Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region
HA commences seasonal influenza vaccination programme The list of public hospitals and outpatient clinics providing vaccinations is set out in Annex 2.
Eligible patients may receive vaccinations at their scheduled follow-up appointments at clinics. Patients with distant follow-up appointment dates may visit or contact the respective clinics for necessary arrangements. Individuals aged 18 or above should register with eHealth before receiving vaccinations.Issued at HKT 14:45
Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region
Government’s financial results for four months ended July 31, 2026
July 31, 2026 HK$ millionJuly 31, 2026 HK$ millionand repayment of Government Bondsissuance of Government BondsGovernment Bonds*and repayment of Government BondsGovernment Debts as at July 31, 2026 (Note 3) HK$448,704 million Debts Guaranteed by Government as at July 31, 2026 (Note 4) HK$106,357 million
TABLE 2. FISCAL RESERVES
July 31, 2026 HK$ millionJuly 31, 2026 HK$ millionissuance and repayment of Government Bonds(Note 5)Notes:
1. This Account consolidates the General Revenue Account and the following eight Funds: Capital Works Reserve Fund, Capital Investment Fund, Civil Service Pension Reserve Fund, Disaster Relief Fund, Innovation and Technology Fund, Land Fund, Loan Fund and Lotteries Fund. It excludes the Bond Fund, the balance of which is not part of the fiscal reserves. The Bond Fund balance as at July 31, 2026, was HK$152,842 million.
2. Includes transactions with the Exchange Fund and resident banks. (ii) the Infrastructure Bonds (equivalent to HK$151,555 million as at July 31, 2026) issued under the Infrastructure Bond Programme. They were denominated in US dollars (US$500 million with maturity in May 2031), Renminbi (RMB56,500 million with maturity from November 2026 to May 2056) and Hong Kong dollars (HK$81,980 million with maturity from August 2026 to May 2056); and
(iii) the Silver Bonds with nominal value of HK$108,458 million (with maturity in October 2027 and October 2028 and may be redeemed before maturity upon request from bond holders) issued under the Infrastructure Bond Programme.
They do not include the outstanding bonds with nominal value of HK$100,289 million and alternative bonds with nominal value of US$1,000 million (equivalent to HK$7,843 million as at July 31, 2026) issued under the Government Bond Programme with proceeds credited to the Bond Fund. Of these bonds under the Government Bond Programme (including Silver Bonds with nominal value of HK$53,189 million, which may be redeemed before maturity upon request from bond holders), bonds with nominal value of HK$53,189 million were repaid upon maturity on August 18, 2026; bonds with nominal value of HK$16,600 million will mature within the period from September 2026 to July 2027, and the rest within the period from August 2027 to May 2042.
4. Includes guarantees provided under the SME Loan Guarantee Scheme launched in 2001, the Special Loan Guarantee Scheme launched in 2008, the SME Financing Guarantee Scheme launched in 2012, the Loan Guarantee Scheme for Cross-boundary Passenger Transport Trade, the Loan Guarantee Scheme for Battery Electric Taxis and the Loan Guarantee Scheme for Travel Sector launched in 2023, and the commercial loan under the Guaranteed Medium Term Note Programme of the Hong Kong Cyberport Management Company Limited. Issued at HKT 16:30
Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region
Residential Mortgage Survey Results for July 2026 The number of mortgage applications in July decreased month-on-month by 24 per cent to 9 212.
Mortgage loans approved in July decreased by 11.4 per cent compared with June to HK$44.8 billion. Among these, mortgage loans financing primary market transactions decreased by 14.1 per cent to HK$13.3 billion and those financing secondary market transactions decreased by 16.4 per cent to HK$24.2 billion. Mortgage loans for refinancing increased by 18.4 per cent to HK$7.3 billion.
Mortgage loans drawn down during July increased by 6 per cent compared with June to HK$29.4 billion.
The ratio of new mortgage loans priced with reference to HIBOR decreased from 70 per cent in June to 61 per cent in July. The ratio of new mortgage loans priced with reference to best lending rates remained unchanged at 1.3 per cent in July.
The outstanding value of mortgage loans increased month-on-month by 0.4 per cent to HK$1,963.5 billion at end-July.
The mortgage delinquency ratio stood at a low level of 0.11 per cent and the rescheduled loan ratio was unchanged at nearly 0 per cent. Issued at HKT 16:30
Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region – 3
Tomorrow (September 1) marks the commencement of the new school year. It is believed that students and parents are all looking forward to welcoming the new academic term. However, according to the latest forecast by the Hong Kong Observatory (HKO), the remnants of “Sautel” are gradually intensifying into a tropical depression. Under its combined effect with the northeast monsoon, it will be windier over Hong Kong during the day tomorrow, with more showers over parts of the territory with squally thunderstorms.
To ensure the safety of students, the Education Bureau (EDB) has reminded schools to make necessary preparations for the potentially unstable weather on the first day of school. The EDB would also like to take this opportunity to remind students and parents again to stay tuned to the latest weather and traffic updatesStudents and parents are therefore reminded that in the event of tropical cyclones and/or heavy persistent rain, the EDB will announce the schooling arrangements for that day based on the latest weather information provided by the HKO, through the following channels:
AM and Whole-day Schools
AM and Whole-day SchoolsIn addition, in accordance with the above-mentioned EDB Circular, schools will formulate and review from time to time school-based contingency plans in advance to cater for various situations that may arise under inclement weather conditions, such as class suspension. Where events organised by schools might need to be postponed or cancelled under inclement weather, schools should inform all relevant parties of the contingency arrangements in advance.
As the situations in localised areas may differ from the territory as a whole, under the prevailing mechanism, if the EDB has not made any announcement for suspension of classes but individual schools consider it necessary to suspend their classes having regard to local weather, road, slope or traffic conditions, the schools concerned may proceed after consulting the EDB. They should at the same time inform relevant parties according to the established contingency plans. Parents can exercise their discretion in deciding whether or not to send their children to school if the local weather, roads, slopes or traffic conditions are adverseStudents, especially those attending a new school, should familiarise themselves early with public transport routes to and from their schools and the service frequencies. Students should take heed of road safety on their journeys, properly use crossing facilities to cross the road, and not use a mobile phone or earphones, play mobile games, eat or drink when crossing the road. The Transport Department (TD) anticipates that the overall road traffic on the first school day will be busier and urges students to allow more time and pay attention to the latest traffic information. The TD’s Emergency Transport Co-ordination Centre will release the latest information as appropriate. Members of the public are advised to heed the latest traffic news through the TD’s website (https://www.td.gov.hk), the HKeMobility mobile app, radio and television broadcasts. For details, please refer to the TD’s press releases issued on August 24 and 31 entitled “TD reminds public transport operators to provide adequate services on first school day” and “TD reminds students to allow more journey time on first school day” respectively.
Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region
Latest privilege offers of LCSD Museum Pass Under the new round of offers, Museum Pass holders can enjoy a five per cent discount off the published price for the purchase of a “Magic Access” of Hong Kong Disneyland Park (Note 1), while “Magic Access” holders can enjoy a 10 per cent discount for the purchase of a Museum Pass during the promotion period. The discount offer in collaboration with Ocean Park Hong Kong remains the same where Museum Pass holders can enjoy a 10 per cent discount off the published price for the purchase of an Ocean Park Annual Membership (Note 2), while Ocean Park Annual Membership holders can enjoy a 10 per cent discount for the purchase of a Museum Pass during the promotion period.
At present, Museum Pass holders enjoy a wide range of privileges. Special offers for venues and activities under the LCSD include:
The special offers for performing arts programmes include:
Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region
Appointment to Betting and Lotteries Commission announced The Secretary for Home and Youth Affairs, Miss Alice Mak, welcomed the appointment. She said, “Mr Leung has served the community for many years and possesses extensive experience in social work. I look forward to his valuable advice on matters relating to betting and lotteries. I would also like to thank Ms Lee for her contributions during her tenure.”
The Commission is a statutory body established in accordance with the provisions of the Betting Duty Ordinance. Its function is to advise the Secretary for Home and Youth Affairs on the regulation of the conduct of horse race betting, football betting and lotteries. Issued at HKT 15:00
Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region
The Under Secretary for Health, Dr Cecilia Fan, officiated at the opening ceremony of the Central and Western District Health Centre (C&W DHC) under the Primary Healthcare Commission (PHC Commission) today (August 31). She said that the Government has long positioned District Health Centres (DHCs) as the hub of primary healthcare services to co-ordinate community healthcare resources, thereby promoting the mindset of “prevention-oriented, early intervention”.
Dr Fan said, “The DHCs, serving as the entry points of the Primary Healthcare Co-Care Network services, provide citizens with a series of standardised and personalised healthcare services. They also co-ordinate family doctor-centred multidisciplinary teams to provide relevant health management and recommendations, including prevention, screening, diagnosis, treatment and referrals based on individual needs. Among those, around 260 000 citizens have already participated in the Chronic Disease Co-Care Scheme, while about 50 000 citizens have been arranged for free hepatitis B rapid tests under the Hepatitis B Co-Care Scheme since its launch in February. Going forward, the DHCs will continue to introduce more services covering areas such as elderly health and women’s health.
Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region
Following is the speech by the Permanent Secretary for Innovation, Technology and Industry, Mr Kevin Choi, at the seminar on APEC (Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation) Thematic Session on Capacity Building and Resilience Development of SMEs in Guangzhou today (August 31):
Distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen, Against the backdrop of global economic transformation and external volatility, driving enterprise upgrading and fostering new quality productive forces are the key policy directions for the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Government in advancing quality economic development. As at March 2026, Hong Kong is home to some 360 000 SMEs, representing over 98 per cent of our business sector and employing 1.2 million people. As the bedrock of Hong Kong’s economic framework, the pace at which our SMEs upgrade and transform directly impacts our broader economic momentum. To this end, the Government continuously refines its strategies through a multipronged approach, covering financial support, technology adoption, capability building, and market expansion. Crucially, these initiatives align our local business community with national development strategies, including the National 15th Five-Year Plan, the development of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, and the opportunities arising from the Belt and Road Initiative.
Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region
Inland Revenue Department responds to Ombudsman’s direct investigation report on “Unsuccessful Delivery of Electronic Tax Returns Submitted by Members of the Public to Inland Revenue Department” The IRD expressed gratitude to the Ombudsman for its review of the submission of electronic tax returns by members of the public. The IRD accepts all recommendations put forward by the Ombudsman and has actively followed up on their implementation, with the majority of them having already commenced or been completed. The situation mentioned in the report mainly concerns taxpayers’ submission of tax returns last year. With new enhancement measures already put in place before the issuance of the individual tax returns for the year of assessment 2025/26 in May 2026, the IRD has not received similar complaints from taxpayers thereafter.
The IRD is highly concerned that some taxpayers, after completing the digital signing via “iAM Smart” while filing their tax returns through eTAX last year, did not return from “iAM Smart” to eTAX to complete the entire tax return filing process due to factors such as user actions, status of browsers or mobile devices, or network anomalies or interruptions, resulting in the tax returns not being submitted to the IRD.
The IRD actively initiated follow-up actions and enhanced the system and workflow after receiving reports from taxpayers last year, and has been fully co-operating with the Ombudsman during its direct investigation.
Following a joint review by the IRD and the Digital Policy Office (DPO) on the relevant procedures, the following measures were launched prior to the bulk issuance of individual tax returns this May:
(1) A pop-up message has been added to eTAX to remind users that they must return to the eTAX system to complete the tax return filing process after completing the digital signing via “iAM Smart”;
(2) Users who have successfully submitted their tax returns will receive confirmation messages in their eTAX message boxes;
(3) The message displayed on the relevant confirmation page, as well as the “iAM Smart” electronic notifications and emails sent to users following the completion of digital signing via “iAM Smart”, have been enhanced to remind taxpayers to return to the eTAX system to complete the tax return filing process; and
(4) Information entered by users in eTAX will be temporarily saved automatically. This arrangement will save users the trouble of re-entering tax return details should they need to perform again the relevant process when they fail to sign or submit their tax returns for various reasons.
According to records, between May last year and this January, about 490 000 people had used “iAM Smart” to sign their individual tax returns via eTAX, and among them, over 90 per cent of them successfully submitted their tax returns upon their first attempt using “iAM Smart” to sign their tax returns. As for the about 33 000 taxpayers who failed to submit their tax returns upon their first attempt using “iAM Smart” to sign their tax returns mentioned in the press report, about 80 per cent of them had reused “iAM Smart” to sign and submit their tax returns successfully before the IRD issued penalty notices and/or notices of estimated assessment. Furthermore, among the abovementioned 33 000 taxpayers, about 14 000 taxpayers used “iAM Smart” again to sign and successfully submit their tax returns on the very same day they had made their initial attempt.
The IRD sincerely apologises for the inconvenience caused to taxpayers by this incident and is actively following up on the relevant cases. The IRD emphasises that no taxpayers will be penalised due to the aforementioned incident. Penalty remissions will be granted and penalty payments will be refunded for taxpayers who filed their tax returns after the submission deadline as a result of the incident. The IRD has notified the relevant taxpayers via eTAX regarding the arrangements for the refunds of penalties. The two prosecutions related to the incident have also been withdrawn.
The IRD has also been processing cases requesting revisions of assessments. Furthermore, for cases where taxpayers received notices of estimated assessments but did not request a revision, the IRD will issue letters to the relevant taxpayers before mid-September to remind them that if they consider the assessments failed to take into account the information provided in their tax returns, they may apply for a revision of assessments, and the IRD will process the applications as soon as possible.
Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region – 4
The following is issued on behalf of the Hospital Authority:
The Hospital Authority (HA) announced today (August 31) that Queen Mary Hospital (QMH) has been accredited under China’s International Hospital Accreditation Standards (2021 Version), making it the fifth public hospital to receive this accreditation.
The Chief Executive of the HA, Dr Libby Lee, said, “QMH has become the fifth public hospital accredited under the national hospital accreditation standards, further reaffirming that the service quality and management standards of Hong Kong’s public hospitals have aligned with national systems and reached international levels. The HA will continue to co-ordinate and encourage more public hospitals to participate in the accreditation process, continually enhancing the quality and safety of public healthcare services to international standards.”
Dr Lee said that hospital accreditation is a significant opportunity for hospitals to thoroughly review and enhance their overall services. The HA expresses gratitude to the expert team from the Shenzhen Hospital Accreditation Research Center and local experts for providing valuable suggestions during the on-site survey. The suggestions are valuable for strengthening the quality of public healthcare.
The Research Center earlier sent experts to conduct on-site accreditation surveys at QMH. The expert team praised the hospital for elevating the multidisciplinary treatment workflow for chest pain and stroke patients to expedite the treatment, receiving accreditations of the National Chest Pain Centre and the National Stroke Centre, all of which were crucial for obtaining the overall accreditation. The expert team recognised that the hospital has a robust management structure and efficient oversight and investigation systems, and a dedication to providing patient-centred healthcare services, as well as continuous innovation in healthcare technology and service models. These factors were recognised as essential foundations for a hospital seeking international standards.
The Hospital Chief Executive of QMH, Dr Theresa Li, who led the hospital’s accreditation preparation work, thanked the support from the Health Bureau and the HA Head Office. Dr Li said that the successful accreditation of QMH is the best affirmation to the hospital’s long-standing commitment to patient safety and high-quality service, proving that the healthcare quality, management and service levels of the hospital have reached international standards and align with national systems, laying a solid foundation for its future development.
Dr Li expressed gratitude to the hospital team for their dedication to the accreditation process over the past year, noting that the hospital conducted a comprehensive review of its existing services through the accreditation process. Dr Li said that QMH will continue to uphold the value of people-centred care, strengthen multidisciplinary treatment services, and elevate the medical standard for patients with complex and acute conditions to provide high-quality healthcare for patients and safeguard public health.