Category: MIL-OSI

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LCQ1: Enhancing fire safety education and promotion approach

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

     Following is a question by the Hon Rock Chen and a written reply by the Secretary for Security, Mr Tang Ping-keung, in the Legislative Council today (February 25):
 
Question:

     There are views that the Government may further enhance existing fire safety education, deepen the concept of “making preventive efforts to ensure fire safety”, and introduce virtual reality (VR) technology to assist members of the public in staying calm and making appropriate escape decisions and to enhance their self-protection ability in case of fire. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
 
(1) whether it has compiled statistics on the numbers of fire safety talks, seminars, exhibitions and fire drills organised by the Hong Kong Fire Services Department (FSD) for community members and the total number of times fire safety advisory service was provided in the past three years;
 
(2) whether the FSD will consider further enhancing the fire safety education and promotion approach to step up the fire risk assessment and escape decision-making capabilities of the public, such as encouraging or requiring building management bodies (including owners’ corporations and property management companies) to participate in and organise practical training, regularly conducting evacuation simulation drills and on-site demonstration of fire suppression methods, and teaching residents how to make appropriate judgement and choose escape routes in case of fire based on the fire location, building structure and their own physical conditions, while at the same time stepping up the overall co-ordination and response capabilities of building households and property management personnel in case of fire; and
 
(3) whether the FSD will consider, in collaboration with the Education Bureau, designing and promoting activities that create an immersive sense of presence by re-creating fire scenarios with VR technology and require regular participation by schools, so as to heighten students’ crisis awareness through situated education and provide them with specialised training for fire escape? 
President,
 
     The Government attaches great importance to public fire safety education. In emergencies such as fires, whether members of the public can remain calm, make effective risk assessments and escape decision directly affects their safety. To this end, the Fire Services Department (FSD), apart from actively implementing a “community-based” public safety strategy, has also widely applied innovative technologies to enhance the interactivity and realism of education and training. The objective is to enable the public to acquire and practise emergency response skills in simulated yet safe situations, thereby strengthening the overall fire prevention awareness and self-rescue capabilities.
 
     The reply to the question raised by the Member, in consultation with the Education Bureau (EDB), is as follows:
 
(1) The total number of fire safety talks and advisory services provided by the FSD to the community in the past three years is shown in the table below.
      In addition, the FSD from time to time organises disaster prevention and emergency preparedness exhibitions, fire premises open days as well as district disaster and emergency preparedness carnivals. It also conducts fire drills with residential estates and schools, among others, to continuously strengthen community fire safety promotion.
 
(2) The FSD has been educating and cultivating public awareness of disaster risks through conventional mass media, digital and social platforms, community outreach, and collaboration with different organisations. At the same time, the FSD has actively strengthened district-level co-operation and encouraged direct public participation in training. It has also integrated innovative technologies into public education to further enhance the public’s capability to respond effectively in the event of a fire.
 
Strengthening district collaboration
 
     To enhance district collaboration, the FSD established the “Fire Services Department Community Collaboration Network” (FSDCCN) in 2022. Members of the FSDCCN include Divisional Commanders of the FSD and chairpersons of the 18 District Fire Safety Committees under the Home Affairs Department. FSDCCN members hold regular meetings to jointly formulate targeted district fire safety strategies and organise district fire and disaster prevention publicity campaigns. For example, in 2025, over 3 000 sets of “three treasures for fire protection” (fire extinguishers, fire blankets, and stand-alone fire detectors) were distributed to the public through the FSDCCN. Information on fire prevention and emergency preparedness was also provided to residents to enhance their emergency readiness. It is expected that in 2026, 5 400 sets of “disaster and emergency preparedness kits,” with the addition of smoke hoods, will be distributed across all districts in Hong Kong through the FSDCCN to continue to strengthen district collaboration efforts.
      
Encouraging direct participation of the public in fire safety training
 
     Since December 2024, the FSD has launched the “Community Emergency Responder Scheme” to provide members of the public with knowledge on basic fire prevention and emergency response. As of December 31, 2025, a total of 8 420 members of the public have become “Community Emergency Responders” upon completion of the training course. In 2026, the annual recruitment target for “Community Emergency Responders” will be increased to 10 000 members, with a view to expanding the community safety network.

     To ensure that residents and managerial personnel in buildings are equipped with knowledge on fire prevention and emergency response, and are able to respond correctly and immediately during the incipient stage of fires, the FSD has specifically established the “Building Emergency Responders” which provides specialised training for property management personnel, representatives of owners’ corporations (OCs) and residents on building fire safety, such as the correct usage, management, and maintenance responsibilities of fire service installations and equipment, as well as key considerations when conducting fire inspections, etc. These “Building Emergency Responders” can assist in identifying potential fire safety hazards within housing estates, participate in fire safety inspections, and report risks to the FSD or property management companies.  
Integrating innovative technologies into public education
 
     The FSD has all along been actively leveraging innovative technologies for public education and publicity. As early as 2020, the FSD introduced an “Emergency Preparedness Education Bus”, which features a virtual reality game and an interactive firefighting simulation system. This allows participants to experience escaping from a fire scene, operating fire extinguishers, and using hose reels to put out a fire, etc, thereby learning the skills of “Extinguish and Prevent Fire”, “Self-help and Help Others” and “Escape and Evacuate” under the “Three Basic Skills on Emergency Preparedness”, and enhancing the participants’ self-help capabilities.

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Budget Speech by the Financial Secretary (10)

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

Public Finance

251. During the pandemic, several rounds of large-scale counter-cyclical measures were launched to support enterprises and safeguard jobs. These measures, though successful in stabilising the economy and protecting people’s livelihood, have led to fiscal deficits in the past few years. The Budget last year introduced a reinforced fiscal consolidation programme, aiming at achieving fiscal balance through strictly containing the growth of government expenditure, suitably increasing revenue and consolidating the Government’s financial resources. In addition, the scale of bond issuance would be enlarged. Last year, we set the target of attaining surpluses in the Operating Account from 2026-27 onwards and the Consolidated Account in 2028-29 respectively.

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LCQ12: Claims relating to minor traffic accidents

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

LCQ12: Claims relating to minor traffic accidents 
Question:
 
     The media have recently reported that quite a number of drivers who were only involved in minor traffic accidents, or even accidents where their vehicles did not collide with any other vehicles, have been pursued by other road users through lawyers for substantial compensation. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
 
(1) as it has been reported that the demand letters received by individuals being claimed against in the aforesaid cases were all issued by the same law firm, whether, apart from these cases, the Government is aware of any similar cases that have occurred in recent years; if so, of the total number of cases reviewed by the authorities; among them, the number of cases found to be questionable, and whether such cases involved illegal “recovery agents”; if so, whether the Government has taken measures to combat these unlawful acts;
 
(2) as it has been reported that quite a number of claims did not involve any traffic accidents, and therefore the individuals being claimed against did not report them in a timely manner to the insurance companies which underwrote their third party liability insurance, potentially resulting in these insurance companies refusing to pay compensation in these cases, whether the authorities will require the insurance industry to review afresh the mechanisms or stipulations concerned for handling compensation in the light of such cases; and
 
(3) whether it will step up publicity and education in response to such cases so that all road users can clearly understand their own responsibilities and rights, thereby avoiding exploitation by lawbreakers and incurring losses?
 
Reply:
 
President:

     The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government attaches great importance to the recent cases of suspected fraudulent insurance claims relating to traffic accidents and has taken a series of follow-up actions. Any acts of abuse of the insurance claim mechanism, exaggerated claims or conspiracy to defraud are serious offences. At present, the Police are carrying out investigations on the relevant cases. If any illegal acts are found, the Police will take resolute enforcement actions.
 
     The reply to the Member’s question is as follows:
 
(1) The Police noticed that some law firms lodged claims of traffic accidents on behalf of a number of claimants and that some claimants sought compensation for injuries allegedly sustained in multiple traffic accidents over the past few years. The situation aroused suspicions. In this connection, the Police have launched investigations and taken law enforcement actions promptly. To date, the Police have arrested four persons suspected to be involved in cases of fraudulent claims relating to traffic accidents and have searched a law firm with a court warrant.
 
     The Commercial Crime Bureau (CCB) of the Police has all along been strengthening information exchanges and intelligence sharing with the industry through the Hong Kong Federation of Insurers (HKFI) and has been providing relevant training and conducting anti-deception publicity campaigns for the industry. In collaboration with the HKFI, the CCB has established an insurance fraud notification mechanism since 2012 to jointly combat illegal acts through the referral of suspicious cases. In 2025, the CCB received a total of 12 suspected insurance fraud cases referred by the HKFI. There were cases in the past in which successful enforcement actions were taken against insurance fraud. For example, in 2024, a woman was prosecuted and convicted of “having an intent to defraud” and was sentenced to nine months’ imprisonment. The woman made a false statement after a traffic accident, claiming that she had suffered incapacity for work due to injuries sustained in the accident and lodged claims with an insurance company through a law firm.
 
     Besides, the HKFI established the Insurance Fraud Prevention Claims Database (IFPCD) in 2018 to detect potential fraudulent claims. This enables insurers to initiate focused investigations promptly while ensuring the efficient settlement and payment of genuine claims. 
 
     The Insurance Authority (IA) encourages all insurers to participate in IFPCD, enhancing their capability of identifying fraudulent claims and safeguarding the interests of policyholders. The IA will continue to work closely with the HKFI and the insurance industry to ensure that all bona fide claims are handled in a fair and timely manner, while appropriate measures are adopted to combat fraudulent claims.
 
(2) The existing insurance regulatory framework requires an insurer to implement and maintain proper policies and procedures governing its claims handling processes, making sure that claims are handled fairly and promptly, and that policyholders are treated fairly.
 
     Generally speaking, the reporting requirement stipulated in insurance policies should be “reasonable and practicable”. Where a policyholder is, on an objective and reasonable basis, unaware of an accident or claim, insurers should, under the premise of adhering to the policies and procedures, consider the specific circumstances in handling the case. Therefore, the IA encourages policyholders to report all known traffic-related accidents to their insurers as soon as practicable, including vehicle theft and damage, bodily injury or third-party property damage, to safeguard their policy interests. 
(3) The Government has been adopting a multi-pronged approach in implementing publicity and education work with a view to enhancing road users’ knowledge about their own rights and responsibilities when traffic accidents happen. The initiatives include the following:
 
(a) The Road Users’ Code published by the Transport Department offers comprehensive guidelines and information to road users, including general notes on dealing with traffic accidents;
 
(b) By disseminating road safety information through various social media platforms, producing educational videos and infographics and distributing publicity leaflets, the Police call on members of the public to comply with traffic rules and be responsible road users; andIssued at HKT 13:00

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Budget Speech by the Financial Secretary (11)

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

Budget Speech by the Financial Secretary (11) Medium Range Forecast

281. The MRF projects the revenue and expenditure as well as fiscal position of the Government from a macro perspective. It has fully reflected the impact of the measures in the fiscal consolidation programme. From 2026-27 to 2030-31, a real economic growth rate of three per cent is adopted.Issued at HKT 13:14

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LCQ7: Supporting youth employment

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

LCQ7: Supporting youth employment 
Question:
 
     There are views pointing out that youth unemployment is a serious issue, with some young people even experiencing adverse effects on their mental health and life planning due to prolonged unemployment, and that the emergence of slashies (referring to a group of people who do not rely on a single and regular job for income, but earn irregular income by engaging in multiple occupations and taking up multiple identities) and lying-flatters also indicates young people’s questioning of traditional employment models. On the other hand, quite a number of industries are facing manpower shortages, resulting in mismatches in vocational qualifications that undermine the overall productivity of society. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
 
(1) of the number of unemployed young people and the youth unemployment rate over the past three years, and how these figures compare with those for the overall labour force; whether it has compiled statistics on the employment of slashies; if so, of the relevant data for the past three years, with a breakdown by industry, academic qualification and gender;
 
(2) whether the Government has considered relaunching the Job Creation Scheme, which was implemented in 2020 but has now concluded, or introducing other similar measures such as offering tax incentives, wage subsidies or training allowances to enterprises to encourage them to hire young people; if so, of the details and expected outcomes; if not, the reasons for that;
 
(3) whether it has compiled statistics on young people’s entrepreneurship over the past three years, including the number of individuals starting businesses, the number of companies established and the number of young people who became employed due to unsuccessful entrepreneurship; whether it has provided targeted measures to support those young people who were unsuccessful in entrepreneurship; if so, of the details and outcomes; if not, the reasons for that;
 
(4) whether it has considered introducing targeted measures to encourage young people to join industries with a large number of job vacancies, such as providing them with allowances, training subsidies or career progression planning, so as to attract them to join and stay in such industries on a long-term basis; if so, of the specific policy direction and implementation timetable; if not, the reasons for that; and
 
(5) in view of the emergence of non-traditional employment models such as slashies, whether the Government has considered introducing countermeasures, such as establishing flexible job matching platforms to assist young people in matching with corporate needs through part-time or freelance jobs; whether it will promote a “diverse employment model” policy to encourage enterprises to provide arrangements such as flexible working hours and remote working, so as to enhance the overall productivity of society; whether it will consider drawing reference from the practices of other jurisdictions (such as the Mainland) to require employers to provide a certain level of welfare protection to slashies; if so, of the specific plans; if not, the reasons for that?

Reply:
 
President,
 
     The Government attaches great importance to the employment situation of young people and has implemented various measures to promote youth employment, including career counselling, pre-employment and on-the job training, and entrepreneurship support.
 
     In consultation with the Home and Youth Affairs Bureau (HYAB), the Culture, Sports and Tourism Bureau (CSTB), and the Census and Statistics Department (C&SD), our consolidated reply to the Member’s question is as follows:
 
(1) Based on the results of the General Household Survey (GHS) conducted by C&SD, the number of unemployed persons and the unemployment rate among youths aged 15 to 39 (excluding foreign domestic helpers) in 2023-2024 and Q4 2025, are set out at Annex.
 
     Slashers (i.e. persons engaged in more than one job concurrently) are classified as employed persons (including employers, employees and the self-employed) and are included in the overall labour force. However, as slashers constitute only a small proportion of the local employed population and having considered statistical accuracy, GHS does not compile separate statistics on slashers.
 
(2) to (4) On support for youth entrepreneurship, the HYAB has implemented two entrepreneurship-related funding schemes under the Youth Development Fund, including the HYAB Funding Scheme for Youth Entrepreneurship in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (Entrepreneurship Scheme) and the HYAB Funding Scheme for Experiential Programmes at Innovation and Entrepreneurial Bases (Experiential Scheme). Under the first round of the Entrepreneurship Scheme, funded organisations provided start-up capital and comprehensive support services to 217 youth start-up teams (about 400 young people), and over 97 per cent of the start-up teams continued to be in operation upon completion of the entire programme. The entrepreneurial programmes under the second round of the Entrepreneurship Scheme have been gradually launched and will support about 260 youth start-up teams starting from 2025.  
 
     The Experiential Scheme enables youth to preliminarily explore the entrepreneurial opportunities in the Mainland through short-term experiential programmes at innovation and entrepreneurial bases. There were 12 experiential programmes organised in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA) in the first round of the Experiential Scheme, benefiting about 300 young people. The new round of the Experiential Scheme has expanded the coverage from GBA to other provinces and cities in the Mainland. A total of 18 experiential programmes have been launched starting from 2025, offering about 600 places. According to the evaluation questionnaires completed by participants having completed the programmes, over 95 per cent of respondents respectively gave positive feedback on the effectiveness of the two funding schemes.
 
     The Cultural and Creative Industries Development Agency under the CSTB funds various projects through the CreateSmart Initiative and the Film Development Fund, aiming at nurturing talent (including the youth) of relevant industries and start-ups for promoting industry development. Examples include Design Incubation Programme and Fashion Incubation Programme, which nurture design start-ups by offering financial assistance and incubation services. As at December 2025, a total of 383 incubatees were admitted. The Hong Kong Digital Advertising Industry Fresh Graduate Support Scheme and Hong Kong Digital Entertainment Industry Fresh Graduate Support Scheme provide internship opportunities and on-the job training for new graduates of relevant disciplines. As at December 2025, a total of 763 interns were admitted. The First Feature Film Initiative funded a total of 30 film productions and incubated 32 new directors.
 
     On youth employment support, the Labour Department (LD) implements the Youth Employment and Training Programme (YETP) to provide comprehensive and free training and employment support services to young people with an educational attainment at sub-degree level or below. Since January 2025, the LD has relaxed the enrolment age for YETP from 15 to 24, to 15 to 29. The GBA Work Experience Attachment Programme, which provides YETP trainees aged 18 to 29 with workplace attachment opportunities, was also launched to enable participants to experience the work environment and living culture in GBA. Young people participating in YETP may, according to their interests and needs, select and enrol in training courses, and participate in workplace attachment training and/or on-the-job training. Employers engaging trainees in full-time or part-time on-the-job training are eligible to receive a monthly on-the-job training allowance of up to $5,000 per trainee for six to 12 months. In the 2024/25 programme year (i.e. from September 2024 to August 2025), the number of trainees applied to YETP was 4 059, which represented an increase of 43 per cent compared with the previous programme year.
 
     The LD also operates two Youth Employment Resource Centres named Youth Employment Start, which offer one-stop integrated support services on employment and self-employment for young people aged 15 to 29 to enhance their employability.
 
     In addition, the Employees Retraining Board currently offers around 800 market‑oriented training courses for Hong Kong residents aged 15 or above, as well as about 40 dedicated training courses for young people aged 15 to 29 to help them acquire vocational skills and access employment follow‑up services. Young people aspiring to join specific industries may also consider pre-employment or in-service training courses offered by the Vocational Training Council (VTC). The VTC has been implementing the Apprenticeship Scheme for years, providing systematic on-the-job training for young apprentices and continuously nurturing skilled professionals for various industries in Hong Kong. To encourage more young people to join relevant industries, for a period of three years starting from the 2024/25 academic year, each registered apprentice will be provided with an additional monthly training allowance and each graduated apprentice will be subsidised in undertaking upskilling courses of the relevant trade after securing employment.
 
(5) Apart from the above-mentioned measures, youth job seekers may also use the LD’s Interactive Employment Service website (www.jobs.gov.hk 
     In addition, the LD encourages employers to adopt employee-oriented good human resource management measures through publicity and promotional activities, including allowing flexible work arrangements (such as flexitime, shorter workweek, remote work and hybrid work model), which facilitate the recruitment and retention of staff (including young people), thereby enhancing the corporate productivity.
 
     In light of the development of the digital platform industry, the Government will legislate for an improved work injury compensation mechanism for digital platform workers (DPWs) and will introduce new legislation to provide statutory compensation for DPWs who sustain injuries or die as a result of work. DPWs engaging in food and/or goods delivery services will be protected by the new legislation.
 
     The Government will continue to closely monitor the employment situation of young people, listen to the views of stakeholders, review and refine relevant measures in a timely manner to support and assist the employment of young people (including slashers).
Issued at HKT 14:10

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LCQ17: Making good use of Apology Ordinance to resolve disputes

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

LCQ17: Making good use of Apology Ordinance to resolve disputes 
Question:
 
     There are views pointing out that the Apology Ordinance (Cap. 631) (the Ordinance) clarifies the legal consequences of making an apology by stipulating that in most civil proceedings, an apology does not constitute an express or implied admission of fault or liability, thereby providing a safe and non-adversarial starting point for communication between parties in dispute and a new approach to resolving conflicts. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
 
(1) whether it has assessed the effectiveness of Cap. 631 in easing conflicts and facilitating dispute resolution since it took effect on December 1, 2017;
 
(2) as there are views that members of the public have limited understanding of Cap. 631, whether the Government has formulated measures to further step up publicity of the initiatives and purpose of the Ordinance to all sectors of society, thereby facilitating amicable dispute resolution; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; and
 
(3) to enhance application of Cap. 631, whether the Government will consider including the option of making an apology, applicable proceedings under the Ordinance and related content in the practice guides of various government departments to enable the Government to make good use of the Ordinance to prevent escalation of disputes and to resolve conflicts when encountering controversial public incidents or social disputes; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?
 
Reply:
 
President,
 
     In response to the enquiry raised by Dr the Hon Thomas So, the reply is as follows:
 
(1) The legislative intent of the Apology Ordinance in Hong Kong is to provide clear stipulations regarding the effect of apologies in specified matters and applicable proceedings concerning those matters, thereby promoting and encouraging parties in dispute to voluntarily make apologies, with a view to preventing the escalation of disputes and facilitating their amicable resolution. The Ordinance does not compel anyone to make an apology.
 
     Since its enactment, the primary effectiveness of the Ordinance has been providing society with a clear legal framework, addressing concerns that apologies may lead to admission of one’s fault or liability. This encourages voluntary communication and creates more favorable conditions for amicable resolution of disputes through means such as mediation. As evidence of an apology made is generally not admissible in applicable proceedings, and that apology and settlement processes conducted in private are not reflected in public records, it is difficult to quantify the effectiveness by statistics.
 
(2) The Department of Justice (DoJ) recognises the importance of continuously promoting the Ordinance to the public and various sectors and will disseminate the legislative intent and practical application of the Ordinance across different occasions and media as appropriate.
 
     Specifically, the DoJ will integrate the promotion of the Ordinance and mediation in various suitable promotional activities (whether self-organised or co-organised ones). These include initiative such as the “Mediate First” Pledge Events and seminars arranged in collaboration with other Government departments (e.g. the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department). Through these platforms, we will explain to different sectors of society how apologies, as an effective communication method, can complement mediation and provide a more amicable and constructive path for dispute resolution. The DoJ will also utilise different channels, such as the regularly published Mediation Dispatch, to enhance awareness of the Ordinance among stakeholders and the general public. We believe that by incorporating the promotion of the Ordinance into the existing promotional framework for advocating effective dispute resolution, we can more effectively help the public and professionals understand and utilise apology to achieve the goals of promoting settlement and mitigating conflicts.
 
(3) The Ordinance applies to the Government. Within the Government, we encourage consideration of applying the principles advocated by the Ordinance in handling matters or disputes when appropriate.
 
     In practice, the intent of the Ordinance complements the Government’s “Mediate First” commitment and policy. For example, mediation clauses have been progressively incorporated into Government contracts to require contracting parties to first attempt resolving disputes through mediation. During these mediation processes, the legal protection offered by the Ordinance creates an environment more conducive to the engagement in open communication and exploration of settlement proposals (including apologies) for all parties involved, including Government departments.
Issued at HKT 14:16

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LCQ20: Prevention of bullying behaviour among minors

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

LCQ20: Prevention of bullying behaviour among minors 

Year 
(2) The EDB, the EOC, and the HKPF have not categorised the above cases by intention and motives. The doxxing complaint cases investigated by the PCPD involve relationship disputes and school disputes respectively.
 
(3) The Government adopts a zero-tolerance attitude towards bullying among minors. Various policy bureaux and departments have developed a holistic approach to jointly prevent and curb bullying at the levels of schools, community and criminal enforcement, while also promoting anti-bullying messages. The specific work is as follows:
 
Schools

     A safe and harmonious school environment is crucial for the growth of minors. The EDB, the Social Welfare Department (SWD) and the HKPF have introduced a series of measures to assist schools in building a caring school culture and nurturing students’ proper values. They also help with the prevention, early identification and handling of school bullying, and provide students in need with support and mediation. The key measures are as follows:
 
(a) The EDB requires schools to adopt the Whole School Approach in formulating and implementing anti-bullying policies, and has provided schools with clear guidelines, listing in details the principles, procedures, methods and follow-up actions for handling school bullying incidents. At the same time, the EDB supports schools in implementing values education within and beyond the classroom, provides schools with resource packages and teaching materials on anti-bullying, and organises diversified student development programmes and activities. The EDB continues to organise various kinds of teacher professional training activities in an ongoing manner in order to enhance school personnel’s professional knowledge and capability of preventing and handling bullying in schools. The EDB also provides parents with various information through the one-stop parent education information website Smart Parent Net, helping parents acquire the knowledge and skills for nurturing their children positively. Since 2024, the EDB has been providing the “Harmonious School: One-Stop Hotline and Counselling Services”. Registered social workers provide advice, counselling and case referral services for students and parents through the hotline and instant messaging software, as well as on-site support services for schools in need.
 
(b) Starting from the 2019/20 school year, the SWD has put in place the measure of “two school social workers for each school” for over 460 secondary school across the territory in order to strengthen the provision of counselling and support services for students in need.
 
(c) The HKPF has launched the Youth Crime Prevention Booklet since 2022 to instill anti-crime awareness and proper values in young people. Teaching materials on anti-bullying are also produced to provide parents and educators with prevention and response strategies, so as to prevent young people from bullying others or becoming victims. Meanwhile, the HKPF has implemented the Police School Liaison Programme, through which it establishes a good relationship with the school community and promotes law-abiding awareness among students, thereby preventing young people from committing crimes and falling into traps. In addition, the HKPF launched the “One-stop Child Protection Web Application” (www.childprotection.gov.hk 
Community 
Criminal enforcement 
ConclusionIssued at HKT 14:51

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Remarks by CS on 2026-27 Budget (with video)

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

     Following are the remarks by the Chief Secretary for Administration, Mr Chan Kwok-ki, at a media session at the Legislative Council Complex after the Financial Secretary delivered his Speech on the 2026-27 Budget today (February 25):

    Just now, the Financial Secretary delivered the 2026-27 Budget.

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LCQ21: Regulating alcohol consumption among adolescents

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region – 4

     Following is a question by the Hon Chan Hak-kan and a written reply by the Secretary for Health, Professor Lo Chung-mau, in the Legislative Council today (February 25):

Question:

     On regulating alcohol consumption among adolescents, will the Government inform this Council:

(1) given that according to the Business Registration Ordinance (Cap. 310), every person carrying on a business in Hong Kong regardless of the mode of business must register his business within one month of commencement of business, while “business” required to be registered includes any form of trade, commerce, craftsmanship, profession, calling or other activity carried on for the purpose of gain; whether the Government has conducted random inspections to see if stores currently engaging in the sale of alcohol through online shopping and second-hand platforms have completed business registration; if so, of the details of the relevant random inspections;

(2) given that the Tobacco and Alcohol Control Office (TACO) of the Department of Health implemented the Dutiable Commodities (Amendment) Ordinance 2018 (the Ordinance) starting from November 30, 2018 to prohibit any person from selling and supplying intoxicating liquor to persons under the age of 18 in the course of business, of the respective details of the inspections and law enforcement actions (including the strength of the relevant law enforcement officers, the number of inspections conducted and the number of cases in which a fine was imposed) taken by TACO in stores and premises under the Ordinance in each of the past five years;

(3) given that the Ordinance stipulates that regarding the online sale of alcohol, if it is sold or supplied via remote distribution (e.g. in the form of SMS messages, group messages, websites, telephone or mail order), the prescribed notice must be displayed in a reasonably legible manner, or its contents must be read out or played as a sound recording; however, there are views pointing out that the aforesaid measures may not be able to prevent persons under the age of 18 from purchasing alcohol from online shopping platforms; of the respective numbers of law enforcement actions targeting online shopping platforms taken by TACO and numbers of cases in which a fine was imposed in each of the past five years; among such cases, the number of those found to have contravened the requirements of the aforesaid prescribed notice; whether the authorities have conducted decoy operations; if so, the relevant figures;

(4) whether the Government has studied the situation of alcohol abuse among adolescents in Hong Kong since the Ordinance came into operation; if it has studied, whether the number of cases involving alcohol abuse among adolescents has shown a downward trend; what measures the Government has put in place to address the situation of alcohol abuse among adolescents; and

(5) of the current alcohol consumption situation in Hong Kong; whether the Government has assessed if it has achieved the target of “at least 10 per cent relative reduction in the prevalence of binge drinking and harmful use of alcohol among adults and in the prevalence of drinking among youth by 2025” set out in the “Towards 2025: Strategy and Action Plan to Prevent and Control Non-communicable Diseases in Hong Kong”; if it has assessed and the target has been met, whether the Government will set new targets; if it has assessed and the target has not yet been met, whether it has plans to make improvements?

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 some 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 response to the Hon Chan Hak-kan’s question, the reply after consultation with the Financial Services and the Treasury Bureau and the Department of Health (DH) is as follows:

(1) Every 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) (BRO). The Inland Revenue Department (IRD) inspects the transactions carried out on the internet from time to time to ascertain the compliance with the BRO requirements. The IRD will examine details of the relevant transactions, including (i) the procurement, promotion, sales, and delivery of goods, (ii) the collection and payment of sales proceeds, and (iii) the purpose, scale, persistence and location of these transactions, to determine whether the relevant transactions constitute the carrying on of a business in Hong Kong.

     Under section 15(1)(c) of the BRO, any person who fails to apply for business registration for a business carried on by them in Hong Kong under the BRO commits an offence, and the maximum penalty is a fine of $5,000 and imprisonment for one year. Where any online activity (including a transaction of alcoholic products) constitutes carrying on a business in Hong Kong but the business has not yet been registered under the BRO, the IRD would remind the relevant person to apply for business registration for the business as soon as possible, and would initiate prosecution if necessary.

(2) Part 5 of the Dutiable Commodities (Liquor) Regulations (Cap. 109B) (the Regulations) prohibits the sale and supply of intoxicating liquor to minors in the course of business. According to the Regulations, a person must not, in the course of business, including face-to-face or remote distribution, sell or supply alcoholic beverages to a minor. The Regulations also require vendors who sell or supply intoxicating liquor through face-to-face distributions to display a prescribed notice complying with the Regulations in a prominent position at the premises in the course of business. Between 2021 and 2025, the Tobacco and Alcohol Control Office (TACO) of the DH conducted more than 78 000 inspections to check retailers’ compliance with the legal requirements mentioned above, and carried out investigations and enforcement actions upon receipt of intelligence or complaints. Over the same period, the TACO received 109 complaints regarding the sale or supply of intoxicating liquor to minors in the course of business. No violation was found upon plainclothes inspections and follow-up investigations. As for the requirement to display prescribed notices, the TACO issued 12 summonses to offenders, and nine of which resulted in convictions by the court, with fines ranging from $1,800 to $2,500.

     The number of inspections and the enforcement actions carried out by the TACO at shops and premises in accordance with the Regulations in the past five years is set out at Annex 1.

     The number of posts for frontline law enforcement officers in the approved establishment of the TACO is 125. Since the relevant law enforcement officers work on the alcohol and tobacco control initiatives at the same time, the manpower arrangements cannot be separately delineated.

(3) Any person who sells or supplies liquor to others by remote distribution must display or broadcast a 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. In addition, prior to the sale or supply, the seller or supplier must receive an age declaration from the purchaser or recipient. Provided that there are no circumstances giving rise to reasonable suspicion that the declaration is false, such declaration may serve as a defence in the event of prosecution. The TACO conducts online inspections and follows up on cases where non‑compliance with the above requirements are identified. Between 2021 and 2025, the TACO carried out over 2 600 online inspections and issued more than 600 advisory letters, with the vast majority of websites co-operating upon receiving the advisory letters. The number of inspections and enforcement actions carried out by the TACO against online shopping platforms in accordance with the Regulations in the past five years is set out at Annex 2.

     As regards covert enforcement operations (commonly known as “sting operations”), the personnel involved must be relevant appointed law enforcement officers. They are subject to strict rules and regulations, and are also required to undergo training, thereby understanding the legal boundaries and are capable of handling unexpected situations. Given that the offences currently regulated by the Regulations concern acts directed at minors, the use of “sting operations” is considered inappropriate. The DH encourages members of the public to provide information to the TACO, which will then conduct inspections and take enforcement actions upon receiving intelligence or complaints.

(4) and (5) The Government promulgated, in 2018, the Strategy and Action Plan to Prevent and Control Non-communicable Diseases in Hong Kong (SAP), with a focus on NCDs and their common behavioural risk factors (such as harmful use of alcohol, unhealthy diet and physical inactivity), to comprehensively promote a healthy lifestyle. One of the targets of the SAP is at least 10 per cent relative reduction in the prevalence of binge drinking and harmful use of alcohol (viz. harmful drinking/alcohol dependence) among adults and in the prevalence of drinking among youth by 2025. 

     Currently, regular surveys targeting students from upper primary to post-secondary levels are conducted by the Narcotics Division (ND) of the Security Bureau (SB) to collect information on alcohol drinking, smoking and drug use among young people. According to the Survey of Drug Use among Students by the ND of the SB, since the Dutiable Commodities (Amendment) Ordinance 2018 took effect in 2018, the prevalence of drinking among young people shows a downward trend; and the relevant target of the prevalence of drinking among youth as stated in the SAP has been achieved. The relevant statistics are shown in the table below:
 

SAP indicator related to reducing the prevalence of drinking among youth
(note 1)		 Year 2011/12 Year 2014/15 Year
2017/18		 Year 2020/21 Year 2023/24
Ever drinking 56.0% 56.2% 56.7% 47.5% 40.4%
12-month drinking 41.0% 41.3% 42.3% 32.8% 27.9%
30-day drinking 18.4% 20.2% 21.2% 16.7% 14.3%

Note 1：Including primary four to six students, secondary one to six students and post-secondary students
Source：Survey of Drug Use among Students conducted by the ND of the SB

     In addition, the DH conducts a Population Health Survey (PHS) approximately every five years, with the Health Behaviour Survey (HBS) conducted in between to understand the health status and health-related behaviours of the Hong Kong population, including drinking behaviours. According to the HBS 2023 conducted by the DH, the age-standardised prevalence of binge drinking (i.e. drinking at least five cans of beers, five glasses of table wine or five pegs of spirits on a single occasion) at least monthly among adults (aged 18 years or above) increased when compared to the baseline figures of the PHS 2014/15, while remaining at a low level. According to the 2019 worldwide statistics from the WHO, 17 per cent of people aged 15 years or above engaged in heavy episodic drinking or “binge drinking” on one or more occasions in the last month. Comparatively, Hong Kong’s statistics on binge drinking is relatively lower. The statistics on binge drinking in Hong Kong are shown in the table below:
 

SAP indicator related to reducing the harmful use of alcohol PHS 2014/15 PHS 2020-22 HBS 2023
Age-standardised prevalence of binge drinking (note 2) at least monthly among adults (aged 18 years or above) 2.4% 2.2% 2.9%

Note 2：Binge drinking is defined as drinking at least 5 cans of beers, 5 glasses of table wine or 5 pegs of spirits on a single occasion.

     The PHS 2025/26 commenced last September and the findings are expected to be available in late 2026. The Government will use the relevant data to review the targets and outcomes of the SAP.

     Under the SAP, the Government adopts a multi-pronged approach, comprising publicity and education, law enforcement, promotion of alcohol screening, etc, to reduce alcohol-related harm. The relevant initiatives include: 

(i) The DH has launched a publicity and education campaign named “Understanding Alcohol Harm” since 2022 to enhance the public’s understanding of the health risks associated with alcohol consumption through various channels. Through a website, the DH disseminates information on alcohol-related harm to the public, and provides online risk assessment of drinking behaviour, personalised health advice, self-help tools, health education resources, etc, to encourage drinkers to change their drinking behaviour for the sake of their health. 

(ii) The DH recommends the Alcohol Screening and Brief Intervention (A-SBI) tool to primary healthcare service providers, including organisation of online training for the staff of the District Health Centres (DHCs) and District Health Centre Expresses (DHC Expresses) to encourage regular use of the A-SBI tool for early identification and management of at-risk drinkers, as well as arranging referral for those with probable alcohol dependence. DHCs and DHC Expresses provide primary healthcare services to citizens, including the Life Course Preventive Care Plan, which is an evidence-based and comprehensive health strategy that emphasises prevention and personalised needs. It provides guidance on the health needs of citizens across different life stages and assists citizens in developing a healthy lifestyle, including early identification and intervention of high-risk drinking behaviours through health risk assessment and providing alcohol abuse prevention advice, with a view to enhancing the overall health of the Hong Kong citizens.

(iii) The DH has also launched the Pilot Alcohol Cessation Counselling Service (Pilot Programme) through subvention to a non-governmental organisation. The Pilot Programme was launched on April 8, 2024, and will last for two years to provide free counselling service for Hong Kong residents identified to have probable alcohol dependence. The service comprises three components, namely initial assessment, evidence-based individual counselling intervention, and subsequent evaluation follow-up.

(iv) Targeting the situation of alcohol use among young people, the DH has been enforcing the Dutiable Commodities (Amendment) Regulation 2018 since 2018 to prevent youth access to alcohol. Apart from this, the DH has also launched the “Young and Alcohol Free” campaign since 2016 to step up efforts to combat underage drinking and protect young people from the harm that alcohol may bring. The activities included the development of health education resources, the launch of Announcements in the Public Interest (APIs) targeting young people, and collaboration with groups and non-governmental organisations serving youth to provide training to trainers, as well as assistance in organising relevant health education activities to further disseminate relevant messages to young people in the community. To echo the launch of the new APIs and posters, 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 to enhance coverage and reach.

     The DH will continue to reduce alcohol-related harm through various means and will closely monitor local alcohol consumption situation through periodic surveys.