Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region
Fraudulent website and online login screens purporting to be HKMA’s official website The HKMA wishes to clarify that it has no connection with the aforementioned fraudulent website or online login screens, and reiterate that it will not contact individual members of the public regarding personal financial matters, nor will it request members of the public to open accounts or perform any form of account verification.
The HKMA’s official website is: www.hkma.gov.hkIssued at HKT 17:55
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LCQ1: Soliciting business and attracting investment by exhibiting plans of major development projects
Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region
LCQ1: Soliciting business and attracting investment by exhibiting plans of major development projects
Question:
The Development Bureau had planned to build “a gallery to showcase major development projects” in Wan Chai to exhibit and present major projects, including Northern Metropolis (NM), but the Government subsequently decided to set up physical exhibitions in the community liaison centres of various new development areas and establish an online exhibition on a website instead. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1) given the view that the dispersed provision of exhibitions on the NM causes a waste of resources and fails to achieve an economy-of-scale effect, hence the difficulty in soliciting business and attracting investment for the NM, whether the Government will consider concentrating the gallery sites in the NM region; if not, of the reasons for that;
(2) whether it will consider appropriately expanding the scale of Innohub and designating a dedicated zone to display the development blueprint of the NM, so as to reduce duplication of resources allocation and attract public attention in a more focused manner; and
(3) whether it will draw on the Mainland’s successful experiences in gallery planning (such as those of Pudong in Shanghai, Nansha in Guangzhou, and Qianhai in Shenzhen) to display the development outcomes of major projects visually and dynamically by integrating non-costly technologies such as AI-driven virtual reality, holographic projection, 3D multimedia, and interactive sand table to create panoramic immersive experiences, thereby enhancing the effectiveness in soliciting business and attracting investment?
Reply:
President,
The Northern Metropolis (NM) is a key engine for Hong Kong’s future economic development. With the fundamental planning now in place and land supply progressively being made available, the development of the NM has entered a new stage. One of the major tasks is to facilitate enterprises to participate in construction and to promote industry anchoring. At the same time, it is essential to foster social consensus to drive the development of the NM.
My reply to various parts of the question raised by the Hon Erik Yim is as follows:
(1) and (2) The establishment of exhibition galleries relating to the NM would help achieve two major objectives. First, it aims to facilitate community understanding and support for the NM as Hong Kong’s strategic growth area. Second, it seeks to attract enterprises and investment by showcasing the potential of the NM, thereby encouraging enterprises to participate in construction, attracting enterprises to establish footholds and fostering industry clustering.
Following an earlier preliminary exploration, we had once proposed the construction of an exhibition gallery on a site at the Wan Chai North harbourfront to showcase major infrastructure projects, including the NM. Having listened to views from the community and the Legislative Council and taking into account the priorities of work and resource allocation, we consider that this is not the appropriate time to pursue the project. In fact, the implementation of such a project would require a relatively long lead time, which cannot meet the pressing need to attract enterprises and investment to the NM.
If the purpose is to only introduce the NM to the general public, the Government has in recent years set up a dedicated NM exhibition zone at the City Gallery in Central. For the objective of attracting enterprises and investment, our experience shows that enterprises interested in exploring participation in the development of the NM often wish to gain close-up understanding of its latest progress and conduct on-site visits. At present, the Government has established Community Liaison Centres (CLCs) in several new development areas (NDAs) in the NM, including Kwu Tung North, Fanling North, Hung Shui Kiu and the Loop. The CLCs for Fanling North and the Loop, commissioned in 2023 and 2024 respectively, have incorporated exhibition facilities showcasing the planning and works of the relevant NDAs and have become the first two “district exhibition centres” of the NM. The exhibition content of the Fanling North CLC even covers the overall planning and development of the NM. Following this direction, the Hung Shui Kiu CLC, which is scheduled to have completed relocation and expansion around the first quarter of this year, will also include exhibition facilities introducing the Hung Shui Kiu/Ha Tsuen NDA as well as the overall planning and development of the NM. Experience shows that these “district exhibition centres” can more effectively complement the on-site visits, showcasing the concrete development achievements of the respective areas to visitors, thereby better focusing on the current work of attracting enterprises and investment.
Looking ahead, we will consider expanding the exhibition content of the Innohub at the Loop to cover the development of the adjacent San Tin Technopole, Ma Tso Lung and even the entire NM. In addition, we plan to establish a larger and multi-purpose core exhibition gallery for the NM in the Kwu Tung North NDA, with the first phase targeted for commissioning in 2027. This will replace the existing CLC in Kwu Tung North, which is of a smaller scale. The new NM core exhibition gallery will be located in Kwu Tung North given its proximity to the East Rail Line Kwu Tung Station scheduled to commission in 2027, offering convenient transport access. The site is also close to the museum to showcase national development and achievements, which has already been designated by the Government to be located in Kwu Tung North, allowing for the future development of an exhibition cluster. Moreover, the Long Valley Nature Park is nearby, enabling visitors to the exhibition gallery to also tour the park and appreciate the NM’s vision and achievements of “co-existence of development and conservation”.
In addition to the abovementioned physical exhibition galleries, we will also establish an online exhibition platform on the dedicated NM website, making use of multimedia to introduce the NM to viewers within and outside Hong Kong.
(3) We agree that in order to attract visitors and enhance the effectiveness of attracting enterprises and investment, it is not only important to provide rich exhibition content, but also to place emphasis on curatorial approaches. In this regard, we will continue to draw reference from the exhibition galleries in the Mainland and other places, planning from the perspective of visitors and adopting multimedia and technology-based presentation methods. For example, the Fanling North CLC is equipped with holographic projection and three-dimensional models to present the overall picture of the NDA in a tangible manner. It also offers immersive experiences through image projection to create virtual reality, enabling participants to experience a “flyover” of the Fanling North NDA. In addition, there are simulated driving games, allowing visitors to learn about and experience the development of the relevant NDA and the NM as a whole through diverse formats.
The future core exhibition gallery of the NM in Kwu Tung North under planning will adopt more innovative technologies to create a panoramic interactive platform. Through multimedia presentations and multi-perspective displays, the exhibition gallery will highlight the NM as Hong Kong’s new engine of future development, enabling the public to gain a more direct understanding of the planning blueprint and allowing investors to acquire a more concrete appreciation of the NM’s development potential.
Issued at HKT 18:50
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LCQ15: Student hostel supply
Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region – 4
Following is a question by the Hon Jimmy Ng and a written reply by the Secretary for Development, Ms Bernadette Linn, in the Legislative Council today (February 4):
Question:
As pointed out earlier on in a research report, a shortfall of 120 000 student hostel places is projected by 2028. To increase student hostel supply, the Government launched the Hostels in the City Scheme (the Scheme) in July 2025 to facilitate the market in converting existing commercial buildings into student hostels by obviating the need for rezoning, and will also earmark new sites (zoned as commercial or otherwise) for building new hostels. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1) of the numbers of the following items since the inception of the Scheme: (i) applications received and approved; (ii) applications involving the conversion of existing buildings into student hostels; (iii) applications for the provision of student hostels in redeveloped or newly constructed buildings; and (iv) student hostel places involved;
(2) whether it will consider extending the scope of the Scheme to allow participation of landlords who intend to redevelop their industrial buildings into new student hostels; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that;
(3) whether it will consider regularising the Scheme; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that;
(4) of the relevant details of each of the new sites (zoned as commercial or otherwise) earmarked for building new hostels, such as their district of location, size, and available number of student hostel places;
(5) given that, according to a paper submitted by the Government to the Panel on Education of this Council on October 3 last year, seven hostel projects under the Hostel Development Fund are under construction, whether such projects can be completed as scheduled; if not, of the numbers of student hostel places involved and the reasons for the failure to complete such projects as scheduled (set out by hostel project);
(6) whether it will introduce further measures to increase student hostel supply; if so, of the details (including the estimated increase in student hostel places); if not, the reasons for that; and
(7) whether it will establish performance indicators on increasing student hostel supply; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?
Reply:
President:
To consolidate Hong Kong’s position as an international post-secondary education hub, the Development Bureau (DEVB) and the Education Bureau (EDB) jointly launched the Hostels in the City Scheme (the Scheme) in July 2025 to facilitate private developers/operators in converting commercial buildings into student hostels through relaxing development control in order to address the accommodation needs of post-secondary students. Subsequently, the 2025 Policy Address announced that the Scheme would expand to cover newly built and redeveloped student hostels as well.
In respect of the various parts of the question, having consulted the EDB, the reply is as follows:
(1) The Scheme is well-received. As at February 4, 2026, 25 applications involving around 5 100 hostel places have been received, most of which are located in the urban areas, including Hung Hom, Kwun Tong, Sham Shui Po, Sheung Wan and other districts. Apart from two applications which involve the construction of new student hostels on private land, the remaining applications are for converting existing buildings, most of which are wholesale conversion cases. All 25 applications have been confirmed to be eligible under the Scheme. The proponents of these 25 cases are now seeking approvals under development control procedures that the Scheme has helped relax, while the relevant departments are processing these applications at full steam.
(2) Having regard to Hong Kong’s status as an international metropolis, we hope that the student hostels under the Scheme are of a certain degree of livability. In the past twenty-some years, a considerable amount of industrial land has been rezoned for non-industrial uses such as residential, commercial, and business uses. Sites which are currently still zoned as “Industrial” (“I”) are mostly preserved for industrial activities. Due to factors such as traffic, air ventilation and noise, the livability of these “I” zones is generally lower than that of areas with commercial buildings. Therefore, under the current Scheme, be it an existing industrial building or a new redeveloped building, applications involving “I” zones are not eligible under the Scheme (Note).
However, if the existing industrial building is located in non-“I” zones, such as “Commercial” (“C”) or “Other Specified Use” annotated “Business” zones, applications involving proposed demolition and redevelopment or having undergone wholesale conversion into non-industrial use are already eligible under the Scheme according to the prevailing arrangements.
(3) We have not laid down an application deadline for the Scheme and interested applicants may submit applications to the EDB anytime.
(4) Besides facilitating the market in converting existing commercial buildings and constructing post-secondary student hostels on existing private land, the DEVB also plans to put up suitable sites for student hostel development through land sale.
As such, on January 20, 2026, the DEVB invited the market to submit expressions of interest for student hostel development on three formed sites. If the market response is positive, the DEVB would consider making available these sites to the market by land sale through tender in 2026-27 the earliest. These three sites are located in Kai Tak, Siu Lek Yuen (Shatin), and Tung Chung East respectively, and are all zoned “C” on the relevant Outline Zoning Plans. In other words, developing student hostels under the Scheme would not require further planning applications. The relevant sites are also “developable land” that have been formed and equipped with basic infrastructure. The Government’s preliminary estimate is that altogether, around 4 500 beds can be provided on the three sites, but the actual bed numbers will depend on the design of the project proponents. The key information of the sites is summarised as below:
Site in Kai Tak
The site is located at the former South Apron area of the Kai Tak Development Area, near the Kai Tak Sports Park and adjacent to the New Acute Hospital commencing operation this year. Nearby MTR stations include Kai Tak Station and Kowloon Bay Station. Its site area is around 0.74 hectares (ha) and is subject to a maximum plot ratio (PR) of 5.8, a building height restriction (BHR) of 80 metres above Principal Datum (mPD), a maximum site coverage of 65 per cent, and a maximum gross floor area (GFA) of around 43 000 square metres (sq m).
Site in Siu Lek Yuen, Shatin
The immediate area of the site is intermixed with commercial, residential, and other uses and is in proximity to the MTR City One Station and Shek Mun Station. Of around 0.11 ha, the site is subject to a maximum PR of 9.5, a BHR of 120mPD, and a maximum GFA of around 10 000 sq m.
Site in Tung Chung East
The site is adjacent to the MTR Tung Chung East Station commencing operation in 2029. Its site area is around 0.25 ha and is subject to a maximum PR of 9, a BHR of 160mPD, and a maximum GFA of around 23 000 sq m.
(5) In order to expedite the development of student hostels, the Government has provided one-off capital grants of about $10.3 billion in total under the Hostel Development Fund (HDF) for six University Grants Committee (UGC)-funded universities with hostel shortfalls to carry out 15 student hostel projects. So far, eight projects have been completed, providing a total of around 7 800 student hostel places.
As for the remaining seven hostel projects with construction works under progress, about 6 500 student hostel places are involved and the details are tabulated below. The relevant universities anticipate the projects to be completed gradually over the next few years.
| University | Hostel project | Number of additional hostel places to be provided |
| City University of Hong Kong | Student Hostel at Tat Hong Avenue, Kowloon Tong | 1 691 (999 places funded by the HDF plus 692 additional privately-funded places) |
| The Chinese University of Hong Kong | Student Hostel at Wu Yee Sun Campus | 250 |
| Student Hostel at Chung Chi Campus | 300 | |
| Student Hostel at Area 39 | 394 | |
| The Hong Kong Polytechnic University | Student Hostel at Ho Man Tin | 1 279 |
| Student Hostel at Tat Hong Avenue, Kowloon Tong | 1 680 | |
| The University of Hong Kong | Student Residence at High West Site | 938 |
(6) and (7) According to the EDB, currently, the student hostel places comprise both publicly-funded places and places provided by the private sector. Similar to other cities with clusters of top universities, Hong Kong’s development into an international post-secondary education hub will attract more students from different geographical regions to study in Hong Kong. The demand for non-local student accommodation often attracts the private sector’s participation, providing diversified options. For example, post-secondary institutions may collaborate with the private sector to provide hostel places or offer consulting services to non-local students seeking accommodation in the private residential rental market.
The EDB and the UGC encourage post-secondary institutions to adopt a multi-pronged approach to broaden students’ accommodation options by making reference to the development of other major education hubs around the world and leveraging efficient market forces. The universities should support the accommodation needs of different student groups in a pragmatic, balanced, and appropriate manner. The EDB will also continue to collaborate with the DEVB, promoting the policy objective of consolidating Hong Kong’s status as an international post-secondary education hub at full steam, and facilitating the private market to increase post-secondary student hostel supply through streamlining development control. As the planning and development of student hostel projects take time, coupled with the private sector participation element, the Government has not set a key performance indicator for this.
Note: It is worth mentioning that since student hostels eligible under the Scheme must fulfil the natural lighting and ventilation requirements applicable to domestic buildings, including that the distance between any parts of a hostel room and the window should not be over 9 metres, and the floor plate of existing industrial buildings are often relatively large, a substantial amount of floor area cannot be converted into hostel rooms, which is sub-optimal in terms of space utilisation. Therefore, the commercial viability of converting existing industrial buildings into student hostels is also limited.
LCQ4: Standard Chartered Hong Kong Marathon
Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region
Following is a question by the Hon Yang Wing-kit and a reply by the Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism, Miss Rosanna Law, in the Legislative Council today (February 4):
Question:
(1) whether it will discuss with the Hong Kong, China Association of Athletics Affiliates (HKAAA) to increase the number of race days and categories of the Marathon so as to expand its scale; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that;
(2) whether it will discuss with the HKAAA the incorporation of various harbourfront venues into the Marathon’s race route to create a “harbourfront marathon”; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; and
(3) whether it will collaborate with the HKAAA to jointly strive for the Marathon to be recognised as one of the World Marathon Majors, so as to attract more overseas runners to participate in the race in Hong Kong?
FEHD releases sixth batch of gravidtrap indexes for Aedes albopictus in January
Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region
FEHD releases sixth batch of gravidtrap indexes for Aedes albopictus in January
| District Among the sixth batch of Area Gravidtrap Indexes covering 17 survey areas in January, all were below 10 per cent.
The FEHD has so far released six batches of gravidtrap indexes for Aedes albopictus in January 2026, covering 62 survey areas; most of the areas recorded 0 per cent, indicating that the distribution of Aedes albopictus mosquitoes was not extensive. Starting in August 2025, following the completion of the surveillance of individual survey areas, and once the latest gravidtrap index and the density index are available, the FEHD has been disseminating relevant information through press releases, its website and social media. It aims to allow members of the public to quickly grasp the mosquito infestation situation and strengthen mosquito control efforts, thereby reducing the risk of chikungunya fever (CF) transmission. Following recommendations from the World Health Organization and taking into account the local situation in Hong Kong, the FEHD sets up gravidtraps in districts where mosquito-borne diseases have been recorded in the past, as well as in densely populated places such as housing estates, hospitals and schools to monitor the breeding and distribution of Aedes albopictus mosquitoes, which can transmit CF and dengue fever (DF). After reviewing the present DF and CF vector surveillance programme, the FEHD has expanded the coverage for monitoring Aedes albopictus mosquitoes starting from 2026. The number of survey areas set up in the community has been revised to 62, with some survey areas renamed. Additional gravidtraps will also be set up at different locations across the territory to strengthen the monitoring of the breeding of mosquitoes. Under the present surveillance mechanism, the FEHD has set up gravidtraps in survey areas of the community, with a surveillance period of two weeks. During the surveillance period, the FEHD will collect the gravidtraps once a week. After the first week of surveillance, the FEHD will immediately examine the glue boards inside the retrieved gravidtraps for the presence of adult Aedine mosquitoes to compile the Gravidtrap Index (First Phase) and Density Index (First Phase). At the end of the second week of surveillance, the FEHD will instantly check the glue boards for the presence of adult Aedine mosquitoes. Data from the two weeks of surveillance will be combined to obtain the Area Gravidtrap Index and the Area Density Index. The gravidtrap and density indexes for Aedes albopictus in different survey areas, as well as information on mosquito prevention and control measures, are available on the department’s webpage (www.fehd.gov.hk/english/pestcontrol/dengue_fever/Dengue_Fever_Gravidtrap_Index_Update.html#Issued at HKT 17:00 NNNN LCQ22: Supporting local development of strategic enterprises that have been attracted to Hong KongSource: Hong Kong Government special administrative region LCQ22: Supporting local development of strategic enterprises that have been attracted to Hong Kong NNNN LCQ6: Tobacco control measuresSource: Hong Kong Government special administrative region Following is a question by the Hon Adrian Ho and a reply by the Secretary for Health, Professor Lo Chung-mau, in the Legislative Council today (February 4): Question: More support for Wang Fuk CourtSource: Hong Kong Information Services The Government today announced two special measures under the Support Fund for Wang Fuk Court in Tai Po to assist residents affected by last November’s fire at the Tai Po estate. The first measure provides a token of solidarity of $100,000 to the families of the 168 individuals, including residents, foreign domestic helpers, workers and visitors, who lost their lives in the fire. This is intended to support them through this period of recovery and help them rebuild their lives. The second measure offers a one-off $5,000 Chinese New Year goodwill payment to each flat owner or their families across all eight blocks of Wang Fuk Court as a seasonal blessing. The payments will be disbursed through the “one social worker per household” mechanism from today. The two measures are estimated to cost $26.6 million and will be fully funded by a donation from the Beijing Han Hong Love Charity Foundation. Following an earlier donation proposal by the foundation, the special measures were finalised after consultation with the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government and endorsed by the Steering Committee on the Support Fund for Wang Fuk Court in Tai Po. LNY fairs start Feb 11Source: Hong Kong Information Services The Food & Environmental Hygiene Department announced today that the 2026 Lunar New Year fairs will be held at 14 locations from February 11 to 7am on February 17. About 1,500 wet goods, dry goods and fast food stalls will be set up. The department said that the fair venues will be monitored using innovative and technological measures, and crowd control will be implemented as necessary. Footfall of the 14 fairs will be displayed on the department’s website – a green light indicates that few people are at the fair site, an amber light signals that a venue is slightly crowded, while a red light shows the venue is very crowded. The department will gather unsold pots of flowers and plants donated by vendors, and deliver them to elderly homes, care homes for persons with disabilities and public hospitals on February 17. Members of the public are urged to keep the environment clean and not litter while enjoying the festive season, while stall operators should properly dispose of waste and keep their stalls and the surroundings clean and tidy. Guidance on work platforms revisedSource: Hong Kong Information Services The Labour Department today launched the revised “Guidance Notes on Safe Use of Mobile Elevating Work Platforms”, urging duty holders to strengthen workplace safety measures and prevent accidents. To address recent accidents involving mobile elevating work platforms, the department has updated and renamed its “Guidance Notes on Safe Use of Power-operated Elevating Work Platforms” to include common accident causes and preventative measures. Key revisions include specifying operator training requirements, adding safety measures such as secondary guarding devices, conducting regular tests on load-bearing components, and developing emergency rescue plans. The department has provided a grace period until December 31, 2026 for new operator training and secondary guarding device requirements. To raise awareness of the updated guidance notes, the department is disseminating information through its website, the “OSH 2.0” mobile app, and the mass media. Along with the launch of a new “Work Safety Alert” animated episode, Trapped between a Mobile Elevating Work Platform & a Sprinkler Pipe, the content is now included in the Mandatory Basic Safety Training Course (Construction Work) and the department’s free training courses on occupational safety and health legislation. |