corporate efforts, taking forward the LAE in a safe and healthy manner to make Hong Kong a pioneer in the emerging new quality productive forces industry of the LAE, creating a new era of a ‘smart sky’.”

Also speaking at the launch, Secretary for Transport & Logistics Mable Chan said the sandbox projects will help to accumulate experience and data, thereby allowing the Government to devise comprehensive infrastructure support for the execution of LAE activities.

“With the launch of the various sandbox projects from April, and in the coming months ahead, we really hope that the society, and members of the public, will visualise the projects and they can even touch these projects.

“And we would like to hope that with all these projects launching, we would incorporate the innovation and technology into our daily lives”

She added that the Government plans to amend existing regulations with regard to low-altitude drones. Weight limits will be increased, allowing heavier and more sophisticated drones to be used.

The Government also plans to introduce a special provision enabling the Director-General of Civil Aviation to allow trials of more sophisticated and heavier low-altitude equipment, including models which can carry passengers.

A number of organisations conducting pilot projects had booths at the event to showcase their application scenarios and other features. A logo specifically designed for the LAE Regulatory Sandbox was also unveiled.

Source: Assainir, relancer et développer ensemble : les orientations du 18e gouvernement

The Lands Department today posted land resumption notices for the implementation of a public housing development at A Kung Ngam Village, Shau Kei Wan.

Twenty-one private lots and the government land adjoining Ah Kung Ngam Lot No. 28 with a total area of about 1,470 sq m will be resumed. The land will revert to the Government in three months’ time on June 21.

The Government said it will closely liaise with the land owners and affected parties, and properly handle compensation and rehousing matters.

The public housing development at A Kung Ngam Village will provide about 1,500 residential units, with expected population intake in phases between 2032 and 2035.

Source: Assainir, relancer et développer ensemble : les orientations du 18e gouvernement

The Town Planning Board (TPB) today upheld its decision of rezoning the 4.72-hectare site for proposed Global Innovation Centre by the University of Hong Kong (HKU) in Pok Fu Lam from “Other Specified Uses” annotated “Global Innovation Centre” to “Undetermined” in the interim.

The TPB reached the decision at today’s meeting after thoroughly considering 1,861 further representations (FRs), including 30 with further responses to departmental comments as well as the views and responses of the Planning Department, bureaus and departments.

The board members noted that the grounds and views in the opposing FRs were mainly related to designation of “Undetermined” zoning; suitability of the site for the centre; and procedural issues. They also took note that most issues were similar to those raised in the representations and were duly deliberated by the board at the representation stage. 

The TPB considered it prudent to maintain the “Undetermined” zoning for the site at this stage, which would allow time for HKU to review the development proposal for the centre, conduct technical assessments including potential traffic impacts during construction and operational stages, further consult the community and submit a revised proposal for the Government and TPB’s consideration within a reasonable time.

Any proposed development of the site would be effected through rezoning in accordance with section 5 of the Town Planning Ordinance, whereby the public will have the opportunity to submit representations and the board would conduct hearings to deal with the representations.

TBP members agreed that HKU should be invited to report on the latest developments of the project within three months, which should include its decision on site selection with detailed justifications, a development timeline for the project as well as an update on engagement with stakeholders.

They also reaffirmed the importance of constructive engagement with stakeholders and emphasised their expectation that HKU should enhance its engagement with the community.

Source: Assainir, relancer et développer ensemble : les orientations du 18e gouvernement

A 61-year-old female visitor to Hong Kong from the Mainland was today jailed for 54 days by Sha Tin Magistrates’ Courts for working illegally.

 

Immigration officers followed up on an advert on social media in which a service provider offered to submit driving licences applications at the Transport Department on behalf of others.

 

The officers identified a suspect and initiated an operation last Wednesday. On being arrested, the 61-year-old woman admitted that she had come to Hong Kong to submit applications for others and was to receive a monetary reward of $100 for each application.

 

A female Hong Kong resident, aged 33, was arrested on suspicion of employing the illegal worker and is being investigated.

 

The department said it will continue to take resolute enforcement action to combat such offences.

Source: Assainir, relancer et développer ensemble : les orientations du 18e gouvernement

The Electoral Legislation (Miscellaneous Amendments) Bill 2025 was published in the Government Gazette today.

The bill amends electoral laws to ensure the smooth running of two important elections due to be held later this year, namely the 2025 Election Committee Subsector (ECSS) By-elections and the 2025 Legislative Council General Election (LCGE).

In particular it seeks to introduce adjustments to the delineation of geographical constituencies for the LCGE; empower the Electoral Affairs Commission (EAC) to use counting machines in LegCo functional constituency elections and consolidate ballot paper accounts for relevant constituencies; and improve arrangements for the publication of ECSS registers.

The Chief Executive announced this week that the date for this year’s LCGE will be December 7, and that the ECSS by-elections will be held on September 7.

The Government said it will continue to liaise closely with the EAC, and will prepare for the elections in accordance with the relevant electoral legislation to ensure that they are held in a fair, just, honest, safe and orderly manner.

The bill will be introduced into LegCo for a first reading on March 26. 

Source: Assainir, relancer et développer ensemble : les orientations du 18e gouvernement

The hard copy loose-leaf edition of the Laws of Hong Kong has been phased out following completion, in the first quarter of this year, of a project to verify all the current consolidated legislation published on Hong Kong e-Legislation (HKeL), the Department of Justice announced today.

The department said the HKeL is now the only official source of Hong Kong’s current consolidated laws, and that the final issue of the loose-leaf edition was issued earlier this month.

Under the department’s verification project, all copies of the current consolidated legislation published on HKeL were subjected to a rigorous verification process. This included checking for accuracy against official copies of legislation in the loose-leaf edition and the Government Gazette.

With the project’s completion, all verified copies published on HKeL have legal status. Users can access and download the verified copies on HKeL free of charge on any device.

The department rolled out the Bilingual Laws Information System website in 1997. The website’s contents initially had no official status and were for information only. The department therefore established Hong Kong e-Legislation in 2017 and subsequently embarked on its verification project.

Besides its ongoing efforts to proceed with back-capturing past printed gazettes and create electronic versions of them for upload to HKeL, the department is gradually converting printed copies of the loose-leaf edition into electronic format for addition to the website.

Source: Assainir, relancer et développer ensemble : les orientations du 18e gouvernement

The Government today launched a scheme to provide convenient immigration arrangements for individuals invited to Hong Kong from countries in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). The policy is aimed at strengthening the city’s economic and trade exchanges, and its cultural co-operation, with the bloc. 

Under the Immigration Facilitation Scheme for Invited Persons, relevant policy bureaus and departments will invite ASEAN nationals who they believe can make considerable contributions to Hong Kong’s economic development, or who they wish to attend important events in the city, to take advantage of expedited immigration arrangements.

The Immigration Department will provide one-stop processing of applications from invitees through an electronic platform, relax the application criteria for self-service immigration clearance, and simplify the information required for visa applications.

Stressing that ASEAN has a long-standing relationship with Hong Kong and is the city’s second largest trading partner, the Government said it attaches great importance to co-operation with ASEAN countries.

It added that self-service immigration clearance services at Hong Kong’s control points will greatly enhance clearance efficiency for invitees.

Click here for details of the scheme.

Source: Assainir, relancer et développer ensemble : les orientations du 18e gouvernement

The Conference on Climate Change & International Trade Law was held in hybrid format in Hong Kong today, attracting about 600 registrations from jurisdictions in the Asia-Pacific, Middle East, Latin America, Europe and Africa.

Jointly organised by the UN Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL) and the Hong Kong International Legal Talents Training Academy of the Department of Justice, the conference discussed how international trade law can effectively support the achievement of climate action goals set by the international community.

Secretary for Justice Paul Lam, UNCITRAL Secretary Anna Joubin-Bret and Deputy Director General, Department of Treaty & Law of the Ministry of Commerce Tian Ya gave opening remarks, while Deputy Secretary for Justice Cheung Kwok-kwan delivered closing remarks.

International Law Commission Member Ma Xinmin gave a keynote address, with prominent speakers from around the world joining the panel discussions.

Noting that various local climate change initiatives have demonstrated Hong Kong’s status as an international financial centre as well as a green and sustainable finance hub, Mr Lam said the wide spectrum of issues discussed at the conference illustrates how international trade law can effectively support the climate action goals set by the global community.

​The International Legal Talents Training Academy will continue to work with UNCITRAL in different areas and is planning to co-organise the 6th UNCITRAL Asia Pacific Judicial Summit in Hong Kong later this year.