Category: MIL-OSI

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

     Following is a question by the Hon Chan Hoi-yan and a written reply by the Secretary for Environment and Ecology, Mr Tse Chin-wan, in the Legislative Council today (May 27):

     Under the existing Nutrition Labelling Scheme (the Scheme), prepackaged food products are required to label the energy and seven core nutrients (i.e. total fat, saturated fat, trans fat, sugars, sodium, protein and carbohydrates) “per package” or “per serving”. It has been more than 15 years since the Scheme was fully implemented in 2010. In recent years, there have been notable changes in the dietary pattern of the public and the types of prepackaged food products, and cases of discrepancies between nutrition labels and actual ingredients have aroused public concern about the effectiveness of the Scheme and the monitoring work. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region – 4

     Following is a question by the Hon Hung Kam-in and a written reply by the Secretary for Education, Dr Choi Yuk-lin, in the Legislative Council today (May 27):
 
Question:
 
     In recent years, some local institutions have collaborated with universities in the Mainland and overseas to introduce “2+2 degree programmes” or “joint degree programmes”, allowing students to complete their studies in different regions and obtain qualifications recognised by institutions in multiple regions concurrently. There are views that while current institutional collaborations are concentrated in the Greater Bay Area or the Mainland, there is also potential to further expand them to overseas to establish a transnational and cross-boundary institutional network, so as to nurture talent who can connect Hong Kong, the Mainland and overseas. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
 
(1) of the institutions in Hong Kong which are currently collaborating with Mainland and overseas institutions to offer cross-boundary programmes, and the academic disciplines covered by such programmes; of the respective numbers of local and non-local students enrolled in such programmes in the past three years; whether the Government knows if any institutions in Hong Kong are exploring the implemetation of “multilateral joint programme” mode in collaboration with institutions in Southeast Asia or other overseas regions; if so, of the details;
 
(2) whether it knows the employment situations of and degree recognition for graduates upon completion of “multilateral joint programmes”; whether graduates who have completed such programmes currently meet the requirements of the Immigration Arrangements for Non-local Graduates; if not, whether the Government will study the provision of relevant arrangements so as to attract such graduates to work in Hong Kong;
 
(3) apart from mutual recognition of programmes, whether the Government has studied or promoted multilateral recognition of vocational and professional education and training programmes, or other more attractive arrangements, such as encouraging institutions to collaborate with enterprises in Hong Kong, the Mainland and overseas in designing programmes, so as to enhance the competitiveness of graduates and make it easier for them to be employed in Hong Kong, the Mainland and overseas; and
 
(4) whether the Government has plans in the next three to five years to encourage more institutions to participate in transnational and cross-boundary joint programmes and set a specific timetable, so as to strengthen the role of Hong Kong’s institutions in international education collaboration and enhance Hong Kong’s strengths in nurturing and retaining talent as well as building international interpersonal networks?
 
Reply:
 
President,
 
     The Government actively encourages local universities to collaborate with the Chinese Mainland and overseas institutions in offering dual/joint-degree programmes to expand the pool of high-calibre talent across various fields and propel Hong Kong’s development into an international post-secondary education hub. Regarding the question asked by the Hon Hung Kam-in, the reply is as follows.
 
(1) and (2) Over the past three academic years (AYs), six University Grants Committee (UGC)-funded universities, namely City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong Baptist University, the Chinese University of Hong Kong, the Hong Kong Polytechnic University, the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology and the University of Hong Kong, have partnered with Chinese Mainland and overseas institutions to offer undergraduate dual/joint-degree programmes including the United States, the United Kingdom, France and Japan, as well as Southeast Asian countries such as Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia and the Philippines. Over the past three AYs, around 60 undergraduate dual/joint-degree programmes were offered annually, spanning fields such as STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics), social sciences, humanities, law, economics and business administration, admitting approximately 4 000 to 5 500 local and non-local undergraduate students. The total number of students enrolled in these programmes is as follows:

Number of enrolment of undergraduate dual/joint-degree programmes from the 2023/24 to 2025/26 AYs

AY	Number of enrolment
	Local	Non-local	Total
2023/24	14 066	3 932	17 998
2024/25	15 530	4 700	20 230
2025/26 (Provisional figures)	16 751	5 911	22 662

 
     In the 2023/24 and 2024/25 AYs, these programmes recorded over 4 800 graduates annually, with non-local students accounting for approximately 20 per cent of the total. The Government does not keep the information on the pathways of the graduates concerned. Under the prevailing Immigration Arrangements for Non-local Graduates, non-local graduates who have obtained an undergraduate or higher qualification in a full-time locally accredited programme in Hong Kong may apply to stay in/return to Hong Kong for 24 months without other conditions of stay. They do not need a job offer to be eligible for the arrangement if they apply within six months after graduation. Further details on the eligibility criteria can be found on the Immigration Department’s website.
 
     As for local students, the Government has launched the Hong Kong Future Talents Scholarship Scheme for Advanced Studies starting from the 2025/26 AY to encourage local students to pursue designated taught postgraduate programmes and nurture high-calibre talent needed for Hong Kong’s future. Awardees are required to sign an undertaking that he/she would contribute towards relevant industries/sectors either through relevant full-time employment or entrepreneurial activities in Hong Kong or within the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, upon graduation, in support of the Government’s policy objective of attracting, nurturing and retaining talent.
 
     As regards self-financing non-local post-secondary programmes, over the past three AYs, post-secondary institutions operating full-time locally accredited self-financing non-local post-secondary programmes in collaboration with overseas institutions include the Hong Kong Institute of Technology, UOW College Hong Kong, the School of Continuing and Professional Education of the City University of Hong Kong, the Hong Kong Art School, the School of Professional and Continuing Education of the University of Hong Kong, the College of International Education of the Hong Kong Baptist University and the School for Higher and Professional Education under the Vocational Training Council (VTC). These programmes mainly cover the field of business and management studies, computer science and information technology, social sciences, media, journalism and communications, arts, design and performing arts, architecture and town planning, biological sciences, education as well as engineering and technology. The total number of students enrolled in these programmes is as follows:
 
Number of enrolment of full-time locally accredited self-financing non-local post-secondary programmes from the 2023/24 to 2025/26 AYs

AY	Number of enrolment
	Local	Non-local	Total
2023/24	2 096	20	2 116
2024/25	1 943	19	1 962
2025/26 (Provisional figures)	1 833	3	1 836

 
     The Government does not keep information on the annual number of graduates and their pathways.

     The Government will continue to encourage institutions to explore innovative models for dual/joint-degree programmes and endeavour to promote the “Study in Hong Kong” brand, with a view to nurturing versatile talent with both specialised academic knowledge and global vision to meet Hong Kong’s long-term development needs.
 
(3) The Government endeavours to promote the development of vocational and professional education and training (VPET), and supports institutions in strengthening collaboration with the Chinese Mainland and overseas enterprises and education institutions to enhance students’ competitiveness in employability.

     Among others, as the largest VPET provider in Hong Kong, the VTC has been proactively promoting collaboration with the Chinese Mainland in areas including student admission and employment, education and training, as well as teacher and student exchanges, and has established partnerships with over 110 Chinese Mainland Government departments, education institutions and organisations. To facilitate cross‑boundary learning and development, the VTC also encourages students to pursue dual award collaborative programmes in the Chinese Mainland and at the same time provides a comprehensive articulation pathway to attract Chinese Mainland students to enrol in VTC’s programmes in Hong Kong. In addition, the VTC has established the Vocational and Professional Education Services (Shenzhen) Company Limited in Shenzhen to strengthen institution‑enterprise collaboration, promote student internships and innovation and technology training, and support teachers and students in participating in study tours, exchange programmes and skills competitions, with a view to further enhancing connection with the Chinese Mainland industries. In addition, the VTC has established collaboration with various overseas VPET organisations and institutions to promote students’ participation in diversified outbound activities. These include student exchange programmes, semester-based overseas studies and industrial attachments across a wide range of overseas destinations, such as Austria, Australia, France, Germany, Italy, Malaysia, Singapore, Korea, Switzerland, Spain, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom.
 
     To further enrich students’ learning experience, the VTC has also invited scholars and industry practitioners from the Chinese Mainland and overseas to visit Hong Kong to share the latest industry developments, including emerging trends, practical insights and professional expertise through thematic seminars and interactive workshops, thereby enhancing students’ employability in the Chinese Mainland and overseas.
 
(4) The Education Bureau (EDB) has always attached importance to promoting co-operation between local post-secondary institutions and institutions from the Chinese Mainland and overseas. The EDB encourages institutions to establish partnerships with high-quality post-secondary education institutions around the world on a mutually beneficial basis, including the joint delivery of cross-border programmes, with a view to facilitating student exchanges and enhancing the quality of teaching. Post-secondary institutions in Hong Kong will negotiate and agree on specific programme arrangements with overseas institutions in accordance with their academic development strategies and curriculum design through establishing various forms of co-operation including student exchange programmes and operating dual-degree programmes, providing students with diverse learning opportunities. The EDB will continue to maintain communication with relevant Government departments and organisations from the Chinese Mainland and overseas and provide support measures (e.g. the Task Force on Study in Hong Kong and the UGC’s funding in the 2022-25 triennium for the Heads of Universities Committee’s Standing Committee on Internationalisation jointly set up by the eight UGC-funded universities), with a view to supporting institutions in expanding their international networks to promote Hong Kong’s strengths as an international post-secondary education hub to their partners from the Chinese Mainland and abroad, and to jointly exploring models for cross-regional co-operation and areas for exchange, thereby laying a solid foundation for continuously enhancing international collaboration and promoting broader academic co-operation among institutions.

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region – 4

     Following is a question by the Hon Ray Wong and a written reply by the Acting Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development, Dr Bernard Chan, in the Legislative Council today (May 27):
 
Question:
 
     There are views that in view of global supply chain restructuring and the current complex geopolitical landscape, Hong Kong’s role as a “super connector” and “super value-adder” has become increasingly important. Meanwhile, external networking, on-site visits and business matching activities conducted by the industrial, commercial and professional sectors in the community are equally important for these sectors to explore substantive business opportunities in markets such as those along the Belt and Road (B&R) and among the member states of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership. However, some sectors have relayed that the existing support schemes could be improved in terms of funding ratios and administrative procedures, and that there is a lack of in-depth co-ordination and business landing support from official organisations when exploring emerging markets such as those along the B&R, in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and in the Middle East. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
 
(1) whether the authorities have drawn up specific plans for the coming year for the Government, the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC), Invest Hong Kong and relevant official organisations to lead delegations from the industrial, commercial and professional sectors on overseas visits (including destinations, major target industries, expected scale of industry participation and specific anticipated outcome performance indicators); if so, of the details and timetable; if not, the reasons for that;
 
(2) given that initiatives such as the Trade and Industrial Organisation Support Fund and the Professional Services Advancement Support Scheme are already in place to provide funding support for non-profit organisations’ external promotion work, whether the Government has assessed the effectiveness of these initiatives in assisting the sectors in entering emerging markets (such as the Middle East, Central Asia or Southeast Asia); of the respective numbers of applications and approved cases involving overseas visits or external promotion under the relevant schemes in the past three years;
 
(3) whether the Government will further optimise existing support schemes (e.g. by raising the funding ratios and streamlining application procedures for cross-regional collaboration projects) or study the introduction of new dedicated funding schemes to strengthen support for chambers of commerce, professional bodies, and industrial and commercial support organisations to conduct more in-depth and sustained external networking activities; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; and
 
(4) whether the authorities will study strengthening the Economic and Trade Express, a one-stop support platform provided by overseas Economic and Trade Offices and the HKTDC’s overseas offices for non-governmental organisations and enterprises, by also offering consultancy services on legal and regulatory matters, visa facilitation and foreign exchange policies, so as to address the practical obstacles these sectors encounter when establishing their presence in emerging markets; if so, of the details and timetable; if not, the reasons for that?
 
Reply:
 
President,
 
     The global trade landscape and geopolitics are rapidly changing. The rise of emerging markets, such as the Belt and Road (B&R) countries, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and the Middle East, etc, has brought new business opportunities to enterprises. The Government is dedicated to leveraging Hong Kong’s strengths as a “super connector” and “super value-adder”, thereby deepening international trade and economic co-operation. At the same time, the Government places great importance on connections and co-operation with the industrial and commercial sectors, and encourages the trade to promote Hong Kong’s latest development through different activities such as visits and promotional events, etc, with a view to collaborating with the community to help Hong Kong companies develop emerging markets.
 
     The reply to the four parts of the question is as follows:
 
(1) and (4) Steered by the Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development, the Task Force on Supporting Mainland Enterprises in Going Global (GoGlobal Task Force) serves as a one-stop platform to proactively attract Mainland enterprises to expand their businesses overseas through Hong Kong, and provides them with customised support services for going global. The GoGlobal Task Force is taking forward a series of work, including organising outbound missions, to be led by officials of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government, to enable Hong Kong and Mainland enterprises to visit overseas markets, including high-potential markets of the B&R countries and Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership member states, to allow the enterprises to understand the local market situation.
 
     Among others, the Chief Executive will lead a delegation with over 60 high-level business and trade representatives from the Mainland and Hong Kong to visit Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan in early June 2026 to explore new business opportunities in Central Asia for enterprises. In particular, there will be a total of around 30 representatives of Mainland enterprises from more than 10 provinces, municipalities and autonomous regions, covering sectors including energy, mining, natural resources and chemicals, innovation and technology and pharmaceuticals, high-end manufacturing, automotive industry, as well as investment and trade services, etc. During the visit, the business and trade representatives will conduct activities including exchanges and business visits to explore new co-operation opportunities and take forward collaborative projects. The outbound mission is the first mission led by the Chief Executive since the establishment of the GoGlobal Task Force in October 2025. It is also the largest in scale, with the greatest number of participants and the widest range of enterprises covered, in the current-term Government.
 
     Apart from the GoGlobal related works mentioned above, as a measure announced in the 2025 Policy Address, we have set up the functional platform of Economic and Trade Express to strengthen trio-coordination among overseas Economic and Trade Offices (ETOs), Invest Hong Kong (InvestHK) and the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC), capitalising on their complementary advantages to jointly promote Hong Kong’s trade and investment abroad and to explore new markets for enterprises.
 
     The Economic and Trade Express focuses on supporting local small and medium enterprises and start-ups by proactively organising overseas business missions for them with one-stop supporting services (including arrangement of activities like business matching) to assist Hong Kong enterprises in exploring business opportunities overseas. We have been organising outbound business missions since the first quarter of 2026. These missions include participation in the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, the United States, in January 2026, along with events under the Economic and Trade Express, with a view to facilitating exchanges and networking between Hong Kong start-ups and local companies. In March 2026, a business mission to Bangkok, Thailand, was organised where participants took part in the “GreenBiz HK” promotional activities organised by the Economic and Trade Express. In addition to supporting local enterprises to expand their business overseas, InvestHK will identify overseas enterprises to connect with Hong Kong’s business sectors and enable more enterprises to invest and establish operations in Hong Kong, thereby promoting two-way flows of enterprises and investments. When planning overseas missions, we will take into overall consideration local enterprises’ needs and interests, as well as other relevant factors (such as corresponding arrangements in the target markets, appropriate timing for the missions, etc) to ensure the effectiveness of the missions.
 
     The ETOs, InvestHK and the HKTDC will continue to strengthen their collaboration under the functional platform of Economic and Trade Express to promote Hong Kong’s trade and investment abroad in a trio-coordinated manner. Leveraging their respective local networks, they will assist Hong Kong enterprises in identifying business opportunities in overseas markets and gaining understanding of the market landscape.
 
(2) and (3) The Trade and Industrial Organisation Support Fund (TSF) provides financial support to non-profit-distributing organisations, such as trade and industrial organisations, professional bodies and research institutes, etc, to implement projects which aim at enhancing the competitiveness of Hong Kong enterprises in general or in specific sectors, including assisting them in developing emerging markets (including the Middle East, Central Asia and Southeast Asia). A wide range of project activities may be funded under the TSF, including seminars, workshops, conferences, exhibitions, research studies, award schemes, codes of best practices, databases, service centres, support facilities and technology demonstrations, etc. The trade can make use of the TSF to promote Hong Kong brands in other places and organise study missions to assist enterprises in understanding the business opportunities in emerging markets. The maximum amount of funding support for each approved TSF project is 90 per cent of the total approved project expenditure, capped at $5 million.
 
     From 2023 to 2025, the number of TSF applications involving study missions or promotion outside Hong Kong received and approved were 32 (Note 1) and 28 respectively. The total amount of funding approved for the concerned applications was about $57 million (Note 2). According to the surveys conducted by the Secretariat, around 99 per cent of the grantees indicated that the TSF was very helpful in enhancing the competitiveness of Hong Kong enterprises in general or in specific sectors.
 
     On the other hand, the Professional Services Advancement Support Scheme (PASS) aims to support Hong Kong’s professional services sectors to carry out worthwhile non-profit-making projects, with a view to increasing exchanges and co-operation with their counterparts in external markets, promoting relevant publicity activities, as well as enhancing the standards and external competitiveness of Hong Kong’s professional services. In the past three years, a total of 17 applications for outbound visits or external promotion were received under the Main Programme of the PASS, of which seven were approved after vetting with the total grant of over $3.5 million. Surveys conducted by grantees revealed that satisfactory results were achieved in the completed projects.
 
     To encourage Hong Kong’s professional services sectors to step up promotion of Hong Kong’s competitive edge and professional services to overseas (including the B&R countries) and the Mainland markets after the pandemic has stabilised, the Government set up the Professionals Participation Subsidy Programme (PSP) under the PASS in 2020 to subsidise the local major professional bodies to participate in relevant activities organised by the Government and the HKTDC. In the past three years, a total of 26 applications for the PSP activities were received and approved. The destinations included different countries in the Middle East, Southeast Asia and Europe, as well as a number of Mainland cities, with the total subsidy committed exceeding $7.5 million.
 
     In response to the views received from the trade, the Government has implemented a series of enhancement measures in recent years, including improving the operation of the PASS, strengthening the support for applicant bodies, enhancing flexibility in the use of subsidies and expediting the processing of applications.
 
     The Government will continue to communicate closely with the trade, review constantly the operation of various schemes that support the industrial and commercial sectors in market expansion, and make adjustments and enhancements as necessary, with a view to increasing the overall effectiveness of the schemes and providing appropriate support to the trade.
 
Note 1: Applications received may not be processed in the same year. The figure excludes applications that were withdrawn voluntarily by organisations afterwards.
 
Note 2: As an application usually covers several deliverables, the total amount of funding approved for the concerned applications includes but not limited to expenditures on study missions or promotions outside Hong Kong.

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

     Following is a question by the Hon Chan Cho-kwong and a reply by the Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism, Miss Rosanna Law, in the Legislative Council today (May 27):

Question:   
President,      
     To enable sustained learning of Chinese culture among the public, the CCPO has set up a dedicated website and social media platforms to pool together online resources relating to Chinese culture from various museums, along with accessible short videos covering Chinese literature, history, philosophy, music, art, folklore and intangible cultural heritage, etc. The videos introduced, for example, Tang poetry, classical Chinese texts and ancient thinkers in an “edutainment” format with a view to transforming traditional cultural content into learning resources that are easier for the public to comprehend and absorb. To date, the short videos have nearly 800 000 cumulative views, providing a sustained learning resource for both the public and schools. To deepen public understanding of the Lingnan culture, the CCPO conducts on-campus lectures and workshops using resources from local and Guangzhou museums, and integrates the Lingnan music activities into school music lessons. Additionally, the “Chinese Culture in Hong Kong Gardens” series guides the public through the Lingnan Garden within Lai Chi Kok Park, offering an immersive experience of Qing-era Lingnan architecture and landscape design.

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region – 4

The Inter-departmental Task Force on Monitoring Fuel Supply today (May 27) announced that the Government will provide a fuel subsidy of HK$0.5 per litre of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) for taxis, public light buses and school private light buses starting from 0.00am on May 31 (Sunday). The temporary measure will last for two months until 11.59pm on July 30 (Thursday).

A Government spokesman said that the temporary measure aims to alleviate the operating costs of local passenger transport commercial vehicles which primarily use LPG as fuel (namely taxis, public light buses and school private light buses (commonly known as nanny vans)), and reduce the pressure for fare increases. It is expected that about 16 900 LPG (including LPG-hybrid) taxis, about 3 440 LPG public light buses (including green minibuses and red minibuses), and about 170 LPG school private light buses would benefit from the fuel subsidy.

To provide the LPG subsidy in a simple and direct manner, oil companies will offer a discount of HK$0.5 per litre of LPG at all 66 LPG filling stations across the territory (including 12 dedicated LPG stations) for all LPG (including LPG-hybrid) taxis, public light buses and school private light buses. No registration or application is required. In order to ensure proper use of public funds, the Government has signed agreements with six oil companies (namely Sinopec, ExxonMobil, Shell, PetroChina, Chevron (Caltex), and Feoso), under which responsibilities and terms have been set out on the arrangements of implementing the LPG subsidy. These arrangements include the Government’s reimbursement to designated oil companies for the actual amount of subsidies provided; the requirement for these oil companies to maintain complete and accurate books and records; the requirement to submit reports to the Government every week, as well as the auditing arrangements upon the completion of the subsidy period. The Transport Department (TD) has steered the oil companies in completing the necessary system enhancements and testing to ensure smooth implementation.

The TD will conduct publicity from today onwards, including displaying posters at LPG filling stations and TD licensing offices. Leaflets will be distributed at major taxi stands, public light bus stands and all dedicated LPG stations across the territory to inform frontline drivers of the subsidy details. Details of the LPG subsidy will also be published on the TD’s website (www.td.gov.hk), the HKeMobility mobile app, and notifications issued by the TD to the relevant trades.

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region – 4

     Following is a question by the Hon Grace Chan and a reply by the Acting Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury, Mr Joseph Chan, in the Legislative Council today (May 27):
 
Question:
 
     In recent years, “venture philanthropy” and impact investing have gradually emerged as new forms of philanthropic and social investments, and last year’s Policy Address also proposed to encourage family offices to implement projects that benefited the disadvantaged groups. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
 
(1) apart from tax deductions for charitable donations, whether the Government will consider providing tax concessions for enterprises or family offices that engage in philanthropy in other forms (e.g. venture philanthropy, investment in social enterprises or impact investing); if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that;
 
(2) apart from the “Co-build a Caring Society Funding Scheme” proposed in last year’s Policy Address, of the specific measures put in place by the Government to promote engagement in philanthropy by family offices and assist them in connecting with local charitable institutions; if it has not formulated or has no plan to introduce relevant measures, of the reasons for that; and
 
(3) as there are views that issues on “environmental, social and governance” are gaining increasing attention from the business sector, whether the Government will step up efforts to promote diversified philanthropic models relating to social services, such as impact investing and venture philanthropy, as well as relevant talent training; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?
 
Reply:
 
President,
 
     There is no standardised definition in society for “venture philanthropy” and impact investing. According to a relevant research report by the Financial Services Development Council (FSDC) in 2024, impact investing is a form of sustainable investing that integrates social and environmental good alongside investment returns as priorities, with a dual focus on financial return and impact being its key feature. To support the development of different philanthropic models, the Government has all along implemented a range of measures, including providing tax exemption to eligible charitable organisations, facilitating the deployment of charitable capital in Hong Kong through relevant tax arrangements, promoting multi-stakeholder collaboration to strengthen the social support system for vulnerable groups, supporting social entrepreneurs to address social needs through innovative solutions, etc, thereby strengthening social cohesion. Regarding the three parts of the question, in consultation with the Home and Youth Affairs Bureau, the Labour and Welfare Bureau, the Digital Policy Office, the Inland Revenue Department (IRD) and the Hong Kong Academy for Wealth Legacy (HKAWL) under the FSDC, the reply is as follows.
 
(1) Under section 88 of the Inland Revenue Ordinance (Cap. 112) (IRO), charitable institutions are exempt from profits tax (i.e. tax-exempt charitable institutions) subject to the fulfilment of certain conditions in relation to the trade or business carried on by them. To qualify as a tax-exempt charitable institution, the object of the institution must be a solely charitable purpose at law, and the institution must be established for public benefit. To facilitate charitable institutions’ application for tax exemption pursuant to section 88 of the IRO, the IRD launched a standard application form and issued guidelines on the drafting of charitable objects in June 2023, so as to assist institutions in preparing compliant application materials, thereby shortening the time required by the IRD to process the applications. Charitable donations made by a taxpayer (including family offices (FOs), as well as companies which engage in “venture philanthropy” and impact investing) to any tax-exempt charitable institution (i.e. approved charitable donations) are deductible from the assessable profits under profits tax, net assessable income under salaries tax, or total income under personal assessment for a year of assessment, provided that the aggregate amount is not less than $100. The total deduction allowable in any year cannot exceed 35 per cent of the donor’s assessable profits or income.
 
     On the other hand, to facilitate the deployment of charitable capital in Hong Kong by global asset owners, FOs and philanthropists, the Government has introduced relevant tax arrangements, such as allowing exempt charitable organisations to hold up to 25 per cent beneficial interest in eligible single FOs and/or their family-owned investment holding vehicles (FIHVs) under the existing concessionary tax regime for FIHVs. The Government also proposes to broaden the definition of “fund” under the unified tax regime for funds to include endowment funds, so as to facilitate these funds to utilise the tax exemption regime.
 
(2) and (3) The Financial Services and the Treasury Bureau issued the Policy Statement on Developing Family Office Businesses in Hong Kong in March 2023, setting out the policy stance and measures on developing a vibrant ecosystem for global FOs and asset owners. Among the measures is the HKAWL established under the FSDC, which provides a platform for collaboration, networking, knowledge sharing and talent development for asset owners, wealth inheritors and the FO sector. The HKAWL launched its flagship philanthropic initiative, Impact Link, in March 2024 and has since organised 17 workshops and seminars for over 700 family participants to encourage them to explore and develop philanthropic initiatives. In June 2025, the HKAWL further introduced the Impact Link Online Portal, a dedicated depository platform for invited family philanthropists to discover scalable impact investing initiatives in Hong Kong and other regions. As of end-March 2026, the portal has been joined by 55 family philanthropists, which altogether nominated 12 non-governmental organisations and charitable projects.
 
     On social welfare, the Government actively fosters tripartite collaboration among the Government, the business sector and the community. Under the policy guidance of the Government, the business sector offers support in terms of funding, premises, technology and talent, while non-governmental organisations contribute their strengths in frontline insights, service experience and district networks, jointly promoting and implementing service projects, and to work together to build a more diverse, pluralistic and sustainable social support system. Over the past few years, the Government has launched targeted poverty alleviation schemes under the above collaboration model, including the Strive and Rise Programme, the Pilot Programme on Community Living Room and the School-based After School Care Service Scheme. These projects have achieved remarkable results, reflecting an organic integration of “a capable government” and market forces, and have enabled philanthropic resources in society to generate greater benefits. The Government will continue to support vulnerable groups through the tripartite collaboration among the Government, the business sector and the community, including establishing a platform to encourage FOs involved in philanthropic endeavours to provide resources for implementing projects that benefit disadvantaged groups.
 
     In addition, the Government launched the Social Innovation and Entrepreneurship Development Fund (SIE Fund) in 2013, aiming to connect different sectors of the community, including businesses, non-governmental organisations, academics, philanthropies, etc to address poverty and social exclusion as well as foster the well-being and cohesion of society through innovative solutions. The SIE Fund supports the entire life cycle of innovative ventures, from supporting idea incubation, providing seed funding for implementing prototype and start-up projects, to assisting their eventual scale-up. The ultimate goal is to foster the development of the social innovation ecosystem where social entrepreneurs can thrive and potential talents can be unleashed to develop innovative ideas, products and services that can effectively meet social needs. With a total allocation of $1 billion, around $800 million has been earmarked or allocated to take forward various initiatives since its establishment. The SIE Fund has funded 755 projects, benefitting around 600 000 people in need. To optimise the use of resources and operations, the SIE Fund has appointed a consultant to conduct a strategic review on its funding mechanism and operational approach. The review will be completed by end-2026.
 
     Thank you, President.

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region – 4

     Following is a question by the Hon Chris Ip and a written reply by the Secretary for Health, Professor Lo Chung-mau, in the Legislative Council today (May 27):
 
Question:
 
     Starting in 2024, the Government has rolled out two functions of the eHealth mobile application, namely “Cross-boundary Health Record” and “Personal Folder”, to enable citizens to securely use their electronic health records across the boundary at designated medical institutions outside Hong Kong, thereby enhancing continuity of care. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
 
(1) since December 24, 2025, when the “Cross-boundary Health Record” function was expanded from being limited to elderly citizens eligible for health care vouchers to approximately 6.3 million eHealth users in Hong Kong, of the number of Hong Kong citizens who have applied for and used the “Cross-boundary Health Record” function each month;
 
(2) with the Electronic Health Record Sharing System (Amendment) Ordinance 2025 passed by the Legislative Council in July last year and came into effect on December 1 of the same year, the Commissioner for the Electronic Health Record is empowered to recognise individual healthcare providers and public health record systems outside Hong Kong, provided that data privacy and system security are sufficiently protected and specified requirements and conditions are duly complied with, of the progress and timeline for implementing the recognition arrangement; and
 
(3) as I have recently received a complaint alleging that a member of the public presented a test report issued by a designated medical institution outside Hong Kong to a local public hospital doctor for reference, and that it is understood that the public hospital doctor refused to accept the report, citing it as “incomprehensible”, and requested the complainant to schedule the same test again in Hong Kong; and as the Government stated in its reply to a question raised by a Member of this Council on February 25, 2026 that it would further deepen cross-boundary medical record sharing through eHealth, whether the Government has any plans currently to optimise the existing practice, so that Hong Kong public hospitals will accept health examination reports issued by designated medical institutions outside Hong Kong, thereby avoiding the need for members of the public to undergo the same examinations repeatedly; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?
 
Reply:
 
President,
 
eHealth is a territory-wide electronic health record sharing system launched by the Government in 2016 that enables citizens to authorise healthcare providers (HCPs) in the public and private sectors to view and share their electronic health records (eHRs) for healthcare purposes. Building on the strengths of eHealth, the Government announced in the 2023 Policy Address the initiative to roll out a five-year development plan of eHealth+ to transform eHealth into a comprehensive healthcare information infrastructure that integrates multiple functions of data sharing, service delivery and care journey management. eHealth+ aims to facilitate care co-ordination, cross-sector collaboration, as well as active health management and surveillance, thereby better serving citizens in obtaining optimal healthcare services, and supporting the healthcare reform and various healthcare policies more effectively, such as primary healthcare and cross-boundary healthcare services. The Government is taking forward the eHealth+ development in phases in accordance with the patient-centric principle and four strategic directions, namely One Health Record, One Care Journey, One Digital Front Door to Empowering Tool, and One Health Data Repository.
 
To dovetail with cross-boundary healthcare collaborations, the Government has progressively launched the “Cross-boundary Health Record” and “Personal Folder” functions of the eHealth App at 20 medical institutions, including the University of Hong Kong-Shenzhen Hospital (HKU-SZH) and medical institutions under the Elderly Health Care Voucher Greater Bay Area Pilot Scheme since 2024. These two functions facilitate Hong Kong citizens to securely use their eHRs across the boundary under the principle of “bring your own health records”, thereby enhancing continuity of care. The “Cross-boundary Health Record” function enables eHealth users to apply for their eHRs deposited in eHealth over the preceding three years and to authorise the healthcare professionals of designated medical institutions outside Hong Kong to access the eHRs during consultations to assist with diagnosis and treatment. In addition, users may deposit the medical records obtained outside Hong Kong in their personal eHealth accounts via the “Personal Folder” function to facilitate centralised storage and usage, including allowing authorised HCPs in Hong Kong to access through eHealth during follow-up care.
 
In December 2025, the Government extended the “Cross-boundary Health Record” function, which was previously limited to eligible elderly recipients of the Elderly Health Care Vouchers (EHCVs), to all eHealth users in Hong Kong. Besides, the Government upgraded the “Personal Folder” function in January 2026. Before receiving radiology services at the three designated medical institutions outside Hong Kong (namely the HKU-SZH, Zhongshan Chen Xinghai Hospital of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine, and Shenzhen New Frontier United Family Hospital), citizens may authorise them to directly deposit high-resolution radiology reports and images, which are often challenging for users to upload themselves, into their personal eHealth accounts.
 
The Government will continue to maintain close communication with the relevant Mainland authorities and medical institutions in expanding and deepening cross-boundary medical record sharing orderly through eHealth, with a view to supporting the cross-boundary healthcare needs of citizens more effectively as well as enhancing the quality and safety of cross-boundary medical services.
 
In consultation with the Hospital Authority (HA), the reply to the questions raised by the Hon Chris Ip is as follows:
 
(1) As at April 2026, over 32 500 citizens have used the “Cross-boundary Health Record” and “Personal Folder” functions of the eHealth App. Detailed statistics are as follows:
 

Function		Total number of users	Average number of users per month in the past three months (Note)
“Cross-boundary Health Record”		21 170	3 703
“Personal Folder”	Self-deposit health record	10 457	1 169
	Authorise designated medical institutions to deposit radiology reports and images	6 789	2 062

 
Note: In the past three months, an average of about 10 000 eligible elderly persons have used EHCVs per month across the 20 designated medical institutions in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA).
 
(2) To more effectively support the five-year development plan of eHealth+, the Electronic Health Record Sharing System (Amendment) Ordinance 2025 (Amendment Ordinance) came into effect on December 1, 2025, expanding and enhancing the data collection, sharing, usage and protection mechanism of eHealth. Among other things, the Amendment Ordinance has introduced provisions that empower the Commissioner for the Electronic Health Record (eHRC) to recognise individual non-Hong Kong HCPs and public health record systems, subject to sufficient protection of data privacy and system security, as well as due compliance with specified requirements and conditions. If a citizen receives services from a recognised non-Hong Kong HCP, he/she may authorise that HCP to access his/her eHealth records and to deposit the post-consultation health records directly into his/her personal eHealth account.
 
The Government will progressively implement the recognition arrangements drawing on the experience gained from the above-mentioned eHealth cross-boundary functions, while dovetailing with various cross-boundary health collaboration initiatives and the cross-boundary healthcare needs of citizens. In particular, the Government will formulate a set of Code of Practice (COP) to prescribe the recognition arrangements and conditions, in accordance with the Amendment Ordinance, other relevant laws and regulations, as well as the Government Information Technology Security Policy and Guidelines promulgated by the Digital Policy Office. The COP will cover technical requirements, security and privacy standards, as well as supervisory and incident response mechanisms, with a view to effectively safeguarding the system security and data privacy of eHealth. The eHRC may suspend or revoke the relevant recognition of a non-Hong Kong HCP or public health record system in case the recognition conditions are contravened or the recognition may impair the security or compromise the integrity of eHealth.

To ensure that there are sufficient leverages in place for the eHRC to enforce the imposed conditions and the regulatory compliance in the relevant jurisdictions, the Government will, inter alia, enter into contracts or agreements with the recognised non-Hong Kong HCPs or public health record system operators to provide legal basis for the cross-boundary sharing and use of eHRs. This will ensure the legality of cross-boundary data transmission and safeguard the security of personal data.
 
(3) At present, after citizens have deposited medical records obtained outside Hong Kong in their personal eHealth accounts via the “Personal Folder” function, medical institutions in Hong Kong (including the HA) may, in accordance with the principles of “patient under care” and “need-to-know”, access the relevant records through eHealth with the citizens’ consent to assist in clinical diagnosis.
 
Generally speaking, when patients seek consultation at hospitals or clinics under the HA, doctors will provide appropriate treatment, arrange examinations or make referrals based on patients’ clinical condition and medical records. During the process, doctors will exercise their professional judgement to assess whether it is necessary to make reference to patients’ relevant eHealth records and any other medical information provided by patients, including diagnostic or medical reports issued by local or non-local healthcare institutions, so as to ensure the comprehensiveness and accuracy of their clinical decisions. Regardless of whether the report was issued by a local or non-local healthcare institution, a doctor may, after reviewing the relevant report and based on a variety of clinical reasons, still recommend that the patient undergo the same examination. For example, an imaging examination may require the use of different techniques (such as Computed Tomography volumetry or 3D reconstruction); a blood test (such as a tumour marker test) may need to be repeated for comparison purpose; and the results of an ultrasound examination may vary depending on the operator.
 
As at April 2026, Hong Kong healthcare institutions have accessed the health records deposited by citizens via the “Personal Folder” function over 4 500 times, of which around one-third were made by the HA. Besides, Hong Kong healthcare institutions have made more than 600 accesses of radiology reports deposited by designated GBA medical institutions authorised by citizens, of which more than 80 per cent were from the HA. The HA will step up its efforts to promote the effective use of the eHealth platform among frontline doctors, with a view to assisting them in gaining a more comprehensive understanding of patients’ conditions, thereby responding to patients’ health needs more effectively, while minimising unnecessary repeated examinations and reducing the cost of care.

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region – 4

     Following are the remarks by the Secretary for Transport and Logistics, Ms Mable Chan, on the regulation of ride-hailing services at a media session today (May 27):
 
Reporter: First, how do you respond to the criticism from ride-hailing platforms that the 10 000 quota cannot meet market demand and is too conservative? Second, will you pledge to review the quota within the first few months upon the scheme’s launch and to issue additional licences if the service supply fails to meet market demand and maybe drives up the fare?
 
Secretary for Transport and Logistics: The proposed four sets of subsidiary legislation contain a lot of details regarding the various requirements under the proposed regulatory regime. Among all the key requirements, one is very important – once we have issued licences for platform operators in the future, we will impose a requirement for the operators to store the relevant operational data and share them with the Transport Department. I believe that our mechanism and review should be based on data and take into account the various operating indicators.
 
     At present, regarding the quota for the issuance of permits for ride-hailing vehicles, there have been a host of diversified views in the community for over a year or so. We have been taking a very careful, prudent and open-minded approach in listening to the various views and analysis provided. As a start, we would like to take a prudent and careful approach to ensure that our proposed regulatory regime will be achieved and implemented in a safe, smooth and progressive manner. Once we have issued licences to platform operators, we will immediately take into account and keep in view the various operating data available to us. I think this is a scientific, data-orientated mechanism and approach so that we can provide a very transparent, open-data analysis and assessment to the Legislative Council and the community, enabling us to take a progressive and forward-looking approach.

(Please also refer to the Chinese portion of the remarks.)

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region – 4

     Following is a question by the Hon Chan Pui-leung and a written reply by the Secretary for Health, Professor Lo Chung-mau, in the Legislative Council today (May 27):

Question:

     It is prohibited under the existing legislation to sell and supply intoxicating liquor to persons under the age of 18 (minors) in the course of business. There are views pointing out that, given the growing popularity of online shopping, minors can easily circumvent the law to purchase liquor by sending private messages to sellers and arranging delivery through courier services. This may give rise to regulatory loopholes since some individual sellers operate online liquor trading businesses without business registration and age verification with buyers. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:

(1) whether the Inland Revenue Department has issued advisory letters to and instituted prosecutions against persons operating online liquor trading businesses without business registration in accordance with the requirements under the Business Registration Ordinance (Cap. 310) over the past five years; if so, of the numbers concerned and the effectiveness thereof;

(2) given that in its reply to a question raised by a Member of this Council on February 25 this year, the Government indicated that, over the past five years, the Tobacco and Alcohol Control Office (TACO) of the Department of Health had carried out over 2 600 online inspections targeting online shopping platforms and issued more than 600 advisory letters to these platforms pursuant to Part 5 of the Dutiable Commodities (Liquor) Regulations (Cap. 109B), whether it involved repeated non-compliances among these cases; if so, of the numbers and percentages concerned; of the Government’s follow-up measures against online shopping platforms or holders of social media accounts not responding to advice repeatedly;

(3) given that it does not require a liquor licence for selling liquor online at present, whether TACO has established mechanisms to proactively monitor online trading platforms and online stores and investigate if reasonable steps have been taken for age verification with buyers when selling liquor; whether studies have been conducted on the use of big data or artificial intelligence systems to proactively monitor non-compliances involving liquor advertisements or suspicious transactions on social media and online platforms, with a view to stepping up efforts in combating illegal sale of liquor to minors; if so, of the effectiveness of these efforts; if not, the reasons for that; and

(4) quite a number of countries have formulated strict regulations on online sale of liquor as an effort to protect youth health and regulate the supply of alcohol, for instance, Singapore mandates that individuals and commercial enterprises, including e-commerce platforms, are required to obtain a licence before supplying alcoholic beverages online or through telecommunications services and that these platforms should take the initiative to remove non-compliant products and be jointly and severally liable for non-compliances, whether the Government will make reference to the experience of other places and formulate relevant regulations; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?

Reply:

President,

     According to the World Health Organization (WHO), harmful use of alcohol is a significant risk factor for more than 200 diseases, injuries and other health conditions. Harmful use of alcohol is associated with the risk of developing a range of health problems such as mental and behavioural disorders (including alcohol dependence), and major non-communicable diseases (NCDs) (e.g. liver cirrhosis and certain cancers). In addition to health effects, harmful use of alcohol can place a heavy burden on individuals, families and the society. The WHO recommends that governments of various places should strengthen their responses to reduce alcohol-related harm for prevention and control of NCDs. Reducing alcohol-related harm is an important priority action area in the prevention and control of NCDs locally. In 2018, the Government promulgated the Strategy and Action Plan to Prevent and Control Non-communicable Diseases in Hong Kong (SAP). To this end, the Government adopts a multi-pronged approach, comprising publicity and education, law enforcement, and promotion of alcohol screening, and more. The Department of Health (DH) has been enforcing the Dutiable Commodities (Amendment) Ordinance 2018 (the Amendment Ordinance) since 2018 to further prevent youth access to alcohol. In response to the Hon Chan Pui-leung’s question, the reply after consultation with the Financial Services and the Treasury Bureau and the DH is as follows:

(1) Any person who carries on a business in Hong Kong, regardless of whether through a brick-and-mortar presence or the internet, is required to apply for business registration under the Business Registration Ordinance (Cap. 310). If the Inland Revenue Department (IRD) is aware that any person carrying on a business in Hong Kong has not applied for business registration, it would advise the relevant person to apply for business registration as soon as possible, and would consider initiating prosecution against the relevant person where necessary.

     As the IRD does not maintain statistics on cases involving issuance of advice, the relevant figures are not available. According to the IRD’s experience, most of those who received advice would apply for business registration promptly. In the past five years, the IRD did not institute prosecution in respect of businesses selling alcoholic products online without business registration.

(2) to (4) Through the Amendment Ordinance, the Government adds a new Part 5 and a Schedule to the Dutiable Commodities (Liquor) Regulations (Cap. 109B) (the Regulations). The Regulations aims to prevent minors from accessing and obtaining alcoholic beverages in order to protect the health of young people and have been in force since 2018. The Regulations prohibit any persons from selling or supplying intoxicating liquor to a minor in the course of business (including face-to-face and remote distribution). For remote distribution, the seller must display or broadcast the prescribed notice stating that, under the law of Hong Kong, intoxicating liquor must not be sold or supplied to minors in the course of business. The seller must also obtain an age declaration from the buyer confirming that he/she is 18 years of age or above prior to the sale or supply, and there must be no circumstances that would give the seller reasonable grounds to suspect that the declaration is false.

     Having drawn reference from the experience of other jurisdictions and striking a balance between protecting public health and the degree of regulation, the Regulations adopt a strategy that focuses on the regulation of the transaction, including making it an offence to complete each remote transaction without first receiving an age declaration. Compared with a licensing regime imposed on sellers, this approach enable the Tobacco and Alcohol Control Office (TACO) of the DH to directly investigate and take enforcement action against suspected illegal selling of liquor to minors, regardless of whether the seller holds a licence. This approach also covers covert sales.

     The TACO has established a mechanism to continuously and proactively engage with the trade, including online platforms, to provide guidelines which are respectively applicable to the sellers, the delivery staff employed by the sellers, and more. The guidelines sets out the reasonable steps when delivering the liquor, so as to assist the trade in understanding and complying with the relevant requirements. For example, where delivery services are required to complete the remote distribution order after the sale of liquor, the delivery staff who is employed by the company selling the alcoholic beverages have a legal obligation to verify that the recipient is 18 years of age or above before handing over the liquor.

     Between 2021 and 2025, the TACO conducted more than 2 600 online inspections and issued more than 600 advisory letters in response to cases where websites were found not to have properly implemented the requirements regarding the prescribed notice or age declaration. All relevant websites co-operated and took follow-up action after receiving the advisory letters, with no cases involving repeated disregard of the advice.

     The Government is also committed to leveraging technology to enhance enforcement efficiency at various levels. The TACO is exploring the use of big data or artificial intelligence technology to assist in online inspection work and will introduce appropriate tools in a timely manner in light of the development of relevant technologies.

     In addition, the TACO places great importance on public education to more effectively regulate the unlawful sale of alcoholic beverages to minors under the Regulations. The DH has launched the “Young and Alcohol Free” campaign since 2016, with the development of health education resources, Announcements in the Public Interest, and collaboration with groups and non-governmental organisations serving youth, to disseminate relevant messages. The latest round of the promotional campaign was launched in 2025 and was promoted through social media, residential building lobby TV display network, public transport, venues under the DH and other Government departments.

     Regular surveys conducted by the Narcotics Division of the Security Bureau collect information on alcohol drinking, smoking and drug use among young people. According to the Survey of Drug Use among Students, since the Amendment Ordinance took effect, the prevalence of ever drinking, 12-month drinking and 30-day drinking among youth shows a downward trend, meeting the relevant target as stated in the SAP, which aims to achieve a relative reduction of at least 10 per cent in the prevalence of drinking among youth from the 2011/12 level by 2025. The relevant figures are tabulated below: 
 

	Year 2011/12	Year 2023/24	Change
The prevalence of ever drinking among youth	56.0%	40.4%	-27.9%
The prevalence of 12-month drinking among youth	41.0%	27.9%	-32.0%
The prevalence of 30-day drinking among youth	18.4%	14.3%	-22.3%

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region – 4

     The Transport Department (TD) today (May 27) said that the next online auction of vehicle registration marks (VRMs) will be held from noon on June 11 (Thursday) to noon on June 15 (Monday) through the auction platform E-Auction (e-auction.td.gov.hk). Interested bidders can participate in the online auction only after they have successfully registered as E-Auction users.
 
     A spokesman for the TD said, “A total of 220 Ordinary VRMs will be available at this online public auction. The list of VRMs (see Annex) has been uploaded to the E-Auction website. Applicants who have paid a $1,000 deposit to reserve an Ordinary VRM for auction should also register as an E-Auction user in advance in order to participate in the online bidding, including placing the first bid at the opening price of $1,000. Otherwise, the VRMs reserved by them may be bid on by other interested bidders at or above the opening price. Auctions for VRMs with ‘HK’ or ‘XX’ as a prefix, special VRMs and personalised VRMs will continue to be carried out through physical auctions by bidding paddles and their announcement arrangements remain unchanged.”
 
     Members of the public participating in the online bidding should take note of the following important points:
 
(1) Bidders should register in advance as an E-Auction user by “iAM Smart+” equipped with the digital signing function; or by using a valid digital certificate and an email address upon completion of identity verification. Registered “iAM Smart” users should provide their Hong Kong identity card number, while non-Hong Kong residents who are not “iAM Smart” users should provide the number of their passport or other identification documents when registering as E-Auction users.
 
(2) Bidders are required to provide a digital signature to confirm the submission and amount of the bid by using “iAM Smart+” or a valid digital certificate at the time of the first bid of each online bidding session (including setting automatic bids before the auction begins) to comply with the requirements of the Electronic Transactions Ordinance.
 
(3) If a bid is made in respect of a VRM within the last 10 minutes before the end of the auction, the auction end time for that particular VRM will be automatically extended by another 10 minutes, up to a maximum of 24 hours.
 
(4) Successful bidders must follow the instructions in the notification email issued by the TD to log in to the E-Auction within 48 hours from the issuance of email and complete the follow-up procedures, including:
 

• completing the Purchaser Information for the issuance of the Memorandum of Sale of Registration Mark (Memorandum of Sale); and
• making the auction payment online by credit card, Faster Payment System (FPS) or Payment by Phone Service (PPS). Cheque or cash payment is not accepted in the E-Auction.

(5) A VRM can only be assigned to a motor vehicle registered in the name of the purchaser. Relevant information on the Certificate of Incorporation must be provided by the successful bidder in the Purchaser Information of the Memorandum of Sale if the VRM purchased is to be registered under the name of a body corporate.

(6) Successful bidders will receive a notification email around seven working days after payment has been confirmed and can download the Memorandum of Sale from the E-Auction. The purchaser must apply for the VRM to be assigned to a motor vehicle registered in the name of the purchaser within 12 months from the date of issue of the Memorandum of Sale. If the purchaser fails to do so within the 12-month period, in accordance with the statutory provision, the allocation of the VRM will be cancelled and a new allocation will be arranged by the TD without prior notice to the purchaser.
 
     The TD has informed all applicants who have reserved Ordinary VRMs for this round of auction of the E-Auction arrangements in detail by post. Members of the public may refer to the E-Auction website or watch the tutorial videos for more information. Please call the E-Auction hotline (3583 3980) or email (e-auction-enquiry@td.gov.hk) for enquiries.