MIL Asia Pacific Publishing Engine

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region – 4

     ​The 8th Singapore-Hong Kong Permanent Secretaries Exchange Programme, attended by the Permanent Secretary for the Civil Service, Ms Shirley Lam, together with six Permanent Secretaries of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Government, successfully concluded today (July 8). The Permanent Secretaries who also attended included the Permanent Secretary for Home and Youth Affairs, Mr Patrick Li; the Permanent Secretary for Development (Planning and Lands), Ms Doris Ho; the Permanent Secretary for Innovation, Technology and Industry, Mr Kevin Choi; the Permanent Secretary for Education, Ms May Chan; the Permanent Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development, Ms Angela Lee; and the Permanent Secretary for Transport and Logistics, Mr Vic Yau.

      This morning, the delegation met with the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Trade and Industry of Singapore, Mr Gan Kim Yong, and the Coordinating Minister for Public Services of Singapore, Mr Chan Chun Sing, respectively. They exchanged views on issues of mutual interest, such as on development projects of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area and the Northern Metropolis, which present further cooperation opportunities between Hong Kong and Singapore.

​Upon arrival in Singapore the day before yesterday (July 6), Ms Lam had a meeting with the Head of Civil Service of Singapore, Mr Chan Heng Kee, to exchange views on civil service management. The Permanent Secretaries of the delegation also had separate meetings with several Permanent Secretaries of Singapore to discuss respective policy areas such as youth development, land planning, innovation and technology, education, trade and transport.

Yesterday (July 7), the delegation had a roundtable discussion with a number of Permanent Secretaries of Singapore to share their latest policies and experience on three key topics, namely AI, citizen engagement and urban planning. Ms Lam said that Hong Kong and Singapore share many similarities, and that the roundtable discussion provided an important platform for civil service leaders of both sides to engage in in-depth and candid exchanges on the common challenges and opportunities, draw reference from each other and explore new areas for collaboration.

While in Singapore, the delegation also visited Punggol for on-site inspections of the Punggol Digital District and One Punggol. They toured the Dawson Estate, a public housing project, and the Gardens by the Bay.

Summing up the three-day Exchange Programme, Ms Lam expressed her gratitude to the Singapore Government for its meticulous arrangement, which enabled the civil services from both sides to engage in in-depth and frank discussions across various policy areas and to gain inspiration from one another. Following the 7th Exchange Programme hosted by the HKSAR Government in 2023, this delegation visit to Singapore underscores the solid collaborative relationship between the civil services of both places and marks a key milestone in their shared pursuit of excellence in public service. She noted that amid today’s ever-changing geopolitical environment, it is particularly important for the two governments to continue deepening their co-operation. She said she looks forward to sustaining this positive spirit of collaboration with Singapore through the Exchange Programme and across various policy domains and occasions, thereby propelling both places to new heights of development.

The delegation of Permanent Secretaries of the HKSAR Government departed for Singapore on July 6, and completed the itinerary before departing for Hong Kong this afternoon.

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region – 4

     A spokesperson of Environmental Protection Department (EPD) made the following announcement today (July 8) regarding an incident of suspected leakage of leachate from landfill.

     At around 2.30pm today, the EPD found that there was suspected leakage of leachate at one of the stormwater outfalls at the West New Territories (WENT) Landfill. The stormwater outfall connects to Tai Shui Hang next to the landfill. Based on current assessments, most of the leachate has been intercepted by a silt curtain regularly installed at the stormwater outfall, so the amount of leachate leaked to Tai Shui Hang has been limited.

     The EPD has collected water samples at the location concerned for testing. Preliminary investigation revealed that the dissolved oxygen and the pH levels in the water samples are normal, with no signs that there is a significant impact on the water quality and ecology in Tai Shui Hang and the Deep Bay. The EPD will conduct more testing and follow up on the matter.

     The contractor of the EPD’s WENT Landfill has taken a series of follow-up measures, including:

• Arranging tankers to remove leachate from the stormwater outfall and Tai Shui Hang;
• Arranging a diversion upstream of the stormwater outfall to intercept the water source from entering the outfall; and
• Arranging additional measures, including placing sandbags and adding extra silt curtains, to further intercept the suspected leakage of leachate.

     The EPD will continue to closely monitor the situation and strive to remove the leachate to prevent continuous leakage to Tai Shui Hang. The EPD will also work with the landfill contractor to investigate the cause of the incident so as to take further measures to tackle the problem at source.

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

     The Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD) today (July 8) announced that the monthly gravidtrap index for Aedes albopictus mosquitoes in June dropped to 9.8 per cent, at Level 2, indicating that the distribution of Aedes albopictus mosquitoes in the survey areas was fairly extensive. The FEHD and relevant government departments have stepped up mosquito prevention and control actions.

     In June, among the 62 survey areas, the area gravidtrap indexes (AGI) in two areas exceeded 20 per cent. The gravidtraps were mostly located in the vicinity of private residential areas, public housing estates, schools, hospitals/clinics, recreational and sports facilities and public places. The FEHD has collaborated with relevant government departments to take immediate actions to strengthen mosquito prevention and control work in the areas concerned. In June this year, the FEHD conducted over 69 000 inspections, initiated 30 prosecutions following the discovery of mosquito breeding, and issued 135 statutory notices requiring the clearance of stagnant water or stagnant water containers.

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region – 4

Police reclassified a fighting in a public place case happened in Aberdeen on July 7 as murder.

At 10.31pm on July 7, Police received a report that two women were fighting at a public light bus stop near Wah Chui House, Wah Fu (II) Estate.

Police officers sped to the scene and found a 53-year-old woman lying on the ground. Sustaining head injuries, she was rushed to Queen Mary Hospital in unconscious state and was certified dead at 11.22pm on the same day.

Initial investigation revealed that the deceased had a dispute with a 50-year-old woman and that they pushed each other, during which the deceased was suspected to have been pushed to the ground. After investigation, Police arrested the 50-year-old woman for murder in Aberdeen on the same day. She is being detained for further enquiries.

Post-mortem examination will be conducted later to ascertain the cause of death of the deceased.

Active investigation by the District Crime Squad of Western District is underway. Anyone who witnessed the incident or has any information to offer is urged to contact the investigating officers on 3660 6659.
 

Source: Hong Kong Information Services

The Environmental Protection Department announced today an incident of suspected leachate leakage at the West New Territories (WENT) Landfill.

Department staff discovered the suspected leakage at around 2.30pm today at one of the landfill’s stormwater outfalls, which connects to the adjacent Tai Shui Hang.

According to current assessments, most of the leachate has been intercepted by a silt curtain regularly installed at the outfall, significantly limiting the amount of fluid entering Tai Shui Hang.

Water samples have been collected at the site for testing. Preliminary investigations revealed that the dissolved oxygen and the pH levels in the samples are normal, indicating no significant impact on the water quality or ecology in Tai Shui Hang and Deep Bay.

While the department conducts further testing and follow-up work, the WENT Landfill contractor has implemented a series of containment measures.

These actions include deploying tankers to clear leachate from the stormwater outfall and Tai Shui Hang, diverting the upstream flow to prevent water from entering the affected outfall and installing sandbags and extra silt curtains to enhance interception.

The department will continue to closely monitor the situation and clear the remaining leachate to prevent further discharge into Tai Shui Hang. It is also working with the contractor to investigate the cause of the incident and implement long-term preventative measures.

Source: Hong Kong Information Services

The inaugural LEAP East 2026 technology conference officially opened today at the Convention & Exhibition Centre. Welcoming the event to Hong Kong, Financial Secretary Paul Chan noted that it marks the first LEAP conference held outside Saudi Arabia.

Addressing the opening ceremony, Mr Chan said the event underscores the deepening partnership between Hong Kong and Saudi Arabia, while highlighting the city’s unique role as a gateway connecting the Mainland with the world. 

Mr Chan outlined Hong Kong’s strengths as an ideal innovation base, citing its common law system, robust intellectual property protection, free flow of capital, goods, talent and data, low and simple tax regime and stable business environment.

He invited Saudi and Gulf enterprises to utilise Hong Kong as an international fundraising and risk-management platform. He also reaffirmed the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government’s commitment to strengthening bilateral co-operation in innovation, infrastructure, green technology, healthcare, advanced manufacturing and professional services. 

“There is enormous potential for us – Hong Kong and Saudi Arabia – to do more together. Both of us are gateways to our respective regions, and our capital markets are already linked – through mutual listings of exchange-traded funds. 

“We warmly welcome Saudi and Gulf enterprises to leverage Hong Kong’s capital markets through listings, bond issuance, asset management and other partnerships.

“Hong Kong is precisely the gateway and platform where proven frontier technology and advanced manufacturing businesses from this region can settle in Saudi Arabia and expand across Europe and Africa,” he added.

Mr Chan announced plans to lead another delegation to Saudi Arabia again later this year. The group will comprise leading infrastructure, green tech, healthcare and advanced manufacturing companies, alongside finance, investment and professional services experts, to explore concrete projects and further partnerships.

Also attending the opening ceremony, Secretary for Innovation, Technology & Industry Prof Sun Dong positioned Hong Kong as an ideal gateway for both Mainland enterprises going global and Middle Eastern firms accessing Chinese and other Asian markets. He reaffirmed Hong Kong’s readiness to partner globally for a sustainable, innovative future.

The three-day event runs from today until Friday, bringing together 35,000 participants, including 340 speakers and 450 exhibitors from 30 countries and regions.

Following the opening ceremony, Mr Chan and Prof Sun toured the exhibition and visited the Hong Kong Pavilion. Prof Sun also met with Minister of Communications & Information Technology of Saudi Arabia Abdullah Alswaha to exchange views on innovation and technology collaborations between Hong Kong and Saudi Arabia.

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

​Following is a question by the Hon Albert Chuang and a reply by the Secretary for Housing, Ms Winnie Ho, in the Legislative Council today (July 8):

Question:

An organisation has published a survey report indicating that nearly 50 per cent of the young respondents do not aspire to home ownership due to “excessively high property prices beyond their means”, and that for those young people who aspire to home ownership, the downpayment expenditure constitutes the core difficulty they face. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:

(1) as the survey report indicates that, among the various financial support measures, respondents expressed stronger support for “the provision of an interest-free downpayment loan scheme for young first-time home buyers”, whether the Government will study the launch of a pilot scheme on interest-free loans for first-time home purchase targeting young people, so as to assist them in acquiring their first home; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that;

(2) given that, at present, the minimum downpayment required of Green Form purchasers of subsidised sale flats (SSFs) launched by the Hong Kong Housing Authority in the primary market is 5 per cent of the flat price, while that required of White Form purchasers is 10 per cent, and that some views have pointed out that lowering the minimum downpayment for White Form applicants to 5 per cent to bring it on a par with that for Green Form purchasers could alleviate the cost burden on young first-time home buyers, whether the Government will consider such a proposal; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; and

(3) as the Government indicated in its reply to a question raised by a Member of this Council on July 30 last year that it would explore other measures to further assist young people in purchasing SSFs, of the progress made in this regard?

Reply:

President,

The current-term Government has been committed to enriching the housing ladder, providing a solid foundation for citizens (especially young people) to live and work in contentment. We also introduce facilitation measures in various areas, including housing supply and financial arrangements. In response to the question from the Hon Chuang, my reply is as follows:

On housing supply, under the Government’s unremitting efforts, the situation of back-loaded public housing supply, including public rental housing and subsidised sale flats (SSFs), has now been reversed. Coupled with Light Public Housing, the total public housing supply over the next five years is projected to be about 196 000 units, representing an increase of over 80 per cent compared to the five-year period at the start of the current-term Government. In terms of SSFs, as at end March 2026, the Hong Kong Housing Authority (HA) and the Hong Kong Housing Society (HKHS) would provide about 60 000 SSFs in the coming five years. Compared to the five-year period at the start of the current-term Government, the supply of Home Ownership Scheme (HOS) flats is projected to increase by about 55 per cent over the original estimates.

Many young people are working hard and saving diligently to achieve upward mobility step by step. Such efforts are a highly valuable driving force in the society and should be recognised. SSFs are an affordable option for them, and around 50 per cent of the buyers of HOS flats are young people aged below 40. It is anticipated that more than 30 000 young families would benefit from the increase in the supply of SSFs. HOS flats are priced based on the affordability, and are sold at a minimum discount of 30 per cent off the assessed market values. The five new HOS developments under the Sale of HOS Flats 2025 exercise offer nearly 7 000 flats for sale, with the selling prices ranging from about $1.5 million to about $4.8 million. Assuming the selling price of a flat is $2.8 million (with a saleable area of around 390 square feet), a White Form buyer can purchase a flat by making a down payment equivalent to 10 per cent of the property price with a monthly mortgage payment of around $11,300, which should be affordable for the youths. The HA also provides mortgage guarantee to the buyers to facilitate them in obtaining mortgage loans.

Furthermore, starting from the Sale of HOS Flats 2024 exercise, the HA has implemented the Families with Newborns Flat Selection Priority Scheme, under which most of the beneficiaries are believed to be young families. To date, over 800 families with newborns have successfully purchased first-hand SSFs.

As for secondary market, around 80 per cent of buyers under the White Form Secondary Market Scheme (WSM) were young people. To further assist them in home ownership, the HA has, since the WSM 2024 exercise, designated 1 500 quotas for the youth. Meanwhile, to meet the young people’s aspirations of home ownership, the HA has reallocated unused family quotas to one-person applicants since the same WSM exercise, with a view to increasing their opportunities for home ownership.

Apart from HOS, the Government also, through Starter Homes for Hong Kong Residents (SH) projects, helps persons whose income and assets are above the application threshold of HOS and yet cannot afford private housing achieve their home ownership aspirations. The first two SH projects offered for sale by the Urban Renewal Authority had a total of over 600 units sold, in which around 85 per cent of the purchasers were young people aged 40 or below.

In addition to the increase in housing supply and enhancements of the sales arrangements, the Government also optimises the financial arrangements to help citizens (including young people) achieve home ownership on all fronts. For example, the Government adjusted the value bands of ad valorem stamp duty in February 2025, raising the maximum value of properties chargeable to $100 stamp duty from $3 million to $4 million, so as to reduce the burden of homebuyers (first-time young homebuyers generally prefer to buy flats falling into this price range). The Hong Kong Monetary Authority also adjusted the measures for property mortgage loans in October 2024, with the maximum loan-to-value (LTV) ratio standardised at 70 per cent regardless of the value of the property, and the debt servicing ratio limit standardised at 50 per cent. Individuals may also obtain higher LTV ratio mortgage loans through the Mortgage Insurance Programme. For first-time homebuyers with regular income purchasing properties priced at $10 million or below, the LTV ratio can be up to 90 per cent.

The above package of measures has significantly reduced the down payment and related costs for young homebuyers. The current pricing of HOS flats is determined based on the affordability of low and middle-income non-owner occupier households. If the down payment requirement for White Form applicants were to be further lowered, or if an interest-free down payment loan scheme were introduced for first-time young homebuyers, we must be mindful of the risks they may face. In particular, there is a concern that individuals without sufficient affordability (especially young people) might enter the market prematurely, thereby increasing their repayment burden in the future. We believe that such situations should be carefully monitored and handled with prudence.

Looking ahead, starting from the Sale of HOS Flats 2025 exercise, the HA will allocate an additional ballot number to young families and one-person applicants under the age of 40 with White Form status to increase their chance in the ballot. Meanwhile, the quota under WSM 2025 will increase to 7 000, of which a quota of 2 000 will be designated for youths, representing a further increase of 33 per cent when compared to that of WSM 2024. The HKHS is also planning on similar arrangements.

We believe that, as long as young people are fully aware of the abundant opportunities ahead, such as the great potential to be brought by the Northern Metropolis, they will plan ahead and move upward along the housing ladder, aiming higher and going further. We will continue to enhance our housing policies, constantly review the needs of society (particularly the young people), and refine relevant arrangements to help young people strive for advancement.

Thank you, President.

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

Following is a question by the Hon Tang Fei and a written reply by the Secretary for Education, Dr Choi Yuk-lin, in the Legislative Council today (July 8):

Question:

There are views that the Education Bureau has in recent years been committed to promoting the electronic delivery of education services, with a view to providing greater convenience to parents and enhancing administrative efficiency, and that this policy direction is commendable. However, the results of the Central Allocation for Primary One Admission, originally scheduled to be announced by the Bureau on June 3 this year, were erroneously sent out ahead of schedule on June 2 due to an operational deviation in the system’s sending procedure. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:

(1) whether it has compiled statistics on the total number of students whose allocation information was involved in the above incident of erroneous SMS release, with a breakdown by school net or district on the number of affected cases;

(2) given that the authorities have indicated that the crisis management team set up to follow up on the aforesaid incident will conduct a comprehensive review of the systems, procedures and manpower co-ordination, of the current progress and findings of the review, including whether the specific causes of the erroneous SMS release have been analysed; and

(3) how the authorities will draw on the experience gained from this contingency response to enhance departmental capability in responding to similar incidents, and how the authorities will improve the communication mechanism when implementing various electronic notification services in the future, so as to ensure that frontline staff operate the relevant systems or services correctly?

Reply:

President,

The Government has launched various e-services for the convenience of members of the public to promote wider application of digital technology in daily life. To facilitate access to information on Primary One school places allocation, the Education Bureau (EDB) informs parents of the results of the Central Allocation (CA) for Primary One Admission (POA) through a variety of channels, including short message service (SMS). The SMS messages regarding the CA results for POA, which were originally scheduled to be released on June 3 this year, were erroneously sent out early on June 2. The EDB is highly concerned about the incident and has immediately set up an investigation team to conduct a thorough investigation with a view to clarifying the details of the incident, including whether negligence was involved. The investigation team also comprehensively reviewed the system operation, procedural arrangements and manpower deployment of the related work, so as to further enhance the information dissemination mechanism and supervision processes, to prevent similar incidents from recurring. The Government has completed the investigation of the incident and announced the investigation results as well as related follow-up actions and enhancement measures on June 26, 2026. The consolidated reply to the question raised by the Hon Tang Fei is as follows:

The investigation revealed that the incident primarily involved an EDB officer, who on June 2, 2026, made an operational error while setting up the SMS sending procedure through the system platform. This resulted in SMS messages containing incorrect year and registration date, which were sent to about 16 000 parents one day earlier than the announcement date originally scheduled. As the above message delivery procedure is for notifying parents who have registered to receive SMS messages of their children’s CA results for POA, statistics on the number of affected cases by school net or district are not available in the system. The investigation also found that another EDB officer had not established sufficient review and approval measures in the workflow.

Immediately after the incident, the EDB activated the contingency response mechanism, including sending corrective SMS messages, issuing a press release and providing the public with clarification, as well as setting up dedicated telephone hotlines for answering parents’ enquiries. The EDB also met with the school sector and parent representatives on the same day to understand their concerns about the incident. In addition, an immediate and comprehensive review of the allocation information of all students taking part in the CA for POA was conducted and it was confirmed that the incident had not affected the allocation results. Besides, upon a thorough check by the technical team, it was confirmed that the relevant information systems had not been subject to any cyberattack or hacker intrusion. The core database remained intact while the personal data of parents and students were highly encrypted and protected. The official CA results for POA were released on June 3, 2026, as originally scheduled.

The EDB has taken relevant follow-up actions against the deficiencies and inadequacies of the staff members concerned according to the investigation results. Meanwhile, the investigation team was of the view that in addition to negligence, the incident also showed areas for improvement in the current workflow and internal supervision mechanisms. After a comprehensive review of related workflows, system design and staff arrangements, etc, the investigation team recommended a series of enhancement measures to prevent similar incidents from recurring:

(i) Compiling clear internal working guidelines outlining the workflow, division of duties and responsibilities, and approval arrangements for sending SMS messages with regular reviews and updates;

​(ii) Establishing a multi-tier review and approval procedure in the message dissemination mechanism. The delivery task can only be activated after confirmation by staff from multiple tiers, and changes after task confirmation will be restricted; and

(iii) Conducting practical drills before large-scale SMS dissemination, and continuing to hold regular briefings and training sessions on system operation, with a view to enhancing staff members’ understanding of the workflow and the dissemination system, as well as improving their responsiveness and risk awareness.

The School Places Allocation Section of the EDB has immediately implemented the above enhancement measures. Other sections will also enhance processes involving dissemination of information to the public and staff training with reference to the above principles to ensure the accuracy and reliability of the relevant information.

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

Following is a question by the Hon Duncan Chiu and a written reply by the Secretary for Labour and Welfare, Mr Chris Sun, in the Legislative Council today (July 8):

Question:

There are recently recurring public queries in the community that Hong Kong people who have been absent from Hong Kong for a long period of time or who have even emigrated overseas for many years, despite having no actual economic or social ties with Hong Kong and not continuously fulfilling their tax obligations during their absence, can still, by virtue of their Hong Kong permanent resident status, enjoy government-subsidised public services and benefits (including public housing and healthcare services) immediately upon returning to Hong Kong, leading to abuse and unfair distribution of Hong Kong’s public resources. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:

(1) whether it has reviewed the situation in recent years regarding the long-term absence from Hong Kong (e.g. not residing in Hong Kong continuously for three years or more) of Hong Kong people with Hong Kong permanent resident status and their return to Hong Kong, including whether it has ascertained the numbers of Hong Kong permanent residents who have been absent for a long period of time and have since returned, as well as the relevant data on their enjoyment of public healthcare services and public housing after their return; if such data are currently not available, whether the authorities will consider conducting systematic surveys to assess the actual situation regarding the use of public resources by such individuals and its impact on public expenditure;

(2) as the authorities indicated in their reply to a question raised by a Member of this Council on January 8, 2025, regarding persons emigrated overseas returning to Hong Kong for welfare benefits and services that the Government would continue to keep in view social changes and review the provision of the existing social welfare measures and public services from time to time, of the latest situation of the authorities’ current review, and whether it will follow up on and address the relevant issues as soon as possible;

(3) whether it has reviewed if a balance between the rights and obligations of permanent residents can be struck under the existing welfare system, and whether it will further strengthen cross-departmental data sharing while considering tightening relevant regulations as appropriate to eradicate the misallocation of resources caused by “presence of benefits in the absence of the person”;

(4) whether it has drawn reference from and studied the eligibility criteria or relevant mechanisms established by foreign countries (such as Canada and Singapore) for the enjoyment of social welfare and public services by permanent residents returning after long-term residence abroad, with a view to preventing the abuse of public resources; if so, of the details; and

(5) under the Basic Law and on the premise of ensuring no abuse of limited public resources, whether the authorities will comprehensively review the existing policies and measures on Hong Kong permanent residents’ enjoyment of public services and benefits, and extensively consult the public during the review process; if so, of the specific details and timetable; if not, the reasons for that?

Reply:

President,

Public welfare and services provided by different bureaux and departments are multifarious and diversified. To ensure the proper use of public resources, relevant bureaux and departments formulate appropriate modes of operation and eligibility criteria as necessary, having regard to the nature and policy objectives of different public welfare and services, so as to meet the diverse needs of the public. In consultation with relevant policy bureaux and departments, I reply as follows:

Regarding public healthcare services, as the major public healthcare service provider, the Hospital Authority (HA) is committed to ensuring that no eligible citizen is denied appropriate healthcare services due to financial difficulty. Currently, any holder of a valid Hong Kong Identity Card and any child under 11 years of age who is a Hong Kong resident is regarded as an Eligible Person for subsidised public healthcare services. There is no requirement for service users to reside in Hong Kong for a specified number of days. Therefore, the HA does not require patients to provide information regarding the number of days they resided in or left Hong Kong when they seek medical consultation. The HA is also unable to compile statistics relating to the use of public healthcare services by Hong Kong residents who have been absent from Hong Kong for a long period of time or who return from places outside Hong Kong. The HA currently has no intention to conduct surveys on the use of public healthcare services by emigrants returning to Hong Kong.

Regarding public housing, persons applying for Public Rental Housing (PRH) and all family members must be residing in Hong Kong. Furthermore, all family members must still be living in Hong Kong at the time of flat allocation. Therefore, persons residing outside Hong Kong do not meet the general eligibility criteria for PRH application. In addition, starting from the declaration cycle in October 2023, to ensure PRH resources are duly allocated to those with more pressing housing needs, PRH tenants and all family members are required to declare every two years their occupancy status being continuously resided in their allocated flats, as well as compliance with the requirements in the tenancy agreement since moving in PRH. Through daily management work and regular home visits, estate management staff of the Housing Department (HD) will keep in view the occupancy status of tenants. Where an investigation confirms that a flat is vacant or a tenant has not resided in the flat on a continuous basis for more than three months, the HD will take appropriate tenancy enforcement actions, including tenancy termination.

Regarding social welfare, the Government puts in place requirements on age, means tests and permissible limits of absence from Hong Kong, etc, for different subsidised public services based on the policy objectives and needs of recipient groups. For cash assistance, to ensure the prudent use of limited public resources and the long-term sustainability of public finances, the Comprehensive Social Security Assistance Scheme and the Social Security Allowance Scheme (including the Old Age Allowance, the Old Age Living Allowance and the Disability Allowance) impose residence requirements, including permissible limits on the number of days of absence from Hong Kong before application and during receipt of payment. The specific requirements vary depending on the target beneficiaries and policy objectives of different schemes. These requirements aim to ensure that relevant Hong Kong resident recipients maintain close ties with Hong Kong, and prevent people who have resided outside Hong Kong for an extended period of time from claiming the allowances immediately upon their return to Hong Kong, or continuing to receive the allowances despite prolonged absence from Hong Kong. Reasonable flexibility is allowed when setting a limit on the number of days of absence from Hong Kong, enabling Hong Kong resident recipients to leave Hong Kong for short periods and facilitating beneficiaries to retire in Guangdong and Fujian Provinces.

As for subsidised welfare services, apart from elderly persons participating in the Residential Care Services Scheme in Guangdong, service users who are absent from Hong Kong and do not use the services for a prolonged period of time will be required to quit the services.

At present, there is no commonly adopted definition in respect of Hong Kong permanent residents being “absent from Hong Kong for a long period of time” or “returning to reside in Hong Kong”. The Government does not maintain the statistics mentioned in the question.

In fact, public welfare and services vary in nature. Adjusting or even restricting access to public welfare and services by Hong Kong permanent residents who have been absent from Hong Kong for a long period of time or who are returning to reside in Hong Kong requires careful handling and cannot be generalised.