Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region
LCQ14: Joint-user government complex project in Kwu Tung North
Question:
Earlier on, the Panel on Development of this Council discussed the Administration’s proposed public works project to construct a joint-user complex (JUC) and a joint-user general office building (JUB) at Area 29 of the Kwu Tung North New Development Area (KTN NDA). In addition to providing government offices, the project, which is the first Government’s flagship project in the Northern Metropolis (NM), will also offer various community facilities. There are views that the two proposed buildings will not only provide facilities and services to nearby residents but also serve as landmarks of KTN NDA. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1) of the strategic significance of the aforesaid project to the enhancement of the speed and quality of NM development, and how its implementation in KTN NDA will improve the planning of KTN NDA; how the Government will step up public promotion of the public facilities and services provided by the aforesaid project;
(2) as indicated in the paper submitted by the Government to the Panel on Development, the scale of the proposed JUC and JUB is comparable to that of the Central Government Offices (CGO) and the Legislative Council Complex (Complex) after expansion, whether the construction costs of these two buildings are also comparable to those of CGO and the Complex;
(3) whether the Government has plans to provide similar joint-user office and service complexes in other areas of NM to accommodate the relocation of major government departments and provide various community cultural, recreational and sports facilities; if so, of the details; and
(4) given that JUC and JUB will each house facilities such as a library and a community hall, it is anticipated that they will serve a large number of people daily, but the authorities have allocated only around 650 square metres for small and medium-sized shops under the entire project, and such a limited area may not be sufficient to meet residents’ daily consumption needs and demand for support facilities, whether the authorities have reserved space or incorporated design flexibility to allow for an expansion of shop area in the future; whether the authorities have planned any other commercial sites near Area 29 of KTN NDA to supplement the community’s commercial support facilities?
Reply:
President,
The Government plans to construct a joint-user complex (JUC) and a joint-user general office building (JUB) (the Project) at Area 29 of the Kwu Tung North (KTN) New Development Area (NDA) in the Northern Metropolis (NM). The Project demonstrates the Government’s commitment to drive the development of the NM, with an iconic government facility cluster showcasing the NM as a future core area of Hong Kong.
In respect of the Hon Yiu Ming’s question, the reply to various parts is as follows:
(1) The KTN NDA is the first NDA in the NM entering the construction stage, and the Project marks an important milestone and pioneer in the NM development. First, it is the first government facility cluster in the NM. Some government offices currently situated in other districts, covering nine bureaux/departments including the headquarters of the Architectural Services Department and the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department, will be relocated to the JUB within the Project, thereby driving the development of KTN and highlighting the NM’s strategic significance. In addition, the Project is of a substantial scale, with a total net operational floor area (NOFA) of about 86 000 square metres, comparable to the Tamar Central Government Offices (CGO) and Legislative Council (LegCo) Complex after expansion. Apart from its iconic architectural design, the Project will also integrate green building and smart elements, and adopt advanced construction methods, setting to become a landmark building in the KTN. The Project also embodies the principles of enhancing speed and efficiency. Subject to LegCo’s funding approval, works will commence in the third quarter of this year. The 35-storey JUB is anticipated to be completed first in only about three and a half years (i.e. by end-2029), while the JUC is scheduled for completion by end-2030 to meet the needs of the additional population of 130 000 upon the full completion of KTN in 2032.
For the KTN NDA, the Project provides not only government offices, but also various sports, cultural and recreational, medical, educational and welfare facilities, including a multi-purpose sports centre capable for hosting local and international fencing competitions (such as Fencing World Cup sub-station tournaments), as well as serving as a training venue for non-elite fencing athletes. Relevant departments will promote the public facilities and services available within the Project to their stakeholders. In addition, the Project, together with the NM core exhibition gallery under construction, the international swimming complex under planning, and the Long Valley Nature Park already open to the public, will transform the KTN NDA into a new civic node, comprehensively enhancing the positioning and development potential of the NDA.
(2) As mentioned above, the Project has a total NOFA of about 86 000 sq m, comparable in scale to the Tamar CGO and LegCo Complex after expansion. To meet the construction programme, the Government has completed parallel tendering for the “design and build” contract. The Public Works Subcommittee (PWSC) will consider the funding application for the Project on June 29, 2026 (see paper at www.legco.gov.hk/yr2026/english/fc/pwsc/papers/P26-11-e.pdf
When comparing the unit costs of different construction projects, the construction floor area (CFA) is usually based upon for calculation. The Project has a total CFA of about 182 674 sq m. At September 2025 prices, the estimated unit construction cost per sq m of CFA (covering building and building services costs) is $31,260. For the CGO and LegCo Complex after expansion, the total CFA is about 225 700 sq m. Converting the actual construction cost to September 2025 prices, the unit construction cost per sq m of CFA, again covering building and building services costs, is $40,200. However, as the type of facilities and design of the CGO and LegCo Complex after expansion differ from those of the Project, the above comparison based solely on CFA should be regarded as a reference only.
In the PWSC paper, we have compared the KTN Project with two other building projects of a similar type, namely Public Works Programme (PWP) Item No. 125KA “Joint-user Government Office Building in Area 67, Tseung Kwan O” and PWP Item No. 203GK “Joint-user Complex at Carpenter Road, Kowloon City”. The unit construction costs of all three projects are broadly comparable.
(3) In line with the consideration of driving development through government facility buildings, we have planned another JUC and JUB on a site at Area 26 of the Hung Shui Kiu/Ha Tsuen NDA. That project is still at the preliminary planning stage, and further details are not available at this stage. We will also identify a suitable site for construction of government building in the New Territories North New Town.
(4) To meet the needs of staff, visitors and facility users of the JUB and JUC and other members of the public, we propose to reserve around 650 sq m in NOFA at the ground floor of the Project for shop and restaurant purposes. Conveniently located, these shop and restaurant facilities will benefit different users. However, given the limited floor space on the ground level, which also needs to accommodate other community facilities such as a kindergarten, we are unable to increase the area allocated to shops and restaurants. Nevertheless, three private commercial and residential developments are currently under construction to the north of the Project, providing a total of over 31 000 sq m of non-domestic floor area, most of which will be dedicated to shopping malls or shops. These facilities are expected to sufficiently meet the daily needs of the local residents.
Issued at HKT 16:00
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Hong Kong Customs arrests sole proprietor of model and toy shops
Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region – 4
Hong Kong Customs yesterday (June 23) arrested a model and toy shop sole proprietor on suspicion of engaging in wrongly accepting payments in the course of selling models and toys, in contravention of the Trade Descriptions Ordinance (TDO).
Customs earlier received a number of reports alleging that someone sold models and toys through two physical shops and their respective online shops but failed to supply the ordered goods within the specified date or a reasonable period after accepting payments from customers. Also, no refund was offered in a timely manner. As of yesterday, the reports received by Customs involved 26 customers and 57 toy products, with the total amount involved being about $98,000.
After investigations, Customs officers yesterday arrested a 41-year-old man suspected to be connected with the case. He is the sole proprietor of the two shops concerned in Mong Kok.
An investigation is ongoing, and the arrested man has been released on bail pending further investigation.
Customs reminds traders to comply with the requirements of the TDO and consumers to procure products at reputable shops.
Under the TDO, any trader commits an offence if at the time of acceptance of payment, the trader intends not to supply the product or intends to supply a materially different product, or there are no reasonable grounds for believing that the trader will be able to supply the product within a specified or reasonable period. The maximum penalty upon conviction is a fine of $500,000 and imprisonment for five years.
Members of the public may report any suspected violations of the TDO to Customs’ 24-hour hotline 182 8080 or its dedicated crime-reporting email account (crimereport@customs.gov.hk) or online form (eform.cefs.gov.hk/form/ced002).
LCQ18: Regulating unsolicited marketing calls
Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region – 4
Following is a question by Dr the Hon Thomas So and a written reply by the Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development, Mr Algernon Yau, in the Legislative Council today (June 24):
Question:
It has been reported that the number of marketing calls reported in 2025 by the users of an unsolicited call reporting website amounted to 466 000, which represented an increase of nearly 220 000 from 241 000 calls in 2023. Among these cases, marketing calls promoting financial loans and banking investments increased by nearly 160 000 in two years, while calls involving estate sales doubled and those promoting body checks increased by 10 times. Recently, there has even been the emergence of artificial intelligence (AI)-generated Cantonese-speaking calls developed by suppliers from the Mainland, who claimed that up to 10 000 calls could be made each day. There are views that while the Government has been inclined to encourage self-regulation by the industry over the years, the data has reflected that such self-regulation is ineffective since the number of unsolicited marketing calls has been rising. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1) of the existing objective indicators formulated by the Government for evaluating the effectiveness of the self-regulatory efforts made by the industry; whether the Government will consider introducing measures to curb the rising trend of unsolicited marketing calls, provided that normal business activities remain unaffected; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that;
(2) while the Unsolicited Electronic Messages Ordinance (Cap. 593) currently in force regulates facsimile messages, short messages and pre-recorded telephone messages, it does not cover marketing calls featuring AI-generated speeches, and given the relatively low cost of using AI for marketing purposes, will the Government consider studying the regulation of such marketing calls to prevent the number from growing out of control; and
(3) there are views that the increase in marketing calls is primarily caused by the collection and transfer of personal data of members of the public among business organisations for commercial and marketing purposes. While the Personal Data (Privacy) Ordinance (Cap. 486) stipulates that data subjects must be informed and their express consent be obtained before their personal data can be used in direct marketing, it is learnt that some service providers obtain customer consent by way of “bundled consent” (for example, the forms used for collecting personal data from customers are designed in such a way that renders it impracticable for customers to refuse the use of their personal data for direct marketing purposes unrelated to the services the customers seek, such collection of personal data contravenes the original intent of authorisation), whether the Government will step up efforts in regulating such practice of data transfer; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?
Reply:
President,
Telecommunications services are closely related to citizen’s livelihood, and are also one of the important means for businesses to reach out to members of the public. The Government understands that members of the public are concerned about unsolicited calls (commonly known as marketing calls) and scam calls. Considering the different nature of marketing calls and scam calls, the Government has introduced different measures targeting them respectively in an active response to public concerns. Regarding marketing calls, despite that different industries have adopted innovative modes to promote services and products, the Government understands that currently some enterprises, especially small and medium-sized enterprises, are still using voice marketing calls for promotional activities and service follow-up, etc. Therefore, there is a practical and legitimate need for enterprises to use marketing calls for their business operation. At present, marketing calls are handled differently around the world depending on local circumstances, including restriction-free, industry self-regulation and legislative regulation. Based on the experience in other regions, there are considerable challenges in the actual operation and enforcement of handling marketing calls through legislation (including how to distinguish unlawful marketing calls, evidence collection, cross-border enforcement and prosecution, etc). Under the overarching principle of balancing the practical needs of enterprises’ business operation and minimising nuisance caused to public by marketing calls, and considering that enterprises are undergoing transformation amid the prevailing economic environment, the Government believes that the more pragmatic approach in managing marketing calls is to promote industry self-regulation, while putting in place other industry collaborative and regulatory measures. In response to the question raised by Dr the Hon Thomas So, in consultation with the Constitutional and Mainland Affairs Bureau and the Office of the Communications Authority (OFCA), our reply is as follows:
(1) and (2) To alleviate the nuisance caused by marketing calls, the Government has implemented a series of measures, including:
(i) Through the Industry Regulatory Scheme for Marketing Calls, OFCA has proactively invited relevant industries to implement industry self-regulation, including requiring telemarketers to provide their names and contact numbers upon recipients’ requests, as well as limiting the number of calls made to the same telephone number within a specified period. Currently, 12 industry associations from seven industries (including finance, insurance, telecommunications, call centres, beauty, estate agencies, and money lenders) are participating in the Scheme. Since the relevant industry associations issued their sector-specific codes of practice in 2011, the number of enquiries and complaints related to marketing calls received by the Government has significantly reduced from around 2 000 cases in 2012 to around 270 cases in 2025, reflecting that the measure is effective to a certain extent. The Government will continue to engage relevant stakeholders and various industries to further expand the scope of the Scheme with more industries participating in industry self-regulation;
(ii) OFCA has requested telecommunications service providers (TSPs) to provide call-management services or call-filtering applications to their customers. Subscribers to these services may personalise or use the pre-set black and/or white lists provided by mobile service providers to filter all incoming calls, including anonymous calls, to minimise suspicious and nuisance calls. Currently, the four major TSPs are providing the above services as required, and some even offer free call filtering value-added services to all or some of their customers (e.g. customers aged 60 or above). OFCA has encouraged the use of call-management services and call-filtering applications through various publicity and education activities, and has also helped members of the public in need download and use relevant filtering applications during the public education and promotional activities. Between January 2023 and May 2026, OFCA has organised a total of 366 public education and publicity activities, including 52 roving and small-scale exhibitions, 126 community and school talks, 70 school drama performances, 56 roadshows, 36 mobile promotion truck tours and 26 publicity activities in other forms, to promote relevant messages to residents and students across all districts; and
(iii) Unsolicited electronic messages are currently regulated by the Unsolicited Electronic Messages Ordinance (Cap. 593) (UEMO), members of the public can choose to unsubscribe from commercial electronic messages (e.g. faxes, emails, short messages, pre-recorded telephone messages, etc) at their own will. Regarding artificial intelligence (AI)-generated marketing calls, regardless if they are pre-recorded using human or AI-generated voices, all of them are currently regulated under the UEMO, unless they involve person-to-person interactive communication. In other words, if the caller conducts the entire phone call solely by AI without any person-to-person interaction, i.e. fully AI-powered telephone voice messages, it will be subject to the UEMO. Furthermore, in view of the increasing prevalence of AI-generated marketing calls originating from the Mainland, OFCA communicated with the relevant Mainland authorities in March this year to reflect relevant concerns and to explain the requirement of the UEMO to enterprises in the Mainland, strengthening co-operation in tackling unsolicited electronic messages between Hong Kong and the Chinese Mainland. Currently, marketing calls with AI-generated elements only account for a very small fraction of UEMO reports. According to records, among the 831 reports of alleged contravention of the UEMO received by OFCA in 2025, there were only 10 reports in which the complainants alleged the use of AI in those pre-recorded telephone messages. That said, OFCA will continue to closely monitor the development in AI and review the implementation effectiveness of the UEMO to ensure that the UEMO keeps pace with the times.
In addition, OFCA has implemented a series of measures from the perspective of telecommunications services to assist the Police in combating phone deception at the source. Among these measures, according to the Code of Practice formulated by the Communications Authority, TSPs are required to monitor calls and SMS messages originated from their networks and systems. TSPs must suspend the services of the relevant local telephone numbers once suspicious calling or SMS-sending patterns are identified (e.g. making a large number of calls/sending a large number of SMS within a short period of time), regardless of whether such calls and SMS messages are generated by an AI system. As at end May 2026, over 1.59 million local telephone numbers have been suspended as a result. The Government will continue to closely monitor market developments to ensure that the current regulatory mechanisms can respond to the needs of society.
(3) Regarding Member’s concern that there are commercial enterprises obtaining customers’ agreement in using their personal data for business or promotional purposes by “bundling”, the Guidance on Direct Marketing published by the Office of the Privacy Commissioner for Personal Data has already reminded data users not to design a service application form in such a way as to render it impracticable for customers to refuse the use of their personal data for direct marketing purposes (such as the so-called “bundled consent”). Instead, data users are advised to design a service application form that separates customers’ agreement to terms and conditions of the services being purchased from customers’ agreement in using their personal data for direct marketing.
As for telecommunications services, OFCA has not received any complaints regarding TSPs obtaining “bundled consent” in their service contracts. If members of the public have any concerns on the matter, OFCA will actively follow up with TSPs.
LCQ16: Consolidating Hong Kong’s status as international arbitration centre
Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region – 4
Following is a question by the Hon Maggie Chan and a written reply by the Secretary for Justice, Mr Paul Lam, SC, in the Legislative Council today (June 24):
Question:
The SAR (Special Administrative Region) Government is committed to developing Hong Kong into a leading international arbitration centre in the Asia-Pacific region and has been actively welcoming international and mainland arbitration institutions to establish their bases in Hong Kong. Currently, there are at least nine arbitration institutions in Hong Kong. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1) whether the Government has provided any direct financial assistance, manpower resources or facilities to those arbitration institutions to support their daily operation in the past three years; if so, of the beneficiary institutions, forms of support and the amount involved each year; if not, the reasons for that;
(2) how the Government assesses the effectiveness of its work in promoting Hong Kong as an international arbitration centre in the past three years, and whether it has set relevant performance indicators for this purpose; and
(3) in the face of strong competition from international arbitration centres such as Singapore and London, of the Government’s medium- to long-term positioning for Hong Kong as an international arbitration hub; and of the new measures it will introduce to further encourage and consolidate Hong Kong’s status as an arbitration centre, so as to enhance its arbitration efficiency?
Reply:
President,
In response to the questions raised by the Hon Maggie Chan, the reply is as follows:
(1) Currently, all arbitration institutions in Hong Kong operate entirely independently. With the exception of eBRAM International Online Dispute Resolution Centre Limited (eBRAM), the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government has not provided any direct financial assistance or human resources to support the day-to-day operations of these institutions in the past three years. These institutions primarily finance their operation through case management fees, membership fees and administrative fees to ensure their independence and neutrality.
In response to the COVID-19 Online Dispute Resolution Scheme established under the second round of the Anti-epidemic Fund, in 2020, the Government allocated $70 million to and appointed eBRAM as the service provider of the Scheme. The Scheme ended on September 30, 2023, and the mediator and arbitrator fees ($20 million) covered by the allocation were refunded to the Government upon the conclusion of the Scheme. In January 2021, the Finance Committee of the Legislative Council approved a funding of $100 million to eBRAM for the establishment of an online dispute resolution platform. According to the Memorandum of Understanding signed between the Government and eBRAM, the funding has been disbursed in phases starting from 2021. As of February 2026, the Government had disbursed approximately $87 million out of the said funding to eBRAM. It is eBRAM’s aim to operate on a self-financing basis after the conclusion of the Government funding.
Regarding the provision of facilities by the Government, since November 2020, the Government has established the Hong Kong Legal Hub to provide office space for international and local legal and dispute resolution institutions. If an arbitration institution’s application as a tenant of the Legal Hub is accepted, the Government will provide corresponding office facility to support that institution to develop its services in Hong Kong, for deepening international exchanges and co-operation, creating synergies, and consolidating and enhancing Hong Kong’s unique advantages as an international legal hub.
(2) The Government has been committed to promoting Hong Kong as an international arbitration centre through various initiatives and activities. Key initiatives include:
(i) The Department of Justice (DoJ) established the Working Group on Arbitration Law Reform in October 2025. The Working Group provides advice to the DoJ on the legal framework for arbitration in Hong Kong, including reviewing and making recommendations to amend the Arbitration Ordinance, with a view to advancing the relevant legislative amendment work within 2026.
(ii) With effect from March 1, 2025, the Government regularised and refined the Pilot Scheme on Facilitation for Persons Participating in Arbitral Proceedings in Hong Kong, and renamed it to the Immigration Facilitation Scheme for Persons Participating in Arbitral Proceedings in Hong Kong (Scheme). Under the Scheme, persons in possession of a “Letter of Proof” issued by a designated arbitral and dispute resolution institution or a venue provider proving that they are eligible persons participating in arbitral proceedings seated in Hong Kong are permitted to do so as visitors without the need to obtain an employment visa. The regularised and refined Scheme expands the categories of eligible persons and covers all arbitrations physically taking place in Hong Kong, offering parties to the arbitration and legal practitioners great convenience and more choices of arbitrators, legal experts and related professionals, thus further enhancing Hong Kong’s attractiveness as a seat or destination of arbitration.
Regarding the promotion of Hong Kong’s arbitration services, the Government has been actively promoting its high-quality arbitration services through organising the Hong Kong Legal Week, co-organising with the Hong Kong Trade Development Council thematic breakout sessions on dispute resolution at the Belt and Road Summit and the Business of Intellectual Property Asia Forum, and co-organising with Vis East Moot Foundation the Vis East International Commercial Arbitration Moot.
The Government has not established a set of rigid key performance indicators for arbitration-related initiatives. The effectiveness of arbitration-related initiatives involves multiple aspects, and the actual benefits are difficult to quantify. However, international recognition can directly reflect the effectiveness of the current initiatives. For instance, in the 2025 Queen Mary University of London International Arbitration Survey, Hong Kong was selected as the most preferred arbitration seat in the Asia-Pacific region and ranked second globally alongside Singapore, fully reflecting the effectiveness of current initiatives. The Government will continue to monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of current initiatives and conduct timely reviews in light of industry feedback and international developments.
(3) Faced with fierce international competition, the Government is implementing a multi-pronged approach to further consolidate Hong Kong’s leading position in arbitration and enhance arbitration efficiency. In terms of legal system and infrastructure, through the Working Group on Arbitration Law Reform established in 2025, the Government is continuously enhancing the Arbitration Ordinance, to comprehensively ensure that Hong Kong’s arbitration system responds promptly to global trends and remains at the forefront of international developments. Furthermore, the Government is planning the construction of the Hong Kong International Legal Service Building, aiming to bring together the facilities such as the headquarter of the Hong Kong International Legal Talents Training Academy and international legal and dispute resolution institutions, in order to create synergy and provide arbitration parties with more comprehensive arbitration facilities.
At the same time, through the Hong Kong International Legal Talents Training Academy and the visa policy facilitating arbitration professionals to participate in proceedings in Hong Kong, the Government is actively cultivating local talent and attracting top international talent, and strengthening co-operation with the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area and countries along the Belt and Road Initiative, so as to promote talent exchange and align with the National 15th Five-Year Plan in supporting Hong Kong to deepen its position as an international legal and dispute resolution services centre and to build an international hub for high-calibre talent.
Online auction of vehicle registration marks to be held from July 9 to 13
Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region
Online auction of vehicle registration marks to be held from July 9 to 13
A spokesman for the TD said, “A total of 220 Ordinary VRMs will be available at this online public auction. The list of VRMs (see Annex) has been uploaded to the E-Auction website. Applicants who have paid a $1,000 deposit to reserve an Ordinary VRM for auction should also register as an E-Auction user in advance in order to participate in the online bidding, including placing the first bid at the opening price of $1,000. Otherwise, the VRMs reserved by them may be bid on by other interested bidders at or above the opening price. Auctions for VRMs with ‘HK’ or ‘XX’ as a prefix, special VRMs and personalised VRMs will continue to be carried out through physical auctions by bidding paddles and their announcement arrangements remain unchanged.”
Members of the public participating in the online bidding should take note of the following important points:
(1) Bidders should register in advance as an E-Auction user by “iAM Smart+” equipped with the digital signing function; or by using a valid digital certificate and an email address upon completion of identity verification. Registered “iAM Smart” users should provide their Hong Kong identity card number, while non-Hong Kong residents who are not “iAM Smart” users should provide the number of their passport or other identification documents when registering as E-Auction users.
(2) Bidders are required to provide a digital signature to confirm the submission and amount of the bid by using “iAM Smart+” or a valid digital certificate at the time of the first bid of each online bidding session (including setting automatic bids before the auction begins) to comply with the requirements of the Electronic Transactions Ordinance.
(3) If a bid is made in respect of a VRM within the last 10 minutes before the end of the auction, the auction end time for that particular VRM will be automatically extended by another 10 minutes, up to a maximum of 24 hours.
(4) Successful bidders must follow the instructions in the notification email issued by the TD to log in to the E-Auction within 48 hours from the issuance of email and complete the follow-up procedures, including:
(5) A VRM can only be assigned to a motor vehicle registered in the name of the purchaser. Relevant information on the Certificate of Incorporation must be provided by the successful bidder in the Purchaser Information of the Memorandum of Sale if the VRM purchased is to be registered under the name of a body corporate.
(6) Successful bidders will receive a notification email around seven working days after payment has been confirmed and can download the Memorandum of Sale from the E-Auction. The purchaser must apply for the VRM to be assigned to a motor vehicle registered in the name of the purchaser within 12 months from the date of issue of the Memorandum of Sale. If the purchaser fails to do so within the 12-month period, in accordance with the statutory provision, the allocation of the VRM will be cancelled and a new allocation will be arranged by the TD without prior notice to the purchaser.
The TD has informed all applicants who have reserved Ordinary VRMs for this round of auction of the E-Auction arrangements in detail by post. Members of the public may refer to the E-Auction website or watch the tutorial videos for more information. Please call the E-Auction hotline (3583 3980) or email (e-auction-enquiry@td.gov.hkIssued at HKT 15:00
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LCQ22: Implementation of Construction Industry Security of Payment Ordinance
Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region
Following is a question by the Hon Lam Chun-sing and a written reply by the Secretary for Development, Ms Bernadette Linn, in the Legislative Council today (June 24):
Question:
The Construction Industry Security of Payment Ordinance (the Ordinance) aims to improve the problem of payment delays in the construction industry and provide protection for various stakeholders to receive their entitled payment on time, thereby helping reduce the occurrence of wage arrears of workers. Regarding the implementation of the Ordinance since its commencement, will the Government inform this Council:
LCQ15: Promoting student mental health
Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region
LCQ15: Promoting student mental health(i) The EDB has all along been requiring primary and secondary schools to report fatal suspected student suicide cases in order to provide appropriate professional support to the schools concerned. The numbers of fatal suspected student suicide cases of primary and secondary students in Hong Kong reported in the past three years (2023 to 2025) are tabulated below. Of the total number of cases reported, about 90 per cent were cases involving secondary students, while those involving primary students accounted for about 10 per cent. Cases involving male students accounted for about 59 per cent of the total number of cases reported, while about 41 per cent were those involving female students.
| Year As indicated in relevant international and local studies, suicide (including attempted suicide) is a complicated issue influenced by the interplay of multiple factors, mainly related to interpersonal relationships (including family, social or relationship problems) and personal issues (such as learning and school adjustment, depressed mood and mental illness). Each case has its unique underlying causes.
(ii) To early identify and timely support students at higher suicidal risk, the Government has implemented, through cross-departmental collaboration among the EDB, the HHB and the SWD, the Three-tier School-based Emergency Mechanism (the Mechanism) in all secondary schools in Hong Kong since December 2023. In the 2025/26 school year, the Mechanism is regularised in all secondary schools across the territory and extended on a trial basis to Primary Four to Six. The number of cases referred by schools/ the EDB under the second-tier mechanism to the off-campus support network teams engaged by the SWD as of end-March 2026, broken down by school year, are tabulated below:
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