Category: MIL-OSI

LCQ15: Development of pet-related industries 
Question:
 
It has been reported that the number of households keeping pets has increased in recent years, with pet-related industries developing rapidly. However, there are views pointing out that Hong Kong still has room for improvement in veterinary medical care and pet-friendly public facilities, as well as in data management and policies regarding the pet industry. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
 
(1) as it is learnt that a number of private shopping centres have introduced pet-inclusive facilities, such as pet accesses and pet rest areas, to attract spending from pet owners and thereby further unleash the potential of the pet economy, whether the Hong Kong Housing Authority will consider drawing on the relevant experience to implement pet-friendly measures in the shopping centres of the public housing estates under its purview; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that;
 
(2) as it has been reported that public or charity-run veterinary organisations have been established one after another in Taiwan, such as in Taoyuan City and New Taipei City, to provide basic veterinary medical services at transparent charges, which not only enhance pet health protection but also boost the pet economy, whether the HKSAR Government has conducted studies or policy planning regarding the establishment of public or semi-public veterinary medical facilities; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; and
 
(3) as there are views that maintaining pet-related data can help understand the risks of pet epidemics and diseases, as well as the market structure and potential of the pet industry, whether the Government will establish a territory-wide pet data management platform to systematically collect relevant data, including the number of pets, breed distribution, keeping and vaccination records, and pet disease trends, so as to provide a scientific basis for the formulation of policies on pet-friendliness and developing the pet economy policies; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?
 
Reply:
 
President,
 
Having consulted the Housing Bureau, the reply to the question from the Hon Rock Chen is as follows:
 
(1) As pet keeping has become increasingly common in Hong Kong, there has been more attention in society to bringing animals to enter different premises and use public facilities. In general, the Government needs to take into account different factors when considering whether to further relax existing arrangements, including the nature of individual facilities, whether ancillary facilities are in place and the degree of social acceptance, in order to achieve the policy objective of facilitating people and animals to co-exist harmoniously.
 
The shopping centres under the Hong Kong Housing Authority (HA) are mainly “neighbourhood shopping centres” located in public housing estates/courts. These shopping centres provide local residents with shopping convenience, with the aim of catering for their basic needs in daily life. All along, guide dogs accompanying the visually impaired have been allowed to enter the HA’s shopping centres. The HA has further implemented some pet-friendly policies, such as allowing pets to enter shopping centres if they are placed in pet carrier bags or pet strollers and that no hygiene and environmental nuisance will be caused. The HA will keep in view the development and needs of the community for pet-friendly spaces and facilities, and design “neighbourhood shopping centres” that are in line with the actual situation.
 
On the other hand, the Domain located in Yau Tong is a large-scale regional shopping centre under the HA. Coupled with spacious indoor space, outdoor activity areas, wide passageways and multiple entrances at different locations, it is more equipped with the requisites for development into a pet-friendly mall than typical “neighbourhood shopping centres” located in housing estates. The HA will review whether it is appropriate to further provide pet-friendly measures in the Domain, such as installing relevant human-pet friendly facilities to appeal to pet owners for boosting consumption and visitor flow.
 
(2) The Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD) has been carrying out publicity and public education to remind the public to consider carefully before deciding to keep pets, to assess whether one could fulfil the duties of pet ownership in meeting the pets’ basic needs in diet, environment, daily care, healthcare, etc.
 
On veterinary services, the Veterinary Surgeons Board of Hong Kong (VSB) established under the Veterinary Surgeons Registration Ordinance (Cap. 529), is currently responsible for the regulation, registration and disciplinary control of veterinary surgeons, so as to ensure a high standard of veterinary services in Hong Kong. The VSB learns about the overall veterinary services through data gathered in the regulation of the veterinary profession. The number of registered veterinary surgeons (RVS) has been consistently on the rise since 2015, from 823 in 2015 to 1 364 in April this year, representing an increase of 65 per cent. RVS comprises many specialties, such as small animal internal medicine and surgery, dermatology, cardiology, neurology and veterinary pathology, and therefore animal owners should be able to find appropriate veterinary services for their pets. To meet unexpected medical expenses, members of the public may also purchase pet insurance products available in the market as appropriate.
 
Apart from private veterinarians, the City University of Hong Kong and some animal welfare organisations (such as the Hong Kong Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals) also provide veterinary services and hence the Government currently has no plan to separately establish public medical facilities for pets.
 
(3) To safeguard public health and prevent the spread of animal diseases, the AFCD monitors and regulates animal activities in accordance with the law, and assesses the risk of pet animal diseases. The AFCD regulates the import of live animals through a permit system under the Public Health (Animals and Birds) Regulations (Cap. 139A) and the Rabies Regulation (Cap. 421A), so as to prevent the introduction of animal diseases into Hong Kong. Furthermore, the AFCD regulates the local animal activities through various licences, for example, regulating the animal trading and dog breeding activities through the Animal Trader Licence and Dog Breeder Licence respectively under the Public Health (Animals and Birds) (Trading and Breeding) Regulations (Cap. 139B), and to require dog keepers to have their dogs vaccinated against rabies, implanted with a microchip, and to apply for a dog licence under the Rabies Regulation, for the prevention of rabies.
 
The Government last conducted a Thematic Household Survey on pet ownership among households across Hong Kong in 2018. The AFCD and the Census and Statistics Department will conduct another survey later this year to gather the latest data on trends and preferences in pet ownership of Hong Kong families. These findings will assist the trade to learn about the latest trend of pet ownership, for their provision of products and services according to market demand.
Issued at HKT 12:15

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Scrap trader fined for using inaccurate electronic platform scale (with photo) 
Hong Kong Customs appeals to the public to report any case of suspected fraud using defective weighing or measuring equipment to the department by 24-hour hotline 182 8080 or its dedicated crime-reporting email account (crimereport@customs.gov.hkIssued at HKT 14:55

Government welcomes passage of Housing (Amendment) Bill 2025 
     The series of measures includes: (i) introducing new offences of serious tenancy abuse of public rental housing (PRH) flats; (ii) empowering authorised officers to demand personal details from suspects; and (iii) extending the limitation of time for prosecution of offences of false statements, refusal to furnish information and unlawful alienations. Meanwhile, the Amendment Ordinance also empowers the Director of Housing to specify the forms for fixed penalty notice and demand notice to enhance the efficiency and flexibility of the Hong Kong Housing Authority (HA) in combating unauthorised use of roads within housing estates.
 
     The Secretary for Housing, Ms Winnie Ho, said, ”Public housing is a precious social resource that must be allocated to those in genuine need and utilised in a reasonable manner. The series of measures to be implemented under the Amendment Ordinance reflects the Government’s determination to combat abuse of PRH flats. The HA will continue to enhance its policies to ensure that public housing resources are focused on helping those in greatest need.”
 
     The legislation as passed will be gazetted on June 20. The amendment empowering the Director of Housing to specify the forms of notices will come into operation upon gazettal. The other three new measures will take effect from March 31, 2026, onwards.
 
     The HA will step up publicity efforts to ensure that PRH tenants and members of the public understand the contents of the new package of measures in combating PRH abuse.
Issued at HKT 19:36

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LCQ21: Safeguarding mental health of academic staff members and students 
Question:
 
     The mental health of academic staff members and students in Hong Kong draws societal concern. There are views that the Government should strengthen the protection of their physical and mental health as well as to provide appropriate support services to the families of suicide victims concerned. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
 
(1) of the respective numbers of academic staff members and students committing suicide and attempting to commit suicide in each of the past five years and, among them, the numbers of cases in which death inquests were held, together with a breakdown by types of school (i.e. (i) primary school, (ii) secondary school and (iii) university);
 
(2) of the Government’s follow-up and support procedures in respect of cases of suicide attempts among academic staff members and students, including the policy bureaux involved, the category of professionals providing support services in those cases and the areas and extent of intervention, as well as details of the support services provided by them; and
 
(3) in respect of the suicide cases mentioned in (1), whether the Government has provided support services (e.g. professional emotional counselling services) to the families, relatives and friends of the suicide victims; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; primarily which government departments’ staff members to provide assistance to the families of suicide victims and inform them of their rights under the law (including the rights of the families to request for holding a death inquest)?
 
Reply:
 
President,
 
     The Education Bureau (EDB) attaches great importance to the mental health of teachers and students, and has all along been encouraging schools to adopt the Whole School Approach. Through cross-departmental, cross-disciplinary and cross-sector collaboration, the EDB enhances the mental health of teachers and students and provides enhanced support for students with mental health needs (including those with suicidal risk) via various measures and activities directed at three levels, namely Universal, Selective and Indicated. In recent years, the EDB has implemented a number of measures to support students’ mental health. This includes implementing the “4Rs Mental Health Charter” in the 2024/25 school year, with a view to helping students develop healthy living habits and positive interpersonal relationships, and enhancing their resilience. In addition, starting from the 2023/24 school year, the EDB has launched the Mental Health Literacy Resource Packages suitable for students at different learning stages. In consultation with the Social Welfare Department (SWD), our reply to the question raised by the Hon Lillian Kwok is as follows:
 
(1) and (2) The EDB has all along required primary and secondary schools to report fatal suspected student suicide cases. The numbers of relevant cases in primary and secondary schools in the past five years (2020 to 2024) are tabulated as follows. Of the cases reported, secondary students accounted for about 91 per cent of the total cases, while primary students accounted for about 9 per cent.