Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region
LCQ19: Advancing development of poultry and livestock farming industry Question:
The Recommendations for Formulating the 15th Five-Year Plan explicitly propose “enhancing the overall production capacity of agriculture”, that “fresh headway should be made in keeping our skies blue, waters clear, and lands clean”, as well as “pressing ahead with initiatives to invigorate the seed industry”; and the Ecological and Environmental Code, which was endorsed at the fourth session of the 14th National People’s Congress on the 12 of this month, sets out mandatory provisions concerning the prevention and control of pollution from livestock and poultry farming and slaughtering, the fostering of resource recycling, ecological protection as well as the strengthening of food security, etc. There are views that Hong Kong should dovetail with the strategic arrangements on national agricultural development to promote the standardised implementation and high-quality development of local poultry and livestock farming projects. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1) as the Government will formulate Hong Kong’s five-year plan to dovetail with the National 15th Five-Year Plan, whether the Government has plans to include policy initiatives that seek to advance the development of poultry and livestock farming projects so as to dovetail with the national arrangements on smart farming and biosecurity; how the Government will strengthen co-operation with local research institutions to encourage the promotion of technologies pertaining to precise feeding as well as the undertaking of research and development (R&D) relating to premium poultry and livestock farming techniques;
(2) regarding the quarantine and hygiene measures for the poultry and livestock farming industry, how the Government (i) establishes mechanisms on regular monitoring, investigation and emergency response; (ii) ensures the full implementation of inspection and quarantine measures throughout the farming process to effectively prevent the risk of transmission of major animal diseases (such as African swine fever), whilst taking into account the needs of poultry and livestock farming; and (iii) assist the industry in properly addressing issues relating to feed contamination and the waste generated from the farming process; and
(3) how the Government assists the industry in dovetailing with the national direction of enhancing self-reliance and control over poultry and livestock provenance, and formulates measures in support of provenance R&D, the introduction of superior breeds and their localised cultivation, so as to enhance the core competitiveness of the poultry and livestock industry?
Reply:
President,
The reply to the question raised by the Hon Chan Pok-chi is as follows:
(1) To align with the National 15th Five-Year Plan, the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government is formulating the first Hong Kong’s Five-Year Plan in full steam to provide clear guidance for Hong Kong’s socio-economic and livelihood development. As far as the agriculture and fisheries industries are concerned, the Government proactively drives the local agriculture and fisheries industries towards high-quality development in accordance with the Blueprint for the Sustainable Development of Agriculture and Fisheries, so as to go in line with the strategic direction of “accelerating agricultural and rural modernisation” as stated in the National 15th Five-Year Plan, as well as the overall plan to “enhance the comprehensive production capacity of agriculture” and develop “intensified farming”.
To assist the livestock farming industry in upgrading and transformation, the Government is proactively driving the industry to build Hong Kong’s first modernised environmentally-friendly multi-storey pig farm at a site in Lo Wu, with the site formation works expected to be completed within this year. The contractor and operator will also be selected in the second quarter of this year. The pig farm is expected to commence operation by 2032 and will adopt an intensified and modernised mode, coupled with smart technologies such as automated environmental control and precision feeding system and the Internet of Things, to raise farming efficiency and biosecurity standards, with a view to achieving sustainable development. The design and operational model will also strictly comply with the laws and regulations on animal welfare, environmental protection and public health, etc.
Besides, through the Sustainable Agricultural Development Fund, the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD) subsidises the industry to develop and apply modernised livestock farming technologies, such as formulating the Architectural Design Guidelines for Multilayer Livestock Farms and projects that enhance the capability of pig farms in handling odour emission, etc. The AFCD will continue to encourage local universities and research institutions to collaborate with the sector in undertaking different kinds of research and development projects on high-quality livestock farming technology, with a view to enhancing the overall standards of smart farming and biosecurity of the local industry.
(2) In terms of disease surveillance, local livestock farms are regulated under the Public Health (Animals and Birds) (Licensing of Livestock Keeping) Regulation (Cap. 139L), and are required to implement disease surveillance (such as African Swine Fever (ASF) testing in pig carcasses) and biosecurity measures, etc, in accordance with the requirements of livestock keeping licences. The AFCD has been strictly monitoring animal health and public health conditions at local livestock farms and implementing a host of ongoing prevention and control measures, such as arranging regular testing (including ASF virus testing), to ensure early detection and management of potential risks of disease.
The multi-storey pig farm will adopt a fully-enclosed design, which can substantially reduce the impact of pathogens and contaminants from wild animals and the external environment on pigs’ health, effectively prevent direct contact between pigs and the outside environment, and significantly lower the risk of disease transmission. In addition, the multi-storey pig farm will be equipped with ventilation and filtration systems to block airborne pathogens and pollutants, thereby further reducing infection risks while enhancing biosecurity levels. The farm will be equipped with real-time round-the-clock monitoring systems to track pigs’ health, allowing for early detection and follow-up of potential health issues of pigs, and at the same time more efficiently monitoring the proper execution of biosecurity protocols by the workers. The AFCD will conduct regular drills simulating the outbreaks of disease in collaboration with the operator of the multi-storey pig farm, so that the pig farm workers could be familiarised with the emergency response procedures to ensure rapid and appropriate responses in the event of disease outbreaks.
On feed management, the multi-storey pig farm will employ precision feeding systems with the use of sealed feed silos and fully enclosed pipelines, which could not only stop birds and pests from contacting the feed, but also effectively prevent the feed from moisture, mould growth, or contamination by external pathogens in the course of storage and distribution. Feed procurement and storage conditions are also subject to strict control to minimise contamination risks caused by the feed to the overall environmental hygiene at source. For livestock waste treatment, it is explicitly specified in the livestock keeping licence that pig farms must be equipped with modernised wastewater treatment technology and enclosed deodorisation systems to ensure that livestock waste and odours are properly converted and treated and in strict compliance with the environmental discharge standards, thereby minimising the impact on the surrounding environment.
(3) The Government has all along been collaborating with the Mainland in various areas of agriculture and fisheries. In particular, the AFCD signed the Memorandum of Understanding on Facilitation of Technological Exchange and Co-operation on Sustainable Development of Agriculture with the Guangdong Province in 2024 to further deepen technological exchanges and co-operation between the two places on livestock farming. The AFCD has also led delegations consisting of local stakeholders (including Legislative Council members, representatives of livestock industry associations and local pig farmers) for field visits to large-scale pig farms in the Mainland on multiple occasions, so as to understand their operation mode, biosecurity and animal disease control measures and draw on the experience of the Mainland in designing and managing multi-storey pig farms.
With reference to the successful experience in the Mainland, AI technology will be introduced into the multi-storey pig farm to provide scientific data support for performance testing and selection of superior breeds by precisely monitoring key parameters such as the health status and growth of each breeding pig, with the aim to contribute to our country’s research and development on livestock breeds. In addition, the AFCD is exploring with Mainland breeding pig breeder enterprises the feasibility of importing breeding pigs from national-accredited high-end breeding pig nurseries in the Mainland to local pig farms, so as to prepare for the introduction of superior breeds and localised cultivation in the multi-storey pig farm. Issued at HKT 12:22
Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region
LCQ15: Pilot Scheme on Food Waste Smart Recycling Bins in Private Housing Estates Question:
In 2023, the Government launched the Pilot Scheme on Food Waste Smart Recycling Bins in Private Housing Estates (the Scheme), under which eligible large private housing estates are provided with food waste smart bins (FWSBs) free of charge, including installation and related maintenance services, for a period of two years. It is reported that the trial period for the first batch of participating estates has ended in succession in recent months, with some deciding to return FWSBs due to owners’ unwillingness to share maintenance costs. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1) of the maintenance data for FWSBs currently in use (including the average annual maintenance frequency, number of breakdowns, major components subject to wear and tear and their replacement cycles);
(2) of the number of private housing estates covered by the Scheme to date and the number of households involved;
(3) of the current number of private housing estates which have withdrawn from the Scheme and returned FWSBs; whether the Government has assessed the impact of the withdrawal of private residential estates from the Scheme on the overall recycling target set by the Government; if so, of the details; and
(4) whether the Government has formulated enhancement measures in response to the withdrawal of private housing estates from the Scheme, so as to ensure its sustainability and expansion; if so, of the details?
Reply:
President,
The Environmental Protection Department (EPD) has been actively promoting food waste recycling. Across Hong Kong, it has set up about 1 690 residential food waste smart recycling bins (FWSRBs) or food waste collection facilities, and about 260 public food waste recycling points, covering public housing estates, private residential buildings, government quarters, GREEN@COMMUNITY, public markets and public refuse collection points, etc, and launched the Trial Scheme on Food Waste Recycling Truck at the end of 2025 to build a comprehensive recycling network. With these multipronged initiatives, the amount of food waste recycled in Hong Kong in 2025 reached about 350 tonnes per day on average, marking an increase of about 26 per cent compared to 280 tonnes per day in 2024. This shows that the relevant measures are gradually yielding results.
For private residential buildings, the EPD, in collaboration with the Environmental Campaign Committee (ECC), launched the Pilot Scheme on Food Waste Smart Recycling Bins in Private Housing Estates in 2023. Under the Scheme, a two-year funding is provided for private housing estates with 1 000 or more households, covering the installation, maintenance and repair services of FWSRBs, to help residents cultivate a habit of food waste recycling. Following the consolidation of relevant subsidy schemes in October 2025, the Government standardised the eligibility threshold for subsidy to 200 or more households to include small and medium-sized private housing estates, thereby expanding the scope of the trial and enhancing overall effectiveness.
Regarding the follow-on arrangements after the funding period, we have put in place a comprehensive plan to ensure the continuity of food waste recycling. The ECC is arranging for the early batches of rented FWSRBs to be purchased and then provided free of charge to the relevant housing estates for continued use. According to the information obtained by the EPD from the suppliers, housing estates would only need to bear a monthly operation and maintenance fee of about $500 to $1,000 per bin, based on serving around 500 households, this translates to an average of only about $1 to $2 per month for each household. The GREEN$ rewards earned by households through daily recycling are sufficient to offset these costs. Even if housing estates ultimately choose not to continue using the FWSRBs, the EPD will provide them with pedal-operated food waste recycling bins and food waste collection services free of charge to ensure that the residents can continue participating in recycling and sustain the environmental habits they have already developed.
The reply to the question raised by the Hon Andrew Lam is as follows:
(1) and (2) As of February 2026, a total of 453 FWSRBs have been installed in 115 private housing estates under the Scheme, serving more than 270 000 households. The overall operation is stable and effective. In the past two years, there were about 180 cases of FWSRB malfunctions which resulted in service suspensions for over 24 hours under the Scheme. The malfunctions were mainly caused by minor glitches such as loose power connections, network instability, or worn-out lid push bars. Following inspections and repairs by contractors, the FWSRBs generally were able to resume normal operation within 48 hours.
The EPD is exploring trial application of a simplified version of FWSRBs with optimised design of the lid opening to further reduce the likelihood of malfunctions. The EPD continuously monitors the operations of FWSRBs through a big data platform and oversees the repair and maintenance work by the contractors. Since these services (including part replacements) are directly provided by contractors, we do not have records on the worn-out parts and their replacement cycles.
(3) and (4) As mentioned above, the Scheme has a two-year funding period. The application was optimised in October 2025 to lower the eligibility threshold to estates with 200 households, and simplified FWSRBs will also be introduced.
The EPD is discussing the follow-on arrangements for the FWSRBs with 14 participating private housing estates whose funding period is scheduled to end in the first half of 2026. At present, only two of them indicated that they will not continue using the FWSRBs after the funding period ends. The EPD is also discussing the follow-on food waste recycling arrangements with these two housing estates. If one ultimately decides not to continue using FWSRBs, the EPD will provide them with pedal-operated food waste recycling bins and food waste collection services free of charge, so that the residents can continue participating in food waste recycling.
The use of FWSRBs facilitates source separation and recycling of food waste by the residents. It also helps alleviate odour and hygiene problems caused by household waste, contributing to the improvement of environmental hygiene of housing estates in the long term. The EPD will continue to devote resources to support private housing estates in their continued participation in food waste recycling, including providing free daily food waste collection services and organising promotional and educational activities on food waste recycling for participating housing estates. Therefore, we do not expect any impact on the overall recycling targets. Issued at HKT 12:25
Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region
Adjustment in ceiling prices for dedicated LPG filling stations in April 2026
Location of Dedicated LPG Filling StationCeiling Price in April 2026 (HK$/litre)Ceiling Price in March 2026 (HK$/litre) The spokesman said that the details of the LPG international price and the auto-LPG ceiling price for each dedicated LPG filling station had been uploaded to the EMSD website (www.emsd.gov.hkIssued at HKT 11:43
Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region
LCQ10: Alienation restrictions for subsidised sale housing Question:
Various subsidised sale housing schemes (including the Home Ownership Scheme (HOS) of the Hong Kong Housing Authority, the Subsidised Sale Flats Project and the Sandwich Class Housing Scheme (SCHS) of the Hong Kong Housing Society (HS), as well as the Starter Homes for Hong Kong Residents (SH) projects of the Urban Renewal Authority (URA) enable the public to purchase residential flats at discounted prices below market value to address their housing needs. However, these subsidised sale housing schemes are subject to different alienation restrictions. For example, the alienation of subsidised flats under SCHS and SH is subject to payment of premium, unlike HOS flats which can be sold to eligible individuals without paying premium through the White Form Secondary Market Scheme (WSM). In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1) whether it knows the number of flats with premium paid, as of the end of 2025, (i) in housing estates under HS’ Subsidised Sale Flats Project, (ii) in the 10 housing estates under SCHS, and (iii) in eResidence, which is a SH project of URA, as well as the percentage of such flats relative to the total number of flats in these housing estates; and
(2) given that currently under WSM, White Form applicants who do not satisfy the requirement for Green Form status but meet the income and asset limits may purchase second-hand HOS flats with premium unpaid in the HOS Secondary Market or HS’ flats with premium unpaid, whether the Government has studied the inclusion of the three types of subsidised sale housing mentioned in part (1) into WSM to facilitate the circulation of flats; if not, the reasons for that; if so, of the details, including if any study has been conducted on whether the lease conditions of these housing estates would hinder the relevant alienation arrangements, and the authorities’ corresponding measures?
Reply:
President,
The Government has been committed to enhancing the housing ladder. It also helps low-to-middle-income families achieve home ownership and encourages upward mobility through various types of subsidised sale flats (SSF), including the Home Ownership Scheme (HOS) of the Hong Kong Housing Authority (HA) and the SSF projects of the Hong Kong Housing Society (HKHS).
As regards the Sandwich Class Housing Scheme (SCHS) of the HKHS, it was a scheme announced in 1992 to provide affordable housing to middle-income families whose income exceeded the HOS income limit but were unable to afford private housing. Following the Government’s repositioned housing policy in 2002, the SCHS came to an end in 2003. At present, the Government responds to the home ownership aspirations of higher-income persons who are above the HOS application threshold and yet cannot afford private housing through Starter Homes for Hong Kong Residents (SH) projects.
The positionings of the SCHS and SH projects are not the same as those of the HOS of the HA and SSF of the HKHS, nonetheless these projects are also sold to eligible persons at a price lower than the market value to help them achieve home ownership. Based on the principles of effective and rational use of public housing resources as well as equity, if the owner of a flat concerned no longer wishes to reside in it, he/she has to first pay the premium in order to alienate the flat in the open market.
In response to the question raised by the Hon Elaine Chik, our reply is as follows:
(1) As of December 2025, the number and percentage of flats with premium paid in the HKHS’s SSF, the HKHS’s SCHS and the Urban Renewal Authority (URA)’s SH projects are tabulated below:
Serial numberNote: All above projects are subject to alienation restriction periods. Owners of the relevant units may only apply to alienate their flats in the open market subject to payment of premium after the alienation restriction period.
(2) In 2017, the HA endorsed the regularisation of the White Form Secondary Market Scheme (WSM) to address the demand for SSF among low-to-middle-income white-form applicants. The quota increased significantly from 2 500 in the first phase after regularisation (i.e. WSM 2018) to 7 000 as announced in the 2025 Policy Address. The WSM adopts the same income and asset limits as those under the HOS, allowing eligible persons to purchase the HA’s HOS flats or designated SSF provided by the HKHS with premium unpaid. As for the SCHS and SH projects, as mentioned above, their target groups are higher-income persons who are above the HOS application threshold yet cannot afford private housing. The positionings of the SCHS and SH projects are not the same as those of the HOS of HA and SSF of the HKHS, and hence the former are not included under the WSM. In addition, the stock of flats under the two schemes concerned is limited, and thus the setting up of a separate secondary market for them would not be practical. Although the land leases of the relevant housing estates do not provide for a secondary market, owners who wish to alienate their flats may do so in the open market subject to payment of premium, and since these units were sold at a smaller discount, the amount of premium to be paid would also be lower. We will continue to closely monitor the housing demand-supply situation and optimise the housing ladder at appropriate junctures, so as to encourage upward mobility of our citizens and help them achieve home ownership. Issued at HKT 12:45
Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region
LCQ17: Disaster prevention education Question:
There are views that the Wang Fuk Court fire in Tai Po serves as a wake-up call for disaster prevention education in Hong Kong, and that it is necessary for the Government to strengthen relevant education at both school and community levels. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1) of the data for fire drills conducted in secondary schools, primary schools and kindergartens across the territory over the past three years (including the number of drills and the number of teachers and students participating); whether the authorities have grasped the number of schools which have failed to conduct fire drills once every six months as required by the Education Bureau (EDB);
(2) whether it will consider updating regulations and guidelines issued by the EDB on disaster prevention drills, requiring schools to introduce advanced drills such as “unannounced drills” or “simulation of scenarios involving trapped persons” to enhance response capability of teachers and students in the event of an actual incident;
(3) as there are views that current disaster prevention education in primary and secondary schools is rather fragmented, with content scattering across different subjects, and in the light of diverse disasters in modern society, will the authorities consider consolidating existing disaster prevention teaching materials to produce different levels of “teaching kit for disaster prevention activities”, and establishing a “Disaster Prevention Education Day” to raise awareness of disaster prevention among teachers and students;
(4) whether it will draw up practical guidelines for schools on responding to fire incidents for adherence by school teaching staff, while strengthening relevant training for teachers to ensure that they are capable for leading students to escape in the event of a fire; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; and
(5) as there are views pointing out that the Fire and Ambulance Services Education Centre Cum Museum, currently located at Pak Shing Kok, Tseung Kwan O, is relatively remote, and that the quota for admission is limited, whether the authorities will draw on the experience of the Public Safety Education Training Base in Shanghai to establish a regional disaster prevention experience centre with simulated real-life scenarios, or utilise disused school premises to set up mobile experience centres, so as to popularise realistic training; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?
Reply:
President,
The Government attaches great importance to students’ safety and reminds schools to properly implement fire precautions and enhance students’ awareness of disaster prevention through disaster prevention education. Having regard to school-based circumstances, schools should identify, assess, control, and mitigate risks (including fire risk) at an early stage and formulate emergency response plans to be continuously monitored and updated in a timely manner, with a view to building a safe school environment. In consultation with the Security Bureau and the Fire Services Department (FSD), the consolidated reply to the question raised by the Hon Ken Wong is as follows:
(1) to (4) To mitigate the risk of fire and enhance students’ awareness and thus safeguarding their well-being, the Education Bureau (EDB) has issued guidelines and letters to remind schools of the importance of complying with the requirements stipulated in the Education Regulations and other relevant legislation, and implementing fire precautions and conducting fire drills properly to enhance the crisis awareness, responsiveness and execution capabilities of school staff and students in the event of a fire through regular drills. Schools should arrange regular inspections for all fire service installations and equipment on the school premises to ensure their good condition at all times. Fire extinguishers should be easily accessible. Additional fire extinguishers and/or fire blankets should be available in special rooms in schools, such as laboratories, design and technology/visual arts/art rooms, and computer rooms, in accordance with fire safety requirements. Schools are also reminded that server rooms, which accommodate a large number of electronic equipment, warrant particular attention to fire safety.
Conducting fire drills is of high importance. According to Section 38(1) of the Education Regulations (Cap. 279A), the head of every school shall draw up a practical scheme for the evacuation of the school premises in case of fire, ensure that a fire drill including the use of all exits from the school premises is carried out by the teachers and students at least once in every six months (including the boarding section of the school), and keep a written record of all such drills in a school log book, such as the time taken to evacuate the school premises during each fire drill. The EDB does not compile statistics regarding fire drills conducted in schools.
Furthermore, the FSD has provided schools with specific guidelines on drawing up emergency evacuation plans, which cover sample diagrams of the evacuation routes and actions to be taken by school staff and management staff upon discovery of fire, noticing fire alarm signal or during emergency evacuation. To enhance crisis awareness among teachers and students, schools may make fine adjustments to the simulated fire location, evacuation routes, etc, for each fire drill, lest they get used to the plan. Schools may also contact the FSD to arrange for fire safety talks, so as to enhance the fire safety knowledge and awareness of school staff and strengthen their capabilities to lead students to escape in the event of a fire.
In respect of disaster prevention education, related learning content has always been embedded in various topics across the primary and secondary school curricula according to students’ cognitive abilities and developmental level. For example, the Primary Humanities curriculum enables students to understand safety precautions and contingency measures when engaging in activities under different weather conditions, as well as the impact of natural environmental changes on people and corresponding response strategies. The Secondary Geography curriculum further allows students to understand different types of natural hazards (such as earthquakes, floods and landslides) and their impacts, as well as the preventive and remedial measures adopted in Hong Kong and other regions, thereby enhancing students’ disaster-prevention awareness. For teaching resources, the Primary Humanities webpage has already featured a designated section on “Disaster Prevention Education”. The resources uploaded include the EDB’s educational multimedia videos, as well as the “Fire Escape” and “Safety Tips for Travellers” booklets produced by the FSD; while the “Geography Online Game Platform for Understanding Our Motherland” features interactive learning tasks, including the “Natural Hazard Exhibition Hall” and the “Hazard Prevention and Mitigation Challenge”. All the above resources can further enhance students’ understanding of the related response measures, thereby enhancing their disaster prevention awareness.
(5) The FSD attaches great importance to public fire safety education, including actively applying innovative technologies to enhance the interactivity and realism of education and training. The objective is to enable the public to acquire and practise emergency response skills in simulated yet safe situations, thereby strengthening the overall fire prevention awareness and self-rescue capabilities. As early as 2020, the FSD introduced the “Emergency Preparedness Education Bus”, which features a virtual reality game and an interactive firefighting simulation system. This allows participants to experience escaping from a fire scene, operating fire extinguishers, and using hose reels to put out a fire, etc, thereby learning the skills of “Extinguish and Prevent Fire”, “Self-help and Help Others” and “Escape and Evacuate” under the “Three Basic Skills on Emergency Preparedness”, and enhancing the participants’ self-help capabilities.
To further enhance community safety education, the FSD is planning to set up two Disaster Prevention Experience Centres in Wan Chai and Tseung Kwan O. The centres will feature physical training facilities and high-tech experiential equipment that simulate various scenarios, focusing on themes such as community life support, fire safety, counter-terrorism preparedness and disaster preparedness, with an aim to equip the public with comprehensive knowledge of emergency preparedness and enhance their capabilities to respond to emergencies. Issued at HKT 14:10
Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region
LCQ14: Food assistance and donation services Question:
There are views that many supermarkets and restaurants discard from time to time food items that are of acceptable quality but near their expiry dates or have damaged packaging; although some non-governmental organisations (NGOs) currently provide food bank services, there is room for improvement in areas such as their service coverage and application of technology. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1) whether it has ascertained the current situation regarding food recovery, donation and redistribution in Hong Kong; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that;
(2) as there are views that with an increased proportion of singleton elderly and doubleton elderly households due to the continued ageing of the population in Hong Kong, coupled with rising unemployment rates in certain sectors, the demand for food assistance in Hong Kong is expected to persist, whether the authorities have plans to enhance food recovery and redistribution services, such as offering tax deductions or subsidies to catering and retail enterprises that donate food, as well as providing incentives and assistance to enterprises and private housing courts to encourage them to set up food recovery points and pickup points on their premises;
(3) as it is learnt that a public welfare programme of 24-hour self-service food bank has been launched in the Futian District of Shenzhen Municipality, where people can make reservation through “iShenzhen”, the Shenzhen Municipal Government’s mobile application for government services, and collect food from smart vending machines by scanning a code, whether the Government will draw on the Shenzhen Municipal Government’s experiences and collaborate with NGOs providing food bank services to install smart food pickup machines in Hong Kong, and introduce reservation functions for food pickup to the “iAM Smart” mobile application; and
(4) as there are views that food bank services can move towards further intelligentisation with the enhanced use of artificial intelligence (AI), such as using AI for dynamic scheduling as well as smart logistics and delivery, optimizing and planning routes for food recovery and replenishment, and utilising AI visual image recognition technologies for surveillance on food safety, or using big data to analyse users’ needs and give advice on nutrition intake or recipes, whether the Government will help promote the use of AI in food banks operated by NGOs to enhance the smart functions of local food recovery and redistribution services, thereby improving the overall efficacy and safety of food bank services?
Reply: To explore different approaches to waste reduction, the Environment and Conservation Fund (ECF) has previously piloted funding for local non-profit-making organisations to carry out food recovery projects. Experience shows that as a measure to reduce food waste, food recovery is extremely costly and has limited overall impact on food waste reduction. The ECF has not approved any funding for food recovery since last year. Our waste reduction strategy focuses on publicity and education to encourage waste reduction at source and prevent generation of food waste; expanding the food waste recycling network; and testing different on-site treatment technology to reduce food waste and the amount of waste disposal as a whole more effectively, with a view to achieving the target of obviating reliance on landfills for municipal solid waste disposal by or before 2035.Issued at HKT 14:20
Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region
CSTB concludes agreement with Art Basel to deepen collaboration over next five years In line with its policy objective to establish Hong Kong as a global hub for premium arts trading, the CSTB has entered into a five-year collaboration arrangement with Art Basel, reinforcing Hong Kong as the exclusive host city in the region. In addition to the annual art fair held each March, Art Basel Hong Kong will continue to drive public art promotion and education in the city and will support the CSTB in shaping strategies to further develop the local art ecosystem and market.
Speaking at the opening reception of Art Basel Hong Kong 2026 today, the Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism, Miss Rosanna Law, said this long-term partnership underscores the Government’s strong commitment to cementing Hong Kong’s status as a global hub for premium arts trading, as well as Hong Kong’s role as a premier East-meets-West centre for international cultural exchange. Over the next five years, the Government and Art Basel will work hand in hand to elevate Hong Kong’s world-class high-end arts trading platform and showcase the brilliance of local and Asian talent to a global audience. She is also confident that this partnership will extend beyond the walls of the exhibition hall. Art Basel Hong Kong has always been a powerful engine for the city’s mega-event economy, drawing art lovers, collectors, and industry leaders from around the world to experience the unique energy of Hong Kong, she added.
Since its debut in Hong Kong in 2013, Art Basel Hong Kong has become one of the most prominent flagship art events and a key fixture on the city’s international calendar, bringing together hundreds of international galleries and tens of thousands of collectors and industry professionals each year. Art Basel Hong Kong 2025 was a prime example of success. The five-day fair featured 240 galleries from 42 countries and regions, attracting some 86 500 visitors, more than half of whom travelled to Hong Kong for the event. Looking ahead, the CSTB’s close collaboration with Art Basel Hong Kong will certainly foster the development of the cultural and arts industries, thereby delivering further economic and social benefits for Hong Kong. Issued at HKT 16:36
Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region – 4
Following is a question by the Hon Sunny Tan and a written reply by the Secretary for Innovation, Technology and Industry, Professor Sun Dong, in the Legislative Council today (March 25):
Question:
The application of artificial intelligence (AI) chatbots (chatbots) has become increasingly popular in recent years, but it has been reported that overseas chatbot platforms were alleged to have induced users to commit suicide and unlawful acts. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1) given that the Government has formulated the Ethical Artificial Intelligence Framework (the Framework) and the Hong Kong Generative Artificial Intelligence Technical and Application Guideline (the Guideline) to provide guidance on identifying and managing potential risks of AI projects, whether it has assessed the effectiveness of the Framework and the Guideline in preventing chatbots from inducing users to commit acts of misconduct, including committing suicide and unlawful acts;
(2) whether the Government will consider introducing other specific measures to prevent the risk of chatbot platforms inducing users to commit acts of misconduct; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; and
(3) of the measures or mechanisms put in place by the Government to encourage generative AI service providers from overseas jurisdictions to make reference to the recommendations in the Framework and the Guideline, and to ensure that the services provided by them comply with the requirements of the relevant legislation of Hong Kong?
Reply:
President,
Regarding the question from the Hon Sunny Tan, upon consulting the Department of Justice and the Security Bureau, our reply is as follows.
(1) The Government attaches great importance to the development and application of artificial intelligence (AI) technology, and is committed to ensuring that members of the public possess sufficient safety awareness and literacy when using such technologies. In 2021, the Digital Policy Office (DPO) published the Ethical Artificial Intelligence Framework (the Framework) to provide clear guidance for projects involving the development and application of AI technology, with a view to identifying and effectively managing the potential risks and considerations associated with such projects. The Framework recommends that AI applications implement security measures such as adopting technological means to identify unintended, false, or inaccurate outputs, so as to mitigate the risk of applications generating inappropriate or illegal content.
In April 2025, the DPO also published the Hong Kong Generative Artificial Intelligence Technical and Application Guideline (the Guideline), stating that service providers are responsible for ensuring that their service systems do not output illegal, non-compliant, or inappropriate content, and should establish mechanisms to enhance the traceability and auditability of their systems. At the same time, the Guideline reminds service users to be aware that AI-generated content may contain misleading, false, or inaccurate information, and to exercise independent judgement when using such content.
The Government has been closely monitoring the development of AI and will review and update relevant guidelines and regulations as necessary to cope with new challenges brought by the technology. The most recent updates to the Framework and the Guidelines were released in December 2025.
(2) The Government has been broadly enhancing public awareness and preparedness regarding AI, information security, and cybersecurity through various channels. For example, the DPO, through the thematic website “Cyber Security Information Portal”, introduces to the public on how to use AI tools properly, including avoiding the disclosure of sensitive personal and work-related information, selecting reputable AI tools that prioritise data security, and carefully reviewing the privacy policies, data processing policies and the terms of use of the relevant AI tools.
Regarding the legal framework, to review whether the laws under different policy areas can keep pace with technological developments including AI, the Secretary for Justice has convened a Steering Committee meeting on March 6 on the establishment of the Inter-Departmental Working Group to Review Legislation to Support Wider Application of AI (Working Group). The establishment of the Working Group is crucial for addressing issues arising from the rapid development and widespread application of AI, and its core members will come from different policy bureaux and government departments. Each policy bureau and government department will first conduct a comprehensive and in-depth review of existing laws to identify loopholes or deficiencies, and then based on the actual circumstances of Hong Kong, explore targeted and practicable solutions (including the need for and feasibility of enacting specific legislation or implementing administrative measures).
(3) The Government welcomes innovation and technology (I&T) enterprises from the Mainland and other regions to establish or expand their businesses in Hong Kong, thereby providing local people with more I&T applications. The Guidelines and Framework are consistent with the direction of similar documents on AI ethics and safety standards issued by other regions. Relevant enterprises may refer to the Guidelines and Framework as guidance for developing local products or services. On the other hand, most of the existing laws in Hong Kong are, in principle, applicable to the online world, and can effectively regulate the risks and illegal activities related to AI applications. If an AI service provider extends its business operations to Hong Kong, it must comply with relevant Hong Kong laws. If such operations are suspected of violating the law, law enforcement agencies may investigate and take follow-up actions in accordance with the law.
Furthermore, the Government recognises the cross-border nature of generative AI services and will, through the soon-to-be-launched Hong Kong Artificial Intelligence Research and Development Institute, promote the establishment of an AI governance framework and related standards in line with international practices. This aims to foster exchanges and co-operation between the Mainland and the international community regarding AI governance and technical standards, thereby addressing the diverse risks associated with generative AI through strategies covering soft guidelines, laws, standard alignment, etc.
Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region
Following is a question by the Hon Dominic Lee and a reply by the Secretary for Development, Ms Bernadette Linn, in the Legislative Council today (March 25):
Question:
There are views that the current arrangements under the Mandatory Building Inspection Scheme (MBIS), which focuses on implementing major maintenance works, may not fully address the actual needs of housing estates where buildings are in good condition. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1) whether it will revise the building score system for target buildings under MBIS to include factors such as routine maintenance records, whether a maintenance fund of a reasonable scale has been set up and the past performance of property management companies (PMCs) as considerations, so that housing courts where buildings’ structures are in good condition and maintenance records are in order may postpone mandatory building inspections or implement ongoing maintenance plans in replacement of major maintenance works under safe circumstances; if so, of the details and timetable; if not, the reasons for that;
(2) of the respective numbers of cases received and approved, and for which the works have been completed under the various funding schemes (including the Integrated Building Rehabilitation Assistance Scheme) implemented by the Government to assist property owners in taking forward the major maintenance projects in each of the past five years; and
(3) as there are views that given the increasingly important roles of PMCs in providing assistance in supervising building maintenance works, apart from continuously applying the codes of conduct issued by the Property Management Services Authority, whether the Government will enact legislation to specify the statutory responsibilities of the management companies in relation to mandatory building inspections and major maintenance works, including assisting in administration and monitoring of the tendering procedures and enhancing the transparency of project information, with a view to avoiding problems of unreasonable costs or unclear accounts; if so, of the details and the specific directions; if not, the reasons for that?
Reply:
President,
It is the fundamental responsibility of property owners to maintain their properties. Under a two-pronged strategy, the Government, on the one hand, encourages and supports property owners to maintain and repair their properties. This includes the Government partnering with the Urban Renewal Authority (URA) to provide financial and technical support to property owners in need, assisting them with inspection and repair works. On the other hand, the Government takes proactive intervention where dilapidated buildings pose a public safety hazard. (1) Under the Mandatory Building Inspection Scheme (MBIS), when a private building reaches 30 years of age or above, the Buildings Department (BD) may, in accordance with the Buildings Ordinance (Cap. 123), issue a MBIS notice to the buildings in need, requiring the owner to appoint a registered inspector to carry out prescribed inspections and, where necessary, prescribed repair works in accordance with the result of the inspections.
I would like to emphasise that the legislation does not require all private buildings that have reached 30 years of age to undergo mandatory prescribed inspections. Since the MBIS was implemented in 2012, the BD has successively issued MBIS notices to approximately 9 000 buildings. About 70 per cent of these buildings were already of age 50 years or more at the time the notices were issued. In fact, the BD adopts a risk-based approach in accordance with the building score system to identify buildings for issuing MBIS notices. The current scoring system, which was formulated after consultation with professional bodies and the District Councils, has a maximum score of 100 points. The higher the score, the greater the chance a building will be selected. Currently, under the system, around 70 per cent of the score covers “building condition”, such as emergency report of building defects, outstanding investigation or repair orders, or ranked to be in “poor” condition in the URA’s building condition survey. 10 per cent of the score depends on “building management”, such as whether the building is classified as a “three-nil building”; 10 per cent depends on building age; while the remaining 10 per cent depends on whether the building has cantilevered structures to prevent structural failure and collapse due to compromised load-bearing capacity. (2) The Government has since 2018 introduced a number of subsidy schemes in partnership with the URA with a total financial commitment of $19 billion, including the Operation Building Bright 2.0, the Fire Safety Improvement Works Subsidy Scheme, the Lift Modernisation Subsidy Scheme, the Building Maintenance Grant Scheme for Needy Owners and the Building Drainage System Repair Subsidy Scheme. Figures on applications received, approved, and works completed relating to these subsidy schemes are set out in the Annex. In addition, it was announced in the Budget that the Government will conduct a comprehensive review of the Operation Building Bright 2.0 and draw on past experience to formulate a new subsidy scheme. The Government has earmarked $3 billion for this purpose. We will complete the review early next year and finalise the details of the new subsidy scheme, at which time we will also consult the Legislative Council.
(3) According to the Home and Youth Affairs Bureau (HYAB), as a result of the commencement of the new procurement requirements stipulated under the Building Management Ordinance (Cap. 344) (BMO) in July last year, the Property Management Services Authority (PMSA) has updated the Code of Conduct on Carrying Out Procurement for Clients and Prevention of Bid-rigging and the related Best Practice Guide under the Property Management Services Ordinance (Cap. 626) (PMSO). These updates assist PMCs in handling procurement in a professional and effective manner. If the PMSA has reasonable grounds to suspect that a licensee has failed to comply with the Code, it may initiate an investigation. Upon completion of the investigation and if a disciplinary offence is confirmed, the PMSA may conduct a hearing and impose penalties according to the PMSO, including verbal warnings or written reprimands, fines, imposing or varying a condition of the licence, temporarily suspending the licence, or revoking the licence.
As part of the work in deepening the reform of building management, the HYAB is taking forward the next-phase review and amendment of the BMO. The five preliminary amendment directions include increasing the quorum and voting-in-person thresholds for meetings concerning large-scale maintenance works and high-value procurement; further improving the mechanism of declaration of interests by requiring the works consultants to declare their relationships with the contractors, thereby enhancing the transparency of the procurement process. Following the approach taken in the previous BMO amendment, the PMSA will also update the related Codes of Conduct in tandem with the amendments to the BMO, enabling licensed PMCs to assist owners’ corporations and owners in fulfilling their building management responsibilities more effectively.
Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region
LCQ8: Implementation of life planning education Question:
Starting from the 2014/15 school year, the Education Bureau (EDB) has implemented life planning education (LPE) in secondary schools and provided each public sector school (including special school) and Direct Subsidy Scheme secondary school operating classes at senior secondary levels with the Career and Life Planning Grant (CLPG). Starting from the 2016/17 school year, schools may turn CLPG into regular teaching posts. In 2019, EDB further announced that public sector secondary schools must turn CLPG into regular teaching posts by the 2022/23 school year to provide more stable teacher manpower for enhancing the development of LPE and guidance services. However, there are views that the Government’s expenditure on LPE is not commensurate with its effectiveness. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1) of the number of schools which have turned CLPG into regular teaching posts since the 2022/23 school year, and the annual expenditure involved in creating such regular teaching posts;
(2) of the staffing establishment, specific functions and performance indicators of the EDB’s Life Planning Education Section; and
(3) whether the EDB will consider establishing a regular evaluation mechanism to periodically assess the effectiveness of schools in implementing LPE and propose recommendations for improvement; if so, of the details?
Reply:
President,
The Education Bureau (EDB) has been attaching great importance to the implementation of life planning education (LPE), allocating additional resources and providing support to strengthen schools’ implementation of LPE on multiple fronts since the 2014/15 school year, which includes providing additional resources/manpower, promoting business-school partnership, providing professional support, enhancing professional training, etc. Through a wide range of LPE and career exploration activities, schools help students enhance self-understanding, identify their interests, abilities and orientations at an earlier stage, set goals and make better planning and preparation for further studies and career pursuits by equipping them with relevant information on the multiple pathways and workplace.
Regarding the question asked by Dr the Hon Junius Ho, our reply is as follows:
(1) Since the 2014/15 school year, the EDB has been providing each public sector school and Direct Subsidy Scheme (DSS) school operating classes at senior secondary levels with a recurrent provision, the Career and Life Planning Grant (CLPG), to enhance LPE elements for students. To provide more stable teacher manpower to enhance LPE development and related guidance service, public sector schools are given the option to convert the CLPG into regular teaching posts starting from the 2016/17 school year. From the 2019/20 school year onwards, the regular teaching posts converted from the CLPG have been counted towards the calculation of promotion post entitlement in order to strengthen the middle management manpower for taking forward LPE. Since the 2022/23 school year, all public sector schools have fully converted the CLPG into regular teaching posts for empowering schools and the responsible teaching teams to implement LPE. As the relevant expenditure has been turned into regular teaching posts in public sector schools and subsumed under the EDB’s overall expenditure, the EDB does not have a breakdown of relevant figures.
(2) The LPE Section is under the School Development Division of the School Development and Administration Branch of the EDB, and is tasked to support secondary schools in providing LPE and career guidance services for their students. The Section is headed by a Senior Education Officer (Administration), under whom there are two teams separately led by a Senior Inspector responsible for coordinating work related to the support for schools’ LPE development and teacher training, and an Education Officer (Administration) responsible for coordinating the Business-School Partnership Programme (BSPP) and collaboration with other organisations.
To enhance the support to schools for the delivery of LPE in a more comprehensive and systematic approach, the LPE Section conducts school visits to render professional advice to schools. In addition, to enhance the capacities of the teachers to support students in life planning, the LPE Section organises structured training, thematic seminars and sharing sessions for secondary school teachers every school year, with a view to strengthening professional training for teachers and disseminating the good practices of schools. The one-stop Life Planning Information Website is also launched to provide students, teachers and parents with comprehensive information on life planning and multiple pathways. Through the implementation of the BSPP, the LPE Section, in collaboration with different business corporations, government departments and community organisations, has been providing students with diversified career exploration activities, with a view to equipping them with knowledge and information about different industries so that they can better understand the workplace, develop positive work attitudes and get well prepared for further studies or career pursuits. As for strengthening public education, the LPE Section has rolled out publicity activities since 2016 to promote the culture of supporting young people in life planning. They include broadcasting feature interviews with outstanding persons of different industries on various promotional platforms to get the message of “every trade has its masters” across, producing newspaper supplements to showcase good practices of schools and BSPP partners in implementing life planning and holding activities to help parents understand the importance of life planning. The LPE Section will continue providing support to schools for the implementation of LPE, with a view to helping students identify their interests, abilities and orientations at an earlier stage, set goals and make better planning and preparation for further studies and career pursuits.
(3) Since the 2014/15 school year, the LPE Section of the EDB has conducted four rounds of school visits, visiting all of the nearly 500 public sector and DSS schools operating classes at senior secondary levels in each round, for professional exchanges, examining and discussing the school-based work on LPE, and further studies and career guidance of the schools, as well as rendering professional advice to schools. Based on the observations from the four rounds of school visits, most schools attached great importance to LPE, developed the school-based LPE and adopted various modes in delivering related activities having regard to their own circumstances and students’ needs. They also gradually enhanced cross-team collaboration to provide students with support related to life planning. A wide range of LPE activities were organised by schools, and a number of schools offered school-based life planning lessons to help students identify their career aspirations, develop a positive work attitude, set goals, etc. Besides, according to the information gathered during the school visits, many schools have progressively implemented the cyclic self-evaluation mechanism of “Planning – Implementation – Evaluation”, and would adjust their work plans based on the evaluation findings in a timely manner, facilitating schools’ self-improvement. The LPE Section will continue to conduct school visits to understand schools’ progress in the implementation of LPE, as well as to render professional advice to schools and gather good practices from different schools for dissemination to other schools for reference.
In addition, to ensure that the activities under the BSPP of the EDB achieve the expected outcomes and objectives, officers from the LPE Section regularly attend various types of activities to observe the activity processes, arrangements and students’ responses. Questionnaires and reflections from participating students are collected to understand their views and the benefits they gained. The relevant feedback is then shared with BSPP partners for collaborative review, ensuring that the activities achieve the expected outcomes and align with the goals of promoting LPE. Moreover, the LPE Section regularly invites BSPP partners to attend meetings to evaluate the content and effectiveness of the activities, as well as to share successful experience in organising activities. Issued at HKT 14:48