Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region – 4
Following is a question by the Hon Christine Fong and a written reply by the Chief Secretary for Administration, Mr Chan Kwok-ki, in the Legislative Council today (October 21):
Questions:
The Small Claims Tribunal (the Tribunal) aims to provide a fast track for members of the public to resolve small civil claims without undergoing cumbersome proceedings. Currently, the Tribunal may only handle claims with a value of up to HK$75,000. This limit has remained unchanged for years since it was raised from HK$50,000 to its current level in 2018. There are views suggesting a need to review the aforementioned limit as the sums involved in commercial and civil disputes have risen amid Hong Kong’s economic development and changes in property rents and general consumer price index in recent years. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1) of the number of claims received by the Tribunal in each of the past three years (2023 to 2025) and the nature of the major claims, broken down by the following claim amounts ((i) HK$25,000 or below, (ii) above HK$25,000 to HK$50,000, and (iii) above HK$50,000 to HK$75,000);
(2) of the number of cases over the past three years in which claimants have opted to expressly declare in their claim document that they abandon that part of their claim above the HK$75,000 limit in order to have their cases adjudicated by the Tribunal, given that the Small Claims Tribunal Ordinance (Cap. 338) provides that no claim shall be split or divided and pursued in separate proceedings in the Tribunal for the sole purpose of bringing the sum claimed in each of such proceedings within the jurisdiction of the Tribunal;
(3) whether the Tribunal’s current judicial resources and staffing are sufficient to cope with the existing caseload, given that the respective average processing times for small claims (from filing of a case to first hearing) over the past three years (2023 to 2025) were 35, 41 and 41 days, according to the information provided by the Judiciary in response to the Finance Committee’s examination of the Estimates of Expenditure 2026-2027;
(4) given that years have passed since the limit for claims handled by the Tribunal was raised in 2018, whether the Government and the Judiciary have reviewed the Tribunal’s claim limit on a regular basis; if yes, when was the most recent review conducted, and what were its findings; if not, whether reconsideration will be given to further raising the claim limit (e.g. to HK$100,000 or higher) in light of the current economic environment and inflation rate, so as to alleviate the caseload of the District Court and provide the public with a more cost-effective channel for claims; and
(5) given that the Judiciary is implementing the integrated Court Case Management System by phases, whether the authorities have assessed if full implementation of electronic operations can further enhance the Tribunal’s efficiency in case handling, thereby better preparing the technical support for raising the claim limit?
Reply:
President,
Based on the information provided by the Judiciary, the Government’s reply is as follows:
(1) and (2) According to the Small Claims Tribunal Ordinance (Cap. 338), the Small Claims Tribunal (SCT) currently deals with monetary claims not exceeding $75,000. The major types of claims handled by the SCT include debts, service charges, damage to property, goods sold, and consumer claims.
The respective number of cases filed to the SCT and the breakdown on the claim amount in the past three years (2023-2025) are appended below:
Claim Amount (HK$)
Number of Cases Filed
2023 (%)
2024 (%)
2025 (%)
≤ 25,000
33 817 (65%)
39 510 (69%)
39 006 (70%)
> 25,000 – ≤ 50,000
7 820 (15%)
8 180 (14%)
7 862 (14%)
> 50,000 – ≤ 75,000
10 667 (20%)
9 764 (17%)
9 191 (16%)
Total
52 304 (100%)
57 454 (100%)
56 059 (100%)
The Judiciary does not maintain the other requested statistics.
(3) Despite the persistent heavy caseload of the SCT, with over 50 000 cases each year since 2023, the target average waiting time for the SCT has consistently been met. This is mainly attributed to the substantive and dedicated efforts of Judges and Judicial Officers as well as support staff made in encouraging parties to go through alternative dispute settlement mechanism (including mediation and out-of-court settlement) instead of trials. In 2025, over 90 per cent of the cases disposed of in the SCT were settled through alternative dispute settlement mechanism or withdrawal by parties. The current resource provisions are adequate to cope with the workload at the SCT. The Judiciary will continue to closely monitor the situation and flexibly deploy its resources to support the services at the SCT having regard to operational needs.
(4) The jurisdictional limit of the SCT was increased from $50,000 to $75,000 with effect from December 3, 2018. The increase was made having regard to a comprehensive and objective review, taking into account a host of factors, including the need to enhance access to justice, impact on demand for and operation of the SCT’s services, changes in economic indicators as well as stakeholders’ views. Since then, the Judiciary has been closely monitoring the caseload of the SCT.
According to statistics on cases filed with the SCT involving claim amounts exceeding $50,000, the annual number of such cases from 2020 to 2022 was around 43 per cent lower than that in 2019, due to the impact of the COVID‑19 pandemic on court operations. Although the caseload figures increased from 2023 to 2025, such cases remain around 31 per cent on average below the 2019 level. The percentage share of such cases has fallen considerably from around 26 per cent in 2019 to 20 per cent in 2023 and 16 per cent in 2025. There does not appear to be an imminent need for increasing the jurisdictional limit of SCT to $100,000.
Since any further adjustment of the jurisdictional limit of the SCT could have a significant impact on the administration of justice for parties of the affected cases, as well as SCT’s caseload, operation and delivery of its services to court users, the Judiciary considers it more prudent to monitor and collate data over a longer period with a view to assessing the need and timing for any further changes to the jurisdictional limit.
(5) The Judiciary has always been committed to enhancing the operational efficiency of the courts through the application of technology. The integrated Court Case Management System (iCMS) was extended to bulk claim cases at the SCT in October 2024, providing court users with one-stop services including electronic filing, electronic payment, electronic document management, and checking case progress. As of September 2026, over 22 700 bulk claim cases have been initiated through the iCMS, accounting for around 74 per cent of the total number of such cases. The Judiciary is planning to further extend the iCMS to non-bulk claim cases and miscellaneous proceedings at the SCT in the first quarter of 2027. The full implementation of electronic operations will not only streamline administrative procedures but also enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of the SCT in handling a large volume of cases.
Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region
Following is a question by the Hon Dominic Lee and a reply by the Acting Secretary for Education, Dr Sze Chun-fai, in the Legislative Council today (October 21):
Question:
At present, a number of universities funded by the University Grants Committee (UGC) have implemented campus access control and reservation systems and have not fully opened their campuses to public use. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1) whether it has compiled statistics on and grasped the specific arrangements made by various universities for opening their campuses and public facilities to the public and the relevant restrictions over the past five years; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; Reply:
President,
Academic freedom and institutional autonomy are the cornerstones of the success of Hong Kong’s higher education sector. All eight University Grants Committee (UGC)-funded universities are statutory bodies governed by their respective ordinances and statutes setting out their objectives, functions and governance structures. The ordinances empower the universities to exercise powers and freedoms necessary to fulfil their objectives and functions. At the same time, the universities are responsible to maintain transparency, public accountability and good governance in their operations, so as to ensure that public money is put to appropriate use.
Our consolidated reply to the questions raised by the Hon Dominic Lee is set out below:
Campus management and the use of facilities fall within the purview of institutional autonomy. Each university formulates and adjusts its own arrangements having regard to its campus location, size, layout, security risks and teaching and research needs. Over the years, university campuses have by and large followed an open campus policy. After 2019, the universities enhanced their on-campus security arrangements in the light of actual needs and employed additional security staff. Some institutions also implemented access control measures for entering and leaving the campus. These include, for example, requiring staff members, students and invited visitors to present their identity documents or register before entering the campus. Individual institutions had also engaged professional security consultants to review their security facilities, manpower and arrangements.
With Hong Kong moving from stability to prosperity and getting back on track, each UGC-funded university may consider for itself whether to open some of its on-campus facilities to the public, and ensure such arrangements do not affect its teaching and related activities and comply with relevant legislation. The universities are also responsible for taking appropriate security measures in the light of actual circumstances to ensure that their campuses remain safe and conducive to teaching and research activities, while striving to minimise the impact of these measures on the normal operations of the universities.
The Education Bureau (EDB) and the UGC do not keep regular statistics on how the UGC-funded universities open their campuses and public facilities. However, the UGC has maintained close contact with the UGC-funded universities to keep abreast of their latest developments. According to the information provided by the universities, they have gradually relaxed their campus entry arrangements in recent years in view of the social situation. Campuses of Hong Kong Baptist University, Lingnan University and the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology are now opened to the public. City University of Hong Kong, the Chinese University of Hong Kong, the Education University of Hong Kong, the Hong Kong Polytechnic University and the University of Hong Kong have implemented access control measures to varying degrees, such as installing automatic turnstiles for students and staff, and requiring visitors to register online in advance, in order to meet their operational needs.
Universities are closely connected with society. Maintaining good ties with the community helps promote campus culture, facilitate knowledge transfer and foster community integration, and forms part of the universities’ social responsibility. Indeed, the universities have all along been actively strengthening their engagement with the community through various means, including organising a range of activities and opening up selected campus facilities and resources. Specific examples include:
1. allowing members of the public to apply for library reader cards or visitor passes; 2. opening museums, art galleries and exhibition halls free of charge; 3. organising public lectures, cultural and arts performances, information days and guided tours; 4. leasing sports facilities, lecture theatres, etc, to community groups and schools, provided this does not affect the use by staff and students; 5. implementing various knowledge transfer and community service schemes; and 6. collaborating with primary and secondary schools and other organisations to organise a range of activities, such as experience camps, public education events, etc.
We note that universities in the Chinese Mainland and overseas also adopt different models of campus opening arrangements in the light of their respective campus environments, regulatory frameworks and social circumstances. In the Chinese Mainland, for example, institutions such as Peking University and Tsinghua University have in recent years introduced online advance booking systems, allowing members of the public to book visits during designated time slots and opening their campuses under orderly management. Some overseas universities decide their campus opening arrangements as circumstances require. For instance, colleges of the University of Oxford and University of Cambridge set their own opening hours; and may not be opened during the examination season. This illustrates that, with suitable registration and management arrangements, universities can strike a balance between campus security and openness to the public.
Given the considerable differences among the universities in terms of campus location, size, number of students and staff, layout and security needs, the imposition of uniform campus opening guidelines could undermine the flexibility of institutions to manage their campuses in the light of actual circumstances. The universities are responsible for ensuring campus safety and the proper order of teaching and research, so that staff and students can study and work in a safe and orderly environment. We believe that, in formulating and reviewing the relevant measures, each university will take into account various factors and strike an appropriate balance between campus security, the order of teaching and research, and the opening up of public resources according to its own circumstances.
On the premise of ensuring safety, the EDB and the UGC expect the universities to make good use of publicly funded facilities, to keep under review their campus opening and facility hiring arrangements and, where feasible, to further facilitate the use of the relevant facilities by members of the public and community groups; and to enhance the transparency of their arrangements, for example, by clearly publishing on their websites the campus entry arrangements, opening hours, booking procedures and the facilities available for hire. We will continue to maintain communication with the universities to exchange good practices on these arrangements, to ensure that they operate in the best interests of students and society as a whole.
Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region
LCQ10: Accreditation mechanism for self-financing post-secondary institutions Question:
Among the self-financing institutions in Hong Kong at present, apart from Hong Kong Metropolitan University which possesses self-accrediting status, all other self-financing institutions registered under the Post Secondary Colleges Ordinance (Cap. 320) are required to undergo Programme Area Accreditation conducted by the Hong Kong Council for Accreditation of Academic and Vocational Qualifications (HKCAAVQ), and the post-secondary programmes offered by them must also pass the HKCAAVQ’s external quality assurance mechanism. There are views pointing out that against the backdrop of the Government’s active efforts in developing Hong Kong into an international education hub and developing the Northern Metropolis University Town, the authorities should review the relevant mechanism to promote and facilitate university development. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1) of the average annual number of programmes offered by self-financing institutions approved by the HKCAAVQ from 2021 to the present; the average time taken by the HKCAAVQ to process accreditation applications from self-financing institutions (from the submission of applications by the institutions to the completion of accreditation and announcement of results by the HKCAAVQ), with a breakdown by stage of the quality assurance process (i.e. Learning Programme Accreditation, Programme Area Accreditation and Periodic Institutional Review);
(2) of the total number of self-financing institutions registered under Cap. 320 which have applied to the HKCAAVQ for Programme Area Accreditation status from 2021 to the present; among them, the number of institutions whose applications have been successfully approved and the number of institutions currently awaiting accreditation;
(3) of the total number of institutions which have submitted applications to the Education Bureau to become universities of applied sciences since the publication of the Manual for Institutional Review for University of Applied Sciences in February 2024, and the respective numbers of such applications which have been approved and are being processed; and
(4) whether the Government will consider devising shortlisting criteria (such as years of operation in education, institutional scale and institutional rankings) to grant a greater degree of accrediting powers to more eligible self-financing institutions registered under Cap. 320 (particularly those which have been retitled as universities), so that they may accredit their programmes on their own without being subject to external accreditation?
Reply:
President,
Under the Post Secondary Colleges Ordinance (Cap. 320), post-secondary colleges (i.e. institutions that provide self-financing degree or sub-degree education) must pass the Institutional Review (IR) conducted by the Hong Kong Council for Accreditation of Academic and Vocational Qualifications (HKCAAVQ), and maintain their status through cyclical IR or Periodic Institutional Review (PIR) (Note 1), so as to demonstrate that the institution maintains the capability to provide post-secondary education.
In addition, the Ordinance also stipulates that degree or sub-degree programmes offered by institutions must pass the accreditation of the HKCAAVQ, confirming that the programmes have attained the corresponding qualification level of the Hong Kong Qualifications Framework (QF). On one hand, the HKCAAVQ conducts Learning Programme Accreditation (LPA) or Learning Programme Re-accreditation (Re-LPA) (Note 2) for individual programmes; on the other hand, it also confers Programme Area Accreditation (PAA) based on the institution’s track record. Institutions that have obtained PAA status can handle their own quality assurance matters for programmes in approved programme areas at approved QF levels, without the need for separate accreditation by the HKCAAVQ.
In response to the four parts of the question, our reply is as follows: Generally speaking, from the submission of accreditation documents by institutions to the issuance of the accreditation report by the HKCAAVQ, LPA or Re-LPA takes about 16 to 20 weeks; PAA takes about 24 weeks; and IR or PIR takes about 24 to 30 weeks.
(2) From 2021 to date (as at September 30, 2026), a total of four institutions registered under the Ordinance applied for PAA status; all four applications were approved, securing self-accrediting status in a total of 10 programme areas. Currently, the HKCAAVQ is processing the PAA applications of another two institutions.
(3) In February 2024, the Education Bureau (EDB) promulgated the criteria for qualifying as Universities of Applied Sciences (UAS), including the requirement to pass the HKCAAVQ’s accreditation confirming that the relevant requirements are met, i.e. the institution must possess the vision, commitment, capabilities and experience to operate an institution that embodies the key features of UAS; have obtained a university title; and have recognition and support from industries and professions. The relevant criteria are set out in detail in the Manual for Institutional Review for UAS issued by the HKCAAVQ.
Hong Kong Metropolitan University and Saint Francis University became UAS in February and November 2024 respectively.
The EDB has also received an application from one institution to become a UAS, and the relevant accreditation work is currently in progress.
(4) As mentioned above, the PAA mechanism provides institutions that have obtained PAA status (including post-secondary colleges that have acquired university title) appropriate accreditation authority, enabling them to self-accredit and handle the quality assurance matters of programmes within approved programme areas at approved QF levels, without the need for programme-by-programme accreditation by the HKCAAVQ. This allows institutions to respond more quickly to market needs and to launch new programmes flexibly.
To continuously safeguard the quality of post-secondary education, institutions that have obtained PAA status must undergo PIR by the HKCAAVQ regularly to confirm that their internal quality assurance mechanisms remain effective, thereby maintaining their PAA status in related programmes. Depending on the factors such as the institution’s track record, the HKCAAVQ may, upon application by the institution, expand the coverage of the self-accreditation status after the institution has passed the accreditation.
The existing mechanism effectively balances the flexibility of institutions in offering programmes and programme quality assurance. We have no plan to further relax the accreditation authority of institutions.
Note1: Institutions that have passed IR must undergo periodic review by the HKCAAVQ to confirm that their institutional governance, operational effectiveness and internal quality assurance mechanisms remain effective.
Note 2: The validity period of LPA is determined according to the programme duration, accreditation outcome, risk assessment and institutional track record. Before the expiry of the validity period, institutions wishing to continue offering the programme must undergo Re-LPA. Issued at HKT 14:20
Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region
LCQ5: Regulation of medicines Question:
It is learnt that many members of the public would purchase over-the-counter medicines while travelling abroad for personal use in Hong Kong. Some of these medicines are controlled drugs, such as poisons included in Part I of the Poisons List under the Pharmacy and Poisons Regulations, and taking them without the guidance of a healthcare professional may pose a risk to health. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1) given that, according to the website of the Drug Office of the Department of Health, pharmaceutical products imported in the accompanied personal baggage of a person entering Hong Kong for his or her personal use and in reasonable quantity may be exempted from licensing requirement, of the definition of “reasonable quantity”;
(2) of the number of prosecutions instituted by the Government over the past three years in respect of the illegal sale of unregistered pharmaceutical products; and
(3) given that the Poisons Committee will advise the Hong Kong Pharmacy and Poisons Board of Hong Kong on the review of the classification of regulated pharmaceutical products, of the specific details of the review (including the mechanism for substances and drugs to be added to or removed from the Poisons List, as well as the review cycle for the Poisons List)?
Reply:
President,
The Government has in place a stringent regulatory regime for medicines with a view to safeguarding public health. Any product which falls within the definition of “medicine” under the Pharmacy and Poisons Ordinance (Cap. 138) (i.e. “pharmaceutical product”) must be approved for registration by the Pharmacy and Poisons Board of Hong Kong (the Board) before it can be sold in Hong Kong.
The term “poisons” mentioned in the question is a term used under Cap. 138, which refers to the regulated western medicine chemical ingredients contained in pharmaceutical products with potential side effects and is different from the general public’s everyday understanding of “poisons” or “drugs” as substances that cause harm to people. Under the statutory framework, substances defined as poisons are specified in Schedule 10 to the Pharmacy and Poisons Regulations (Cap. 138A) (the “Poisons List”) and are classified under different parts of the Poisons List and other Schedules to Cap. 138A according to their efficacy and potential side effects. The extent of control over individual pharmaceutical products depends on the classes of poisons they contain, and such products can mainly be divided into five major categories.
The first category is “prescription drugs”. Such pharmaceutical products (e.g. antihypertensive drugs) require a prescription from a registered medical practitioner, registered dentist or registered veterinary surgeon, and may only be dispensed in accordance with the prescription at authorised sellers of poisons (commonly known as pharmacies) under the supervision of registered pharmacists.
The second category covers pharmaceutical products which may be sold without a prescription but only at pharmacies under the supervision of registered pharmacists (e.g. cough syrups containing less than 0.2 per cent codeine). Registered pharmacies and pharmacists are required to keep, for each sale, a sales record in the specified format for inspection by the Department of Health (DH).
The third category is similar to the second category in that such products must also be sold at pharmacies under the supervision of registered pharmacists, but there is no requirement to keep sales records in the specified format. Examples include anti-inflammatory and analgesic medicines such as ibuprofen.
The fourth and fifth categories are collectively known as “over-the-counter medicines”. The fourth category refers to pharmaceutical products containing Part 2 poisons of the Poisons List (e.g. analgesic and antipyretic medicines such as paracetamol, and chlorpheniramine contained in common cold and flu medicines), which may be sold not only at pharmacies but also at listed sellers of poisons (commonly known as drug stores, such as the common convenience stores); whereas the fifth category covers pharmaceutical products whose ingredients do not include any substance on the Poisons List (e.g. certain mucolytics), which may be sold at general retail outlets.
Having consulted the Customs and Excise Department (C&ED) and the DH, our consolidated reply to the various parts of the question raised by the Hon Ginny Man is as follows:
(1) and (2) Under Cap. 138, any person who illegally sells or possesses unregistered pharmaceutical products or Part 1 poisons of the Poisons List in Hong Kong commits an offence and shall be liable, upon conviction, to a maximum penalty of a fine of $100,000 and imprisonment for two years. The import and export of pharmaceutical products are also regulated under the Import and Export Ordinance (Cap. 60), under which every importation must be covered by a licence issued by the DH under the authority of the Director-General of Trade and Industry. Any person who imports or exports pharmaceutical products without a licence commits an offence and shall be liable, upon conviction, to a maximum penalty of a fine of $500,000 and imprisonment for two years.
Having regard to the practical needs of members of the public and travellers to use pharmaceutical products for their own health conditions, the Import and Export (General) Regulations (Cap. 60A) provide for the relevant exemption. An inbound traveller is exempted from applying for an import licence for carrying in his or her accompanied baggage a reasonable quantity of pharmaceutical products for personal use. C&ED officers will make an overall assessment, on a case-by-case basis, of whether the quantity is reasonable for personal use, taking into account the individual circumstances, the relevant information provided and the product packaging, and will consult DH where necessary. If the pharmaceutical products concerned are classified as dangerous drugs under the Dangerous Drugs Ordinance (Cap. 134), antibiotics under the Antibiotics Ordinance (Cap. 137) or Part 1 poisons under Cap. 138, a doctor’s prescription is required for carrying them across the boundary.
The Government has all along been rigorously combating the illegal importation or sale of unregistered pharmaceutical products. Over the past three years, C&ED has detected 1 043 cases involving suspected illegally imported pharmaceutical products, with the articles seized valued at about $364 million, and prosecution has been instituted in respect of 140 of these cases. (3) Pharmaceutical products are classified in accordance with risk level based on professional assessment. The Poisons Committee (the Committee) under the Board, with experts taking part in the assessment, keeps under continuous review the classification and distribution of various poisons on the Poisons List and provides professional advice to the Board. If the review results indicate the need to adjust the classification of substances on the Poisons List, the Government will amend Cap. 138A through the negative vetting procedure to ensure that regulation keeps pace with the times. From 2025 to September 2026, new substances were added to the Poisons List and the relevant Schedules in respect of 68 new drug registration applications, and the classification of one drug on the Poisons List and the relevant Schedules was revised by the Committee in the light of its safety information.
Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region
LCQ17: Manpower of lifeguards as well as lifesaving and first aid services Question:
The Leisure and Cultural Services Department (LCSD) is responsible for managing 46 public swimming pools, 42 gazetted beaches and five water sports centres across the territory. There are views that the manpower of lifeguards under the LCSD is insufficient, and the vacancy rate has also soared. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1) of the establishment, strength, vacancies and mid-point salaries of seasonal lifeguards, full-year lifeguards on a two-year contract and civil service lifeguards in the past five years respectively (provided in tabulated form);
(2) of the respective numbers of summer days and total number of days on which public swimming pools, gazetted beaches and water sports centres had to be temporarily closed due to a shortage of lifeguards in the past five years (provided in tabulated form);
(3) of the latest vacancy rate of civil service lifeguards; as there are views pointing out that the continuous increase in the number of local private swimming pools in recent years has led to a growing market demand for lifeguards, what enhancement measures the authorities have in place in respect of lifeguard recruitment to address the aforesaid situation (including narrowing the gap in remuneration packages between the public and private markets); in addition, whether the authorities will reconsider reviewing the grade structure of civil service lifeguards;
(4) as the LCSD has launched a two-year programme of outsourcing the lifesaving and first aid services at six public swimming pools on a trial basis (trial programme) since September 2024; of the current progress of the trial programme; whether the authorities have reviewed the effectiveness of the trial programme, and whether they will consider extending the trial programme and expanding it to all public swimming pools across the territory;
(5) as there are views pointing out that the cost of full-year outsourcing of lifesaving and first aid services is too high, whether the authorities will consider outsourcing lifesaving and first aid services only during peak periods of the swimming season and public holidays under a seasonal supplementary mode, or using the relevant outsourcing expenditure to subsidise lifeguards undertaking overtime work instead; and
(6) given that in recent years, the authorities have put on trial two different sets of artificial intelligence drowning detection systems at Kwun Tong Swimming Pool and Sun Yat Sen Memorial Park Swimming Pool respectively, but it has been reported that the detection system equipment has encountered problems such as cameras being blocked by swimmers and high system maintenance costs, what enhancement and improvement measures the authorities have implemented in response to such problems, and whether they will extend the use of the detection systems to all public swimming pools across the territory?
Reply:
President,
My reply to the question raised by the Hon Chan Pui-leung is as follows:
(1) Statistics on the strength of non-civil service contract (NCSC) seasonal lifeguards and full-year lifeguards from 2022 to 2026; the establishment, strength and vacancies of civil service lifeguards from 2022 to 2026; and the mid-point salary of civil service lifeguards from 2022-23 to 2026-27 are tabulated in Annexes I, II and III respectively. Since the NCSC lifeguards are not part of the civil service, there are no figures for their establishment and mid-point salary.
(2) No public swimming pools or water sports centres were closed due to lifeguard shortages from 2022 to 2026. During the same period, 25 of the 42 gazetted beaches had suspended lifesaving services at some point due to lifeguard shortages (the number dropped to 18 in 2026). The number of days of service suspension is tabulated in Annex IV.
(3) In recent years, the number of private swimming pools has continued to rise with the current figure standing at around 1 400, whereas the number of people joining the lifesaving profession has been on the decline, leading to an increasingly acute shortage of lifeguards.
In view of this, the Leisure and Cultural Services Department (LCSD) has been actively studying and adopting various measures to increase and stabilise the supply of lifeguards with a view to ensuring the public can enjoy public swimming pool facilities.
In addition to hiring NCSC seasonal lifeguards for the swimming season every year, the LCSD has progressively recruited full-year lifeguards on a two-year contract since 2023 to increase lifeguard manpower. To remain competitive on the labour market, the LCSD has enhanced the remuneration package for contract lifeguards, under which the monthly salary plus end-of-contract gratuity can be as high as $26,900.
Moreover, the LCSD has launched the Combined Seasonal Lifeguard Training Scheme since 2023, which adopts a hire-and-train approach to provide full-time training and work placement. Under this scheme, people with no lifesaving qualifications may obtain the Pool Lifeguard Award and/or Beach Lifeguard Award, while existing Pool Lifeguard Award holders may further obtain the Beach Lifeguard Award and become LCSD seasonal lifeguards. To further expand the supply of lifeguard, the LCSD has, since 2025, been collaborating with the Employees Retraining Board to organise dedicated lifesaving training programmes with employment arrangements. So far, about 40 trainees have been appointed as full-year lifeguards on a two-year contract upon completion of the programme.
The LCSD has also produced a series of recruitment videos to demonstrate the items and the relevant requirements of the trade tests for lifeguards, with a view to enhancing recruitment effectiveness by helping people interested in applying for the lifeguard positions of the LCSD to fully prepare for the trade tests.
In addition, the LCSD continues to step up its publicity efforts, including disseminating recruitment information on the websites of various government departments, conducting publicity work targeting secondary schools, post-secondary institutions and non-governmental organisations, and placing recruitment advertisements in public transport, newspapers, electronic media and the department’s website etc, to reach out to more people interested in working as lifeguards. The LCSD continues to actively participate in career fairs hosted by tertiary institutions, and disseminate recruitment information via the relevant email networks and messaging groups of the institutions to promote a career in lifesaving and encourage young people to join the profession.
Under the prevailing policy, when a specific civil service grade has proven and persistent recruitment and retention difficulties, or fundamental changes in the job nature, job complexity and responsibilities, the Government will consider conducting a grade structure review for the grade concerned.
(4) and (5) To address lifeguard shortages, the LCSD has outsourced lifesaving and first-aid services at six public swimming pools of smaller scale on a trial basis since September 2024 to stabilise the supply of lifeguards and maintain swimming pool services by leveraging the greater flexibility of private service contractors in lifeguard recruitment. Having reviewed the effectiveness of the trial programme, the LCSD considers that this arrangement has been generally satisfactory. As a result of the flexible manpower deployment by the service contractor and the rigorous supervision of the LCSD, all facilities at the six swimming pools have remained open for public use, and none has been closed due to lifeguard shortages. The LCSD will continue to implement the programme in the six swimming pools. Following a re-tendering exercise, a new three-year contract vetted and approved by the Central Tender Board came into effect on August 1, 2026, with an annual expenditure comparable to that of employing civil service and contract lifeguards. Outsourcing is one of the practicable measures adopted by the LCSD to ease the lifeguard shortages. In fact, as swimming pools differ in scale, types of facilities, and manpower requirements, the LCSD will carefully consider the feasibility of further extending the outsourcing of lifesaving and first-aid services to other public swimming pools having regard to factors such as the financial situation, complexity of operation, and availability of manpower in the market. The LCSD will continue to closely monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of the outsourced services while maintaining close communication with stakeholders, with a view to continuously optimising staffing arrangements for swimming pools.
The LCSD has been striving to maintain aquatic venue services by adopting a multi-pronged strategy to flexibly deploy serving lifeguards. Specifically, the LCSD arranges sufficient lifeguards to be on duty at aquatic venue facilities that are open and makes special arrangements according to actual needs, including providing allowances to lifeguards working overtime during the peak swimming season (i.e. June to August every year). For occupational safety and health reasons, overtime work is voluntary to avoid fatigue at work. Therefore, there is still a need to engage outsourced lifesaving and first-aid services. Furthermore, as the contractor was able to provide a stable supply of lifeguards throughout the past two-year contract period, enabling the swimming pools facilities to remain fully open for public use, the existing mode of operation will be maintained under the new contract. Taking into account factors such as the operational effectiveness of the new contract and the availability of manpower in the market, the LCSD will carefully consider whether to adopt a seasonal supplementary mode for outsourcing lifesaving and first-aid services in the next tender exercise.
(6) The LCSD is putting on trial two artificial intelligence (AI) drowning detection systems at Kwun Tong Swimming Pool and Sun Yat Sen Memorial Park Swimming Pool respectively. Generally speaking, the two systems are effective in assisting lifeguards in monitoring the real-time condition of swimmers and promptly locating drowning victims.
Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region
LCQ8: Manpower of Correctional Services Department and development of Smart Prison Question:
In recent years, the Correctional Services Department (CSD) has been actively developing Smart Prison by introducing a number of innovative technological equipment such as smart wristbands and video analytic monitoring systems, with a view to enhancing the efficiency of resource management and the security level of prisons. However, concerns have been raised as to whether the development of Smart Prison will have an impact on the security of institutions and the actual effectiveness of technology investment, in the face of an increasing number of persons in custody (PICs) and possible manpower shortages arising from reductions in departmental expenditure. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1) of the relevant data for various correctional institutions (including prisons, correctional institutions and reception centres) for the past three financial years in accordance with the tables below, and how CSD assesses the current manpower pressure of various institutions:
(a) the average daily number of PICs/occupancy rate and the actual supervisory ratio of frontline staff to PICs for various institutions (set out in Table 1);
Table 1
Institution(b) whether CSD has deleted or frozen frontline posts (e.g. Assistant Officers and Officers) and back-office administrative posts (set out in Table 2);
Table 2
Post(set out by gender)(c) the average monthly overtime hours of frontline staff in various institutions and the reasons for that (set out in Table 3);
Table 3
Financial year(d) the number, gender, years of service and reasons for transfer of frontline staff (e.g. Assistant Officers and Officers) to other disciplined services or government departments (set out in Table 4);
Table 4
Post(2) whether the pass rates have increased after CSD relaxed the entry physical fitness test requirements and allowed second- and third-year university students to apply for departmental posts (set out figures by post and gender); of the wastage rate of newly recruited staff in the past year;
(3) of the types and quantities of technological equipment mainly used in various correctional institutions, the breakdown and repair conditions, as well as the alternative arrangements during repair over the past three financial years (set out in Table 5), and how CSD assesses the effectiveness of technology investment; and
Table 5
Financial year(4) of the average number of days that the Robotic Monitoring System was used for patrolling and guarding in various institutions in each of the past three financial years; whether CSD has assessed the additional security risks and work pressure posed to the existing establishment (including staff working overtime) in the event of a system breakdown requiring manual operation?
Reply:
President,
The Correctional Services Department (CSD) is committed to providing a secure, safe, humane, decent and healthy custodial environment for persons in custody (PICs). In recent years, the CSD has been proactively developing Smart Prison through the implementation of innovation and technology strategies to modernise, informatise and humanise management modes and process innovation of correctional institutions, with a view to meeting operational needs while enhancing the efficiency of prison operations, management and rehabilitation work. Moreover, the development of Smart Prison also helps optimise the existing working environment and streamline some of the more cumbersome or physically demanding daily work procedures, thereby ensuring a more humanised and safer environment for correctional officers to perform law enforcement duties.
The reply to the questions raised by the Hon Steven Ho is as follows:
(1) The number of admissions to correctional institutions (including convicted persons, remands and detainees) has been on the increase in recent years. The CSD has flexibly deployed the capacity and manpower of individual correctional institutions to cope with the ever-changing penal population. The CSD will continuously review and assess the manpower requirement of each institution based on factors such as PIC population and their categories, security level, institution design and actual operational needs. Through internally re-deploying its resources and capitalising on technology solutions, the CSD will ensure that each institution has sufficient staff to maintain safety and order. To meet the demand for manpower resources for providing quality correctional services, the CSD has adopted various measures to attract and retain talent, with the leveraging of technology as one of the key measures.
Since the breakdown of PIC population, occupancy rate and staff number, etc, by correctional institution involves details of the CSD’s operational and security deployment, such information will not be disclosed. The relevant overall figures/information are provided below:
(a) The average daily penal populations and overall occupancy rates of the CSD in the past three financial years are as follows:
Financial Year The numbers of disciplined staff of the CSD (including Officers and Rank and File staff of the CSD, excluding Technical Instructors and Instructors) in the past three financial years are as follows:
Financial Year(as at March 31, 2024)(as at March 31, 2025)(as at March 31, 2026)(b) The staff establishment of the CSD is not disaggregated by gender. The civil service establishments of the CSD in the past three financial years are set out as follows:
Financial Year(as at March 31, 2024)(as at March 31, 2025)(as at March 31, 2026) The CSD will enhance efficiency through adoption of measures such as re-prioritising and re-deploying work, flexibly deploying manpower, streamlining work processes and capitalising on technology solutions. For example, the CSD plans to install the Automatic Drone Patrol and Monitoring System 2.0 in six maximum security institutions, which is expected to optimise the prevailing work processes and partly reduce the patrol time of correctional staff, thereby enabling the CSD to deploy manpower more flexibly. While meeting the Government’s goal to streamline the civil service, the CSD will continue to deliver high-quality correctional services and ensure that the security and order of institutions are unaffected.
(c) In the past three financial years, frontline staff of the CSD were required to work overtime mainly due to the actual management and operational needs of institutions, such as ad hoc deployment of staff to perform medical escort duties and handle emergencies. The CSD does not maintain statistics on the average monthly overtime hours of frontline staff. The CSD will keep in view the workload of frontline staff and enhance efficiency through adoption of measures such as re-prioritising and re-deploying work, flexibly deploying manpower, streamlining work processes and capitalising on technology solutions based on actual circumstances, so as to reduce overtime work by staff.
(d) According to the CSD’s observations and assessments, correctional staff wastage (including transfer to other departments) involves various factors, such as personal career preferences, changes in the economic environment, manpower demands of different sectors or departments, and the unique working environment and special job requirements of correctional institutions. The Department has always attached great importance to staff welfare and treatment, and will continue to adopt a multipronged approach to attract and retain talent. The numbers of disciplined staff of the CSD who transferred to other disciplined services or government departments in the past three financial years are listed as follows:
Financial Year The CSD does not maintain a breakdown of the aforementioned transferred staff by gender and years of service.
(2) The CSD regularly reviews its recruitment policy, including entry requirements, and adopts a proactive recruitment strategy, so as to attract more applicants.
Having invited a sports medicine expert to review, the CSD has formulated new physical fitness test standards that better meet the daily operational needs of correctional officers nowadays, and has adopted new entry physical fitness test standards since September 16, 2023. Since the adoption of the new entry physical fitness test standards, the overall passing rates of applicants for Officer and Assistant Officer II have increased by approximately 16 percentage points and 30 percentage points respectively.
In addition, regarding the recruitment of Officer this year, students pursuing a bachelor’s degree and graduating by 2028 may receive a conditional offer of employment if they pass the assessment. The recruitment exercise is still in progress, and the CSD will closely monitor the effectiveness of the relevant arrangement.
Among disciplined staff who were recruited between October 1, 2025 and September 30, 2026, the wastage rate (as at September 30, 2026) was 5.8 per cent.
(3) In recent years, the CSD has gradually introduced a range of technological equipment into institutions, such as the Video Analytic Monitoring System, Smart Wristbands and the Robotic Monitoring System, to assist frontline staff in their supervision and security duties. As the types and quantities of technological equipment used in various institutions involve details of the institutional security deployment, such information will not be disclosed.
Technological equipment in various institutions occasionally break down due to aging, wear and tear or other reasons. The time required for repairing different equipment is affected by multiple factors, including the specific cause of breakdown or damage as well as whether procurement of related equipment or parts is necessary. Since expenses on repair and maintenance of technological equipment are part of the daily operating expenditures of institutions, no breakdown of such expenses is maintained. During equipment breakdown, contingency arrangements will be implemented based on the specific circumstances, which generally include using backup equipment or assigning duty staff to temporarily perform the relevant tasks, normally without the need for additional manpower.
The CSD will assess the effectiveness of its use of technology by regularly reviewing system operation data, gathering feedback from frontline staff and comparing work processes and efficiency before and after the introduction of the relevant technology. In general, the use of technology helps correctional staff identify abnormal behaviours or physical conditions among PICs at an early stage, enabling prompt intervention. At the same time, it reduces repetitive and physically demanding manual procedures, allowing frontline staff to focus more on supervision and rehabilitation tasks that require professional judgement, thereby enhancing security standards and resource efficiency within institutions. The CSD will continue to review the application of various technologies, as well as optimise and implement relevant technologies in accordance with actual needs.
(4) The CSD has set up the Robotic Monitoring System in two correctional institutions. The patrol robots of the system are equipped with multiple cameras and intercommunication functions to assist correctional officers in carrying out night patrol duty and to enhance the monitoring of PICs. Correctional officers can observe prison cells in real time via a tablet computer or a monitor at staff workstations.
The CSD has assessed the relevant impact of possible system breakdown and formulated contingency arrangements. As the system is auxiliary in nature and correctional officers are all along on duty at relevant posts in accordance with established procedures, if a patrol robot breaks down, correctional officers on duty will immediately perform on-site patrol duties in person to maintain institutional security. This generally does not involve extra manpower or overtime work. The CSD does not maintain records of the average number of days per year on which the system was in operation in the past three financial years. Issued at HKT 14:55
Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region
LCQ21: Manpower in the security services industry Regarding the manpower in the security services industry and the importation of security practitioners, will the Government inform this Council:
(1) of the numbers of persons employed to perform security work in each of the past three years and this year to date, with a breakdown by the type of security work they did (i.e. Category A, B, C and D security work);
(2) of the current number of valid Security Personnel Permit (SPP) holders, with a breakdown by the age group of the holders and the category of SPPs they hold;
(3) of the respective numbers of SPPs issued by the Police Licensing Office of the Police Force to new applicants in each of the past three years and this year to date, with a breakdown by the age group of the applicants;
(4) from the introduction of the Enhanced Supplementary Labour Scheme (ESLS) on September 4, 2023 to the announcement of the review findings and enhanced measures of ESLS on June 15, 2026 by the Government, and from June 16, 2026 to the present, of the respective numbers of applications for the importation of security personnel received, approved and rejected under ESLS by the authorities each month, with a breakdown by the category of security work to which the posts belong; among the aforesaid approved cases, of the number of imported workers who have arrived in Hong Kong; and
(5) as some members of the industry have pointed out that the relaxation under ESLS allowing imported workers to work at business locations in no more than five districts has substantially enhanced employers’ flexibility in work arrangements, which may encourage security and property management companies to apply more actively for the importation of security practitioners, of the measures put in place by the authorities to ensure the employment priority for local workers, including whether they will consider establishing a mechanism whereby a job category will be included in a more stringent Tier 2 vetting mechanism under ESLS if its imported workers exceed a certain proportion of the total number of practitioners; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?
Reply:
President,
According to the Security and Guarding Services Ordinance (Cap. 460) (the Ordinance) , the Security and Guarding Services Industry Authority is responsible for formulating issuing criteria and conditions for security personnel permits (SPPs), while the Police Licensing Office (PLO) is responsible for issuing SPPs to individuals performing security work.
At present, SPPs are classified into four categories, namely A, B, C and D, according to different types of security work. Category A is applicable to guarding work provided for a single private residential building which does not require the carrying of arms and ammunition; Category B is applicable to guarding work provided for any persons, premises or properties which does not require the carrying of arms and ammunition; Category C is applicable to guarding work which requires the carrying of arms and ammunition; and Category D is applicable to the installation, maintenance and repairing of a security device, or the designing of a system incorporating a security device for any particular premises or place.
Having consulted the Labour and Welfare Bureau, the reply to the question raised by the Hon Chau Siu-chung is as follows:
(1) and (2) The number and age distribution of security personnel currently holding valid SPPs (i.e. SPPs of Category A, B, C or D) are set out in Table 1.
Table 1: Current number and age distribution of holders of various categories of SPPs
Age@ Some SPP holders may simultaneously hold SPPs of more than one category. * The upper age limit for performing Category B security work is 70. ^ The upper age limit for performing Category C security work is 60.
The number of security personnel holding valid SPPs and employed to perform security work (including full-time, part-time and temporary positions) over the past three years and this year (up to September) is set out in Table 2. Regarding employed personnel, the PLO does not maintain statistics broken down by type of security work (i.e. Categories A, B, C or D) or age group.
Table 2: Number of persons employed to perform security work@
Year(up to September)@ According to section 13 of the Ordinance, a security company or an employer of security personnel shall, within 14 days after the commencement/termination of the employment, give written notice to the Commissioner of Police of the names of the employees and of the date on which the employment commenced/ceased. The PLO has compiled the statistics based on the information collected.
(3) The number and age distribution of new applicants issued with SPPs by the PLO in the past three years and this year (up to September) are set out in Table 3.
Table 3: Number and age distribution of new applicants issued with SPPs
Age(up to September)(4) The Labour Department (LD) has implemented the Enhanced Supplementary Labour Scheme (ESLS) since September 4, 2023. Up to September 2026, applications for importing 17 742 security guards were received from employers, and approvals for importing 7 275 security guards were granted. The others involved applications of which the processing was discontinued (including applications withdrawn by employers, applications for which the employers failed to provide the required information, and those failing to pass the preliminary screening), applications under processing, applications that were not fully approved, etc. According to the statistics from the Immigration Department, as at August 2026, 2 736 imported security guards were working in Hong Kong under ESLS. The LD currently does not maintain the number of applications received and approved broken down by type of security work.
The annual figures (including the monthly average) of imported security guards applied for and approved under ESLS from September 4, 2023 to September 2026 are set out in Table 4. The LD does not maintain the number of imported security guards under ESLS broken down by type of security work (i.e. Categories A, B, C or D).
Table 4: Number of imported security guards applied for and approved under ESLS@
Year(September to December)(January to June)(July to September)@ The classification of job categories may be subject to revisions upon verification of information from employers. * The LD has implemented ESLS since September 4, 2023. The vetting of applications received during the above period may be completed thereafter, and hence the number of imported workers approved only reflects the results of some of the applications received during the same period.
(5) The Government has always been committed to ensuring employment priority for local workers, while allowing only employers facing genuine recruitment difficulties and shortages of local manpower to import labour after approval, on a limited scale. The Government stringently vets each application for labour importation. Employers are allowed to import labour only upon meeting the manning ratio requirements of local employees to imported workers, undertaking local recruitment thereby according priority to employing qualified local workers to fill job vacancies at a salary not lower than the median monthly wage of a comparable position in the market, and proving that vacancies cannot be filled by local workers.
To further safeguard the employment priority for local workers, ESLS has implemented a tiered vetting mechanism. Job categories falling under the Tier 2 mechanism are subject to more stringent requirements in respect of manning ratio and local recruitment requirements, etc. The LD will continue to monitor the economic and labour market situation, the manpower supply and demand in relevant sector(s) and post(s), the application and vetting situations of ESLS, etc. If there is a need to tighten the vetting criteria for specific sector(s) and post(s) (including security guards), the LD will include relevant sector(s)/ operating section(s) in the Tier 2 vetting mechanism to ensure employment priority for local workers. Issued at HKT 14:55
Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region
Following is a question by Dr the Hon Hoey Simon Lee and a written reply by the Secretary for Health, Professor Lo Chung-mau, in the Legislative Council today (October 21):
Question:
There are views that with the accelerated development of healthcare integration in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, a number of advertisements placed by non-local medical institutions have appeared on the local market and online platforms. However, some advertisements vary in the standards of disclosure concerning service efficacy and risks, and members of the public may face issues relating to consumer or medical rights and interests when seeking medical consultations outside Hong Kong based on such information, which may even pose potential safety hazards. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1) of the respective numbers of advertisements involving non-local healthcare services screened by the Department of Health and the Customs and Excise Department over the past three years; among such cases, the number of those prosecuted for suspected contravention of the Undesirable Medical Advertisements Ordinance (Cap. 231) or the Trade Descriptions Ordinance (Cap. 362);
Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region
LCQ1: Improving online bank account opening Question:
It is learnt that in a number of money laundering cases in recent years, the account holders involved (including foreign domestic helpers and elderly persons) claimed that their bank accounts were opened via mobile applications without their knowledge and used as stooge accounts, where lawbreakers typically first obtain victims’ identity cards and personal data, enter the information into bank mobile applications without authorisation, register and link the accounts with mobile phone numbers prepared in advance, and then deceive the victims into “taking photos” on screens lacking prompts to pass facial recognition verification. Once the accounts have been opened, the lawbreakers immediately receive one-time passwords via the linked numbers to carry out money laundering transactions. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1) whether the Hong Kong Monetary Authority will require banks to clearly display the words “bank” and “account opening application” on the facial recognition screens for online account opening, and to remind the applicants in a familiar language that they are opening an account;
(2) given that the Real-name Registration Programme for Subscriber Identification Module Cards was fully implemented in 2023, whether the Government will mandate banks to verify that the mobile phone numbers used by applicants for account registration and linkage are under the names of the applicants or their specified relatives; if not, of the reasons for that; and
(3) whether the Government will empower banks to access the real-name registration data, so as to verify that the registered users of the linked numbers are the applicants or their specified relatives; if not, of the reasons for that?
Reply:
President,
The Government attaches great importance to preventing the illicit opening of bank accounts, and is particularly concerned about the risk of fraudsters stealing others’ identities to open bank accounts remotely. The Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) has set out relevant regulatory requirements and provided guidance to banks, requiring them to implement appropriate identity verification and risk management measures for remote account opening. Banks are also required to continuously review and enhance their systems and controls to protect bank customers, while preventing bank accounts (including those opened through illicit means) from being used as stooge accounts to receive, transfer, or launder crime proceeds.
Having consulted the Commerce and Economic Development Bureau and the HKMA, my reply to the three parts of the question is as follows:
(1) The HKMA has maintained continuous supervision of the banking sector, requiring banks to put in place multi-layered controls to verify customers’ identities and prevent fraud. The HKMA also shares the latest modus operandi of fraudsters with banks to help the industry defend against fraud. When processing account opening applications, banks must effectively identify and verify customer identities, such as using technology solutions to verify the authenticity of identity cards and using facial recognition technology to confirm that the customer is the holder of the identity card. At the same time, banks must continuously improve these technological solutions to address evolving fraud tactics. After bank accounts are opened, ongoing due diligence and transaction monitoring must also be conducted, with suspicious transactions reported to law enforcement agencies to assist their investigations.
To address scams involving bank accounts being opened without customers’ knowledge, the HKMA issued further guidance to banks in 2023 reminding them to adopt appropriate measures during remote account opening process. These include displaying clear on-screen messages to remind customers that the selfies collected or liveness tests being conducted are for account opening purposes, so that customers are aware that they are undergoing the relevant procedures.
(2) and (3) Under the existing regulatory framework, regulated financial institutions (including banks) must establish effective and appropriate anti-money laundering and counter-financing of terrorism controls, covering customer due diligence, transaction monitoring, and suspicious transaction reporting.
In fact, to address the potential risks associated with bank customers using SMS One-Time Passwords (OTPs) for transaction authentication, banks have implemented “In-app Authentication” in accordance with the HKMA’s requirements. For customers who have installed a bank’s mobile application on their mobile phones, they are required to authenticate via that mobile application when logging into internet banking and conducting high-risk transactions (such as adding new payees, raising transfer limits, or changing the phone number for receiving bank messages). This helps reduce the risk of fraudsters stealing internet banking login credentials and SMS OTPs to carry out unauthorised transfers. In addition, when binding their internet banking accounts to mobile devices, customers are also required to complete facial recognition, reducing the reliance on SMS OTPs.
Currently, under the Real-name Registration Programme for SIM cards, users’ registration data are collected and kept by the systems and databases established by the respective telecommunications operators. Pursuant to sections 12 and 13 of the Telecommunications (Registration of SIM Cards) Regulation (Cap. 106AI) (the Regulation), telecommunications operators are only authorised to provide user records to law enforcement officers of designated agencies for the purpose of investigating or preventing crimes. The Regulation does not authorise other organisations (including banks) to access the user registration data under the Real-name Registration Programme. As banks are progressively reducing their reliance on SMS OTPs as required by the HKMA, the Government currently has no plans to authorise banks to access the user registration data of the Real-name Registration Programme.
Nevertheless, in respect of the more common criminal modus operandi and emerging risks relating to the use of stolen identities for remote opening of bank accounts, the Government has, through cross-departmental collaboration, jointly launched a series of countermeasures together with the banking sector.
Among them, the HKMA announced in August 2025 new measures to enhance internet banking security, namely “e-Banking Security ABCD”, and through the “Deepfake Detection” measure therein, shared with banks good practices for defending against deepfake attacks. These good practices apply to all processes involving facial recognition, including remote account opening applications and high-risk online transactions.
Furthermore, the HKMA is working closely with the Digital Policy Office and the banking sector to progressively integrate the Step-up Authentication function of “iAM Smart” into critical processes. Leveraging the function to conduct facial recognition and read identity card chips can prevent fraudsters from using fake or stolen identity documents. This will provide another layer of protection to the customer identity authentication process. The first phase of testing for remote account opening has already commenced. The HKMA will assess the security, stability, and customer experience of the overall process and gradually expand it to other business areas on a risk-based approach. We expect this measure to further combat crimes involving account opening with stolen identities.
The Government will continue to monitor the risks and relevant trends associated with remote opening of bank accounts, as well as review and optimise countermeasures, so as to better protect the property of the general public and mitigate potential money laundering risks.
Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region
LCQ13: Operation and services of Chinese Medicine Hospital of Hong Kong Question:
The Chinese Medicine Hospital of Hong Kong (CMHHK) is a flagship project for the development of Chinese medicine (CM) in Hong Kong, commencing phased operations and service provision at the end of last year. CMHHK adopts a public-private partnership model with its construction fully funded by the Government. The Administration has pointed out that the public-private partnership model enables the provision of market-oriented CM services, which can both attract alternative sources of revenue and foster positive interaction between CMHHK and the market. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1) whether it knows the number of attendances at CMHHK since its commissioning, including the number of attendances under subsidised outpatient services, market-oriented outpatient services and day inpatient services, and the respective proportions of such attendances; (1) Within the first year after service commencement, CMHHK primarily provides outpatient and day-patient services. Through the co-operation between multidisciplinary clinical teams, CMHHK aims to develop a mature collaborative model, laying the groundwork for the full-scale launching of various services. From the commencement on December 11, 2025 to September 30, 2026, the service attendances for CMHHK’s outpatient (non-inpatient) services are tabulated below:
Outpatient (Non-inpatient) services (Note) To facilitate multilateral collaboration, CMHHK is actively exploring collaboration opportunities with CM and Western medicine (WM) healthcare institutions in both the public and private sectors, including expansion of ICWM services, so as to gradually develop a “Hong Kong model” of ICWM services with CM playing the predominant role. As an “open hospital”, CMHHK welcomes the industry to participate in hospital work in different ways, with a view to promoting patient flow, talent flow and knowledge flow, and thereby promoting the overall development of CM in Hong Kong.Issued at HKT 15:30