Category: MIL-OSI

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

     Following is a question by the Hon Rock Chen and a written reply by the Secretary for Environment and Ecology, Mr Tse Chin-wan, in the Legislative Council today (October 8):

Question:

     “The Chief Executive’s 2025 Policy Address” announced that the Government will streamline the procedures to expedite the approval process of applications for outside seating accommodation (OSA) of restaurants and introduce a licensing arrangement allowing operators to let dogs enter their food premises. There are views that the measures relating to OSA and allowing dogs to enter food premises are conducive to the expansion of business opportunities for food premises, thereby effectively unleashing the economic vitality of the community. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:

(1) of the number of applications for OSA licences of restaurants received and approved by the Government over the past three years, as well as the average number of days for vetting and approving those applications and the success rate; the anticipated average number of working days to be shortened to in vetting and approving those applications following the introduction of measures to expedite the approval process of OSA applications; whether there are plans to introduce artificial intelligence technologies to streamline the approval process; if so, of the specific timetable for implementing such technologies;

(2) of the following information regarding restaurants approved by the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department to set up OSA in the past three years: (i) the number of prosecutions in respect of contraventions relating to OSA in each year; (ii) the average amount of fine and highest penalty imposed in such prosecution cases; (iii) ‍the number of restaurants which had their restaurant licenses revoked due to contraventions relating to OSA; and (iv) the average amount of Government rent paid by restaurants for setting up OSA;

(3) while introducing measures to expedite the approval process for OSA applications of restaurants, whether it will review the clauses for setting up OSA, e.g. requiring restaurants located in areas with high daytime but low nigh-time pedestrian flows to set up OSA during night time only; whether flexible approval procedures and management standards can be put in place for OSA applications of restaurants near venues of special events, such as those organising “a mega event in every district”, so as to stimulate the economic vitality of the community and meet the operational needs during the mega events; and

(4) of the details of the research conducted by the Government on allowing dogs to enter food premises, including whether it has examined the specific practices of allowing dogs to enter food premises in the Mainland and overseas countries and regions (e.g. the type of applicable premises, conditions for dog access, operational management regulations, health safeguards and dispute resolution mechanism); whether relevant management measures and code of practice for the licensing arrangement allowing operators to let dogs enter their food premises would be developed based on the research findings, with a view to achieving a pet-friendly community while safeguarding restaurants and public health security?

Reply:

President,

     The Government announced in “The Chief Executive’s 2025 Policy Address” that to further expedite the approval process of applications for outside seating accommodation (OSA) of restaurants, the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD) will adopt a new way by proactively co-ordinating various relevant departments to undergo “joint-vetting” to resolve the matter together, and when necessary, escalate the process regarding complicated applications to the relevant Permanent Secretary or even the Deputy Chief Secretary for Administration for steer, at the same time, the procedures will be streamlined. In consultation with the Lands Department, the reply to the various parts of the question raised by the Hon Rock Chen is as follows:

(1) In the past three years, the number of applications for OSA of restaurants received by the FEHD, the processing time, cases approved and success rate are as follows:
 

Notes:
(1) Included cases where applications were made that year or earlier but approved that year.
(2) Calculated based on the year when application was received, by dividing the number of cases received that year and approved as of August 2025 by all applications received that year (including applications later withdrawn, given up by the applicants or rejected).

The processing time of applications varies depending on the time needed for the applicant to comply with licensing requirements, handle objections from the public or relevant departments, and resolve land and other issues. It is expected that with the streamlined procedures and the “joint-vetting” mechanism, applications which are simple and straightforward could be approved within about a month. Relevant departments are working on the arrangements for streamlining the workflow so as to set concrete target timelines.

     The FEHD has also been actively applying AI technology in various areas of its work to enhance effectiveness, such as tackling fly-tipping and monitoring rodent infestation. It will continue to explore applying such technology in different areas of work to further enhance efficiency.

(2) In the past three years, prosecutions and fines imposed against restaurants with approved OSA due to OSA-related breaches are as follows:
 

     During the same period, no restaurant licences were revoked as a result of these violations.

     Regarding land rent, for applications to set up OSA on Government land, the Lands Department or departments managing the relevant land lot will, after consulting relevant departments, generally issues land licences or short-term tenancies, based on the specific circumstances of the land use. As of end-August 2025, the relevant annual fees for approved land licences or short-term tenancies are:
 

Note: The actual fees payable for each case vary depending on the location of the land.

(3) The FEHD will coordinate relevant departments to undergo “joint-vetting” to resolve matter together and at the same time, streamline procedures, including adopting standardised Government rent for OSA, and allowing some applications to proceed without the requirement for increasing kitchen area and bathroom facilities. As for applications involving walkways with a remaining width of three metres or more after the provision of OSA, they will generally be considered as meeting the basic traffic requirements and do not have to be reviewed case-by-case. The Government will launch internal guidelines on the new “joint-vetting” mechanism to expedite applications for OSA of restaurants in Q4 2025 for implementation by departments.

     At present, many large-scale events provide catering services. When vetting relevant licence applications, the FEHD and other relevant departments will liaise closely with event organisers to develop suitable licensing conditions that take into account the venue and operational needs, so as to facilitate the events and ensure food safety, environmental hygiene and fire safety etc.

(4) The Government announced in the Policy Address that restaurant operators will be allowed to apply for permission to let dogs enter their food premises, creating new business opportunities for the industry. The Government will consult relevant trades and draw reference from practices and experiences on the Mainland and overseas, in order to formulate the implementation details of letting dogs enter food premises. Approved restaurants must display clear signage so that the public can make an informed choice, and have to comply with specified requirements and arrangements so as to balance the safeguarding of food safety and environmental hygiene, as well as the interests of the trade and consumers.

     The FEHD expects to grant permission to the first batch of applications by mid-2026, permitting a certain number of restaurants to allow dogs to enter. The Government will monitor the implementation, industry uptake and community response, and refine the details of operation as necessary.

Source: Hong Kong Information Services

This year’s “Cheers!” Series will be held from November to February 2026, with nine visiting and local performing groups offering a diverse programme of family entertainment, the Leisure & Cultural Services Department announced today.

Featuring five international award-winning productions and four local shows, the series will include acrobatic and circus performances, puppetry, dance, theatre, multimedia shows and musicals.

It will begin with the puppetry musical Jack and the Beanstalk, with dubbing in Cantonese, by the Theater Company Hikosen from Japan.

Local productions include a performance of The Messiah by the Hong Kong Oratorio Society; a multimedia children’s show, One Lap – 16000km: The Little Penguin’s Way Home, by the puppet theatre troupe Make Friends With Puppet; a “non-verbal full mask theatre” show, Plastic Island, by Free-To-Play; and The Making of the Perfect Mulan by the tap dance company R&T. 

Tickets for the series are now available from URBTIX.

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

Following is a question by the Hon Edmund Wong and a written reply by the Secretary for Transport and Logistics, Ms Mable Chan, in the Legislative Council today (October 8):

Question:

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

Following is a question by the Hon Michael Tien and a written reply by the Secretary for Transport and Logistics, Ms Mable Chan, in the Legislative Council today (October 8):

Question:(i) the average traffic queue length (in metres) at each of the southbound and northbound entrances during peak hours (7am to 10am and 5pm to 8pm);
(ii) the time period during which the longest traffic queue occurred and its duration;
(iii) the average time taken for vehicles to pass through the roundabout; and
(iv) changes in the number of traffic incidents (set out by nature of the incidents); and

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

The Labour Department (LD) today (October 8) suspended the recognition of the Mandatory Basic Safety Training Course (Construction Work) (commonly known as the Green Card Course) organised by the Neighbourhood & Worker’s Service Centre (NWSC) and the Hong Kong Federation of Women’s Centres Limited (HKFOWCL) for a period of six months, until April 7, 2026. 
​
The LD found that the NWSC had violated the approval conditions for operating the course, including disclosing all examination questions and relevant answer choices to trainees before the examination by a trainer, and allowing a trainee who did not fulfil the required attendance to attend the examination. After conducting thorough investigations and gathering evidence, and taking into account the explanations and representations provided by the NWSC and the trainer involved, the LD decided to suspend its recognition for six months in view of the serious nature of the violation. The trainer involved was also removed from delivering the respective course at the NWSC. All trainees involved will not be issued green cards. 

The LD also found that the HKFOWCL had violated the approval conditions for operating the course, including failing to ensure that invigilators were present in examination rooms during the course examinations. Furthermore, the trainer involved did not invigilate the examination in a proper manner, resulting in the failure to detect trainees discussing answers with each other during the examination. After conducting thorough investigations and gathering evidence, and taking into account the explanations and representations provided by the HKFOWCL and the trainer involved, the LD decided to suspend its recognition for six months in view of the serious nature of the violation. The trainer involved will also be suspended from delivering the respective course for a period of six months at the HKFOWCL. The green cards of all trainees involved in cheating were recalled and cancelled. 

A spokesman for the LD said, “The LD is highly concerned about the quality of mandatory safety training courses. In response to the recommendations in the report released by the Office of The Ombudsman on its direct investigation into the ‘Government’s Regulation of Occupational Safety and Health in the Construction Industry’, the LD has increased manpower since April this year to monitor compliance with approval conditions by recognised training course providers to maintain the standard of the training courses and ensure that workers receive appropriate occupational safety and health (OSH) training. If a training course provider does not comply with the approval conditions set by the LD, its recognition to operate the relevant courses will be withdrawn or suspended. The LD will continue to closely monitor the quality of all training course providers and their trainers and strive to enhance the standard of OSH in Hong Kong.”

After imposing the above sanctions, there are 132 training course providers offering the recognised Green Card Course. Relevant course information has been uploaded to the LD’s website (www.labour.gov.hk/eng/osh/content5.htm) for public reference. Individuals interested in enrolling in the relevant course may contact these training course providers. For enquiries, please call the LD’s OSH Training Centre hotline at 2940 7064, or the department’s OSH advisory service hotline at 2559 2297.
 

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

     Following is a question by the Hon Andrew Lam and a written reply by the Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury, Mr Christopher Hui, in the Legislative Council today (October 8):

Question:

     The Financial Secretary Incorporated (FSI) may hold and manage Government property, and for certain large development projects involving the Government such as the Cyberport, the Government will also set up companies owned by FSI to deal with the projects. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
 
(1) of the projects FSI is currently engaged in or managing, directly and indirectly, and the companies or bodies owned by FSI (set out in a table);

(2) for the projects in which FSI is directly or indirectly engaged as mentioned in (1), of the government departments responsible for the actual monitoring of such projects, and the management frameworks or mechanisms respectively; and

(3) given that the 2025 Policy Address proposes to set up a Working Group on Devising Development and Operation Models, to be led by the Financial Secretary, under the Committee on Development of the Northern Metropolis to formulate development and operation models for industry parks in the Northern Metropolis, taking into account their nature and scale, whether the Government will draw on the models and mechanisms previously employed in projects in which FSI was directly or indirectly engaged, or introduce other new models in taking forward and running the projects of various industry parks; if so, of the details?

Reply:

President,

     In consultation with the Financial Secretary’s Office, my reply to the various parts of the question is as follows:

(1) Under the Financial Secretary Incorporation Ordinance (Cap. 1015), Financial Secretary Incorporated (FSI) is a corporation sole constituted by the person who for the time being is performing the duties of the office of Financial Secretary. The FSI may hold and manage government assets on behalf of the Government, and the Government would, as required, through the FSI, directly or indirectly hold companies specifically established for individual projects, with a view to providing public services or achieving important policy objectives. Examples include Hong Kong Cyberport Management Company Limited, MTR Corporation Limited, Hong Kong Science and Technology Parks Corporation, Airport Authority, Hong Kong Investment Corporation Limited, Hongkong International Theme Parks Limited, etc.

(2) These enterprises can operate in accordance with market principles, which allows them to bring in the management and expertise from the commercial sector and adopt more flexible and market-oriented financial and operational arrangements. Apart from helping the Government to achieve policy objectives, this arrangement can also encourage innovation and enhance productivity, improve service quality and efficiency, and promote the development of relevant industries, thereby facilitating structural upgrades of Hong Kong’s industries.

     These enterprises have considerable autonomy in their day-to-day operations. Nevertheless, government bureaux or departments in charge of relevant policies oversee their development direction and operations through various means to safeguard public interests and the Government’s interests as a shareholder. These measures mainly include:

(i) appointing officers from relevant bureaux and/or departments to serve as board members of these enterprises to monitor their performance, participate in discussions on major decisions, and provide advice on their operational strategies, corporate plans and financial projections, with a view to ensuring that the enterprises’ operations align with relevant policy objectives and that resources are properly utilised, thereby safeguarding the Government’s interest as a shareholder and the use of public money. Government representatives also provide input at board meetings on issues relevant to the public to ensure that enterprises would give due regard to public interest in their operations;

(ii) establishing monitoring mechanisms, including having Secretaries of Departments and Directors of Bureaux review and approve enterprises’ annual plans and financial budgets, setting key performance indicators, and requiring these enterprises to submit regular reports to the Government. Individual enterprises are also regulated by specific legislation (such as the Airport Authority and Hong Kong Science and Technology Parks Corporation, etc.) which clearly stipulates the relevant monitoring mechanisms; and

(iii) requesting these enterprises to regularly report to the Legislative Council on their financial position, work progress, etc.

(3) The 2025 Policy Address announced the establishment of the Committee on Development of the Northern Metropolis chaired by the Chief Executive, under which three working groups have been set up. Among them, the Working Group on Devising Development and Operation Models (the Working Group) led by the Financial Secretary will formulate development and operation models for designated development areas in the Northern Metropolis (NM), taking into account their nature and scale. This will include setting up dedicated companies, or statutory or non-statutory bodies, for various industrial parks, devising public-private partnership approaches, considering appropriate land disposal approaches for industry land and major development projects in the NM, as well as the suitable financing arrangements. The Working Group held its first meeting on September 29, 2025.

     The Working Group will make reference to the models previously adopted in participating in major development projects, and adopt an open-minded, flexible and innovative approach in considering the development strategies that best suit the characteristics of various development areas and industry parks of the NM. It will endeavour to remove unnecessary barriers and ease restrictions and leverage market capital with a view to accelerating the development of NM and anchoring of industries through a diversified approach.

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region