MIL Asia Pacific Publishing Engine

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

     Following is a question by Dr the Hon Chan Han-pan and a written reply by the Secretary for Health, Professor Lo Chung-mau, in the Legislative Council today (July 23):

Question:

     According to the data of the Hospital Authority (HA), the number of full-time doctors increased from 5 695 in 2013-2014 to 7 350 in 2023-2024, representing an increase of 29 per cent. During the same period, the number of HA’s specialist outpatient attendances increased by only 18.9 per cent while the relevant increase rate in the number of its general outpatient attendances was 3.34 per cent, and the number of accident and emergency (A&E) attendances even recorded a drop of 4.4 per cent. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:

(1) whether it knows the respective numbers of HA doctors providing general outpatient clinic (GOPC) services and specialist outpatient clinic (SOPC) services in 2013-2014 and 2023-2024, as well as the respective percentages of such numbers in the total number of HA doctors (set out in a table);

(2) whether it knows the respective average waiting time for HA’s SOPC new cases, GOPC services and A&E services, the average consultation time per patient, as well as the average number of consultations per doctor in 2013-2014 and 2023-2024 (set out in a table);

(3) whether it knows if the HA has compared the average number of consultations per doctor between the HA and medical institutions in other places; if the HA has not, how the HA assesses the efficiency in the use of doctor manpower and the consultation efficiency; and

(4) as there are views that the aforesaid data show a significant increase in the number of HA doctors from 2013-2014 to 2023-2024, but there is no significant rise in the number of attendances for various outpatient services, whether the Government knows if the HA has examined the reasons for that, and whether the HA will consider providing additional evening consultation services, so as to enhance the efficiency in the use of manpower and the service coverage while alleviating the pressure on the daytime services?

Reply:

President,

     In consultation with the Hospital Authority (HA), the consolidated reply to the question raised by Dr the Hon Chan Han-pan, is as follows:

     With the ageing population and the increasing prevalence of chronic diseases, the demand for various types of services provided by the HA has continued to rise over the past decade. While coping with the ever-rising service demand, the HA is also committed to enhancing the quality and efficiency of public healthcare services, while adopting an integrated and multi-disciplinary team approach in the delivery of various healthcare services, with a view to providing optimal treatment and care to patients. 

     Apart from providing general out-patient (GOP), specialist out-patient (SOP) and Accident and Emergency (A&E) services as mentioned in the question, doctors of the HA are also tasked with providing a comprehensive range of services including in-patient, out-patient, and day services, as part of the overall healthcare team. The table below sets out the number of hospital beds and the number of attendances for each of the major service categories of the HA in 2013-14 and 2023-24, which show an increase in the utilisation of each of the services over the 11-year period mentioned in the question. In particular, the HA has been gradually promoting ambulatory care and community-based care in recent years to replace the traditional hospital-centric service model, with a particularly significant rise in the demand for day in-patient services. 
 

	2013-14	2023-24	Increase
Number of hospital beds (as at year-end)	27 440	30 671	11.8%
Number of in-patient discharges and deaths	1 026 998	1 146 494	11.6%
Number of patient days	7 479 088	8 750 456	17.0%
Number of day in-patient discharges and deaths	542 333	809 505	49.3%
Number of day hospital attendances (Note 1)	477 553	508 961	6.6%
Number of SOP (Clinical) attendances	7 040 883	8 368 107	18.9%
Number of Family Medicine out-patient (including Family Medicine Specialist Clinic and GOP clinic) attendances	6 100 888	6 359 781	4.2%

     As far as day in-patient services are concerned, day surgery brings significant benefits to patients, the public and the HA. For patients, day surgery has the benefits of causing less disruption to daily lives, reducing the risk of cross-infection and relieving psychological stress. In addition, day surgery is less costly and more efficient as it reduces the need for patients to stay in the hospital overnight, thereby releasing beds for more critical cases. Studies have also shown that the efficacy of day surgery is similar to that of in-patient surgery. For ambulatory palliative care services, the HA provides medical, nursing, rehabilitation, psychosocial and bereavement services through a one-stop multi-disciplinary team to alleviate patients’ symptoms and improve their quality of life, as well as reducing unnecessary hospitalisation. Day rehabilitation services include geriatric day hospitals, day rehabilitation services and allied health rehabilitation services. The HA provides specialty-oriented rehabilitation programmes, such as thoracic rehabilitation, orthopaedic rehabilitation, geriatric rehabilitation and cardiac rehabilitation, in its ambulatory care facilities to cater for the needs of individual types of patients. This development strategy can effectively shorten unnecessary hospitalisation time, help patients return to the community and enhance their ability to take care of their own health.

     Moreover, the HA has actively increased the number of endoscopic sessions to meet the public demand for endoscopic examination. The table below sets out the number of common endoscopic procedures performed in 2014-15 and 2023-24.
 

	2014-15	2023-24
Common endoscopic procedures (Note 2 and 3)	9 608	10 591

     The HA will review and plan the role and positioning of its hospitals in each cluster to reflect the changes in healthcare needs brought about by changes in population in various districts over time, and will review from time to time and ensure that hospitals in the clusters can complement each other in the continual provision of A&E and in-patient, ambulatory care, extended care as well as community care services, so as to ensure that patients will continue to receive optimal treatment and services at appropriate locations.

     Please refer to Annex 1 for the number of doctors in each major specialty providing GOP or SOP services and their respective proportions in the total number of doctors in the HA in 2013-14 and 2023-24 as mentioned in the question. However, as mentioned above, since the HA adopts an integrated and multi-disciplinary approach in service provision, and flexibly deploys its staff to meet service and operational needs from time to time, the number of doctors in the above table only reflects the number of doctors providing GOP and SOP services, and the doctors concerned may also be tasked with providing other services including in-patient, A&E and ambulatory services, etc.

     The HA has also been implementing various measures over the years to enhance consultation efficiency and improve waiting time.

     In respect of SOP services, the HA has implemented a triage system to determine the priority of patients attending SOP clinics (SOPCs) based on their clinical condition. In addition, the HA has also adopted the strategy of “narrowing upstream, collaborating downstream, diverting midstream”. The HA has introduced doctor-led multi-disciplinary integrated clinics, and allocated more resources for new cases, rationalised referral arrangements for cross-specialty cases, set up more integrated clinics to provide multi-disciplinary support, and enhanced primary healthcare to follow up on patients in stable conditions. With the implementation of various measures, the waiting time for SOPCs has improved notably in the past few years. The data shows that the number of new SOP cases in 2023-24 has increased by 18 per cent compared to a decade ago, with the number of stable new cases (i.e. routine cases) increasing from 448 545 in 2013-14 to 577 191 in 2023-24, an increase of 28 per cent. Please refer to the Annex 2 for the number of new cases and waiting time for SOP services in 2013-14 and 2023-24.

     In addition, the HA has also rationalised the waiting procedures for SOP services to reduce the waiting time for patients to see doctors, with more than 75 per cent of SOP patients completing the process from registration to doctor consultation within 60 minutes in 2022-23 to 2023-24. The table below shows the percentage of the HA SOP patients who have completed the process from registration to doctor consultation within 60 minutes in 2022-23 and 2023-24:
 

Year 2022-23 (Since November 2022)	Year 2023-24
76.5%	83.6%

     Regarding A&E services, to ensure that citizens with urgent needs can receive timely services, A&E departments implement a patient triage system under which patients are classified into five triages, namely critical, emergency, urgent, semi-urgent and non-urgent based on their clinical condition, and will receive treatment as prioritised by their urgency category. The HA’s performance targets specify that all critical patients (i.e. 100 per cent) will receive immediate treatment, and emergency and urgent patients will be prioritised for treatment upon arrival at A&E departments, with the targets being that most emergency patients (95 per cent) and urgent patients (90 per cent) will be treated within 15 and 30 minutes. The table below sets out the number of attendances and average waiting time for each triage category of A&E services in the HA in 2013-14 and 2023-24 respectively:
 

	No. of A&E attendances
	Triage 1(Critical)	Triage 2  (Emergency)	Triage 3 (Urgent)	Triage 4 (Semi- urgent)	Triage 5 (Non- urgent)
Year 2013-14	19 358	41 136	674 841	1 288 359	145 406
Year 2023-24	28 138	56 566	820 353	1 126 207	58 965

     The above attendances for A&E services under various triage categories in various hospitals under the HA exclude (i) first-time visits without triage categories, and (ii) follow-up visits to the A&E departments.
 

	Average waiting time (in minutes) for A&E services
	Triage 1 (Critical)	Triage 2 (Emergency)	Triage 3 (Urgent)	Triage 4 (Semi- urgent)	Triage 5 (Non- urgent)
Year 2013-14	0	7	27	106	124
Year 2023-24	0	8	29	180	205

 
     The data show that, over the past decade, the number of A&E attendances for patients in Triage 1 to Triage 3 has increased by 23 per cent from more than 730 000 to more than 900 000. In particular, attendances for patients in Triage 1 and Triage 2, who are the primary service targets of the A&E departments, have increased by 45 per cent and 38 per cent respectively. That said, patients in these two categories are treated promptly and the relevant average waiting times continue to meet the service targets specified by the HA.
 
     Regarding GOP services, the HA provides public primary healthcare services through its 74 GOP clinics (GOPCs) (including community health centres), providing more than five million out-patient attendances annually. Of these, a total of 23 GOPCs in all districts of Hong Kong provide evening out-patient services until 10pm. Patients under the care of the GOPCs comprise two major categories: patients with chronic diseases in stable medical condition, such as patients with diabetes mellitus or hypertension; and episodic disease patients with relatively mild symptoms, such as those suffering from cold or gastroenteritis. As for patients with chronic diseases requiring follow-up consultations, they will be assigned a time slot for follow-up by the GOPCs after each consultation and do not need to make separate appointments by phone. Episodic disease patients can make appointments for the next 24 hours through the HA GOPC telephone appointment system and “Book GOPC” function in the HA’s one-stop mobile app “HA Go”. There is no waiting time for GOP services. 
 
     The HA has been closely monitoring the operation and utilisation of different services with a view to deploying manpower and service resources flexibly. Since 2008, the HA has adopted a set of Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) to measure its service performance, covering clinical services, human resources and finance, with a view to establishing a mechanism for monitoring service performance and identifying service areas for continuous improvement. The HA conducts regular reviews of the KPIs annually and will enhance and refine them in accordance with its service strategies. Progress reports on KPIs are submitted to the HA Board and the Health Bureau on a regular basis, through quarterly progress review reports for the latter, to keep track of the HA’s performance in key service areas. Trend analyses within and across hospital clusters can be conducted to help identify areas for deliberation and formulation of enhancement measures, and to provide reference on service planning and resource allocation.
 
     Moreover, the HA has set up the Governance and Structure Reform Committee to provide strategic guidance, oversight, and reform advice on implementing governance and structure reforms. The work of the Committee includes examining the introduction of KPIs to measure the service performance of the HA.
 
     In recent years, the HA has also endeavoured to enhance public healthcare services through various measures, including enhancing primary healthcare services, shortening the waiting time for cataract surgery, making good use of the Central Government-Aided Emergency Hospital to alleviate the pressure on the radiology services in public hospitals, and establishing centres for major illnesses, with a view to improving the quality and efficiency of treatment. Regarding evening out-patient services, the HA and the Primary Healthcare Commission will also review the demand and supply of evening out-patient services in different districts as well as the utilisation of such services by members of the public in various districts, with emphasis on districts where private evening out-patient services are scanty, with a view to further increasing the number of quotas of evening out-patient services through flexible deployment of manpower and resources, as well as exploring the feasibility of setting up additional evening out-patient clinics.
 
Note 1: The above figure includes attendances at Geriatric Day Hospitals, Psychiatric Day Hospitals, Day Rehabilitation Services, and Ambulatory Palliative Care Services. Of these, the number of attendances at Geriatric Day Hospitals includes those participating in the Integrated Discharge Support Programme for Elderly Patients.
Note 2: The HA has maintained the relevant statistics since 2014-15.
Note 3: The above endoscopic procedures include bronchoscopy, colonoscopy, colposcopy, endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography, flexible cystoscopy, oesophagogastroduodenoscopy, sigmoidoscopy and endoscopic ultrasonography. Of these, endoscopic ultrasonography covers upper gastrointestinal tract, lower gastrointestinal tract, as well as bronchus and mediastinum.

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

The following is issued on behalf of the Hong Kong Monetary Authority:

The Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA), as representative of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government (HKSAR Government), announced that a tender for 10-year HKD institutional Government Bonds (issue number 10GB3507001) under the Infrastructure Bond Programme was held today (July 23).
 
A total of HK$2.0 billion 10-year Government Bonds were offered today. A total of HK$10.545 billion tender applications were received. The bid-to-cover ratio, i.e. the ratio of bonds applied for to bonds issued, is 5.27. The average price accepted is 100.43, implying an annualised yield of 3.144 per cent.
 
HKSAR Institutional Government Bonds Tender Results
 
Tender results of 10-year HKD HKSAR Institutional Government Bonds:
 

Tender Date	:	July 23, 2025
Issue Number	:	10GB3507001
Stock Code	:	4294 (HKGB 3.17 3507)
Issue and Settlement Date	:	July 24, 2025
Tenor	:	10 years
Maturity Date	:	24 July 2035
Coupon Rate	:	3.17 per cent
Amount Applied	:	HK$10.545 billion
Amount Allotted	:	HK$2.0 billion
Bid-to-Cover Ratio*	:	5.27
Average Price Accepted (Yield)	:	100.43 (3.144 per cent)
Lowest Price Accepted (Yield)	:	100.21 (3.170 per cent)
Pro-rata Ratio	:	About 95 per cent
Average Tender Price (Yield)	:	99.13 (3.299 per cent)

* Calculated as the amount of bonds applied for over the amount of bonds issued.

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

Following is a question by the Hon Tommy Cheung and a reply by the Secretary for Education, Dr Choi Yuk-lin, in the Legislative Council today (July 23):

Question:   
(3) whether any PI KGs have participated in the Guangdong-Hong Kong Sister Kindergarten Exchange Programme which has been launched by the EDB since the 2023-2024 school year; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?      
President,

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

     Following is a question by Dr the Hon Kennedy Wong and a reply by the Acting Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development, Dr Bernard Chan, in the Legislative Council today (July 23):

Question:

     Since October last year, the Government has reduced the duty rate for liquor with import price over $200 from 100 per cent to 10 per cent for the portion above $200. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:

(1) whether it has compiled statistics on the changes in the value and volume of imports and re-exports of liquor to date after the reduction in the duty rate on liquor, and how such data compare with those prior to the reduction, together with a breakdown by type of liquor (e.g. Chinese baijiu, whisky and brandy);

(2) as the Government has indicated that the reduction in the duty rate on liquor aims to promote the development of Hong Kong into a trading hub for high-end liquor and boost the growth of various industries such as catering, hotel, logistics and warehousing, whether the Government has assessed if the policy has achieved the expected effects after its implementation; whether the Government will study a further reduction in the duty rate on liquor; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; and

(3) whether the Department of Health has, after the reduction in the duty rate on liquor, conducted a population health survey to compile statistics on the proportion of the population aged 15 or above who have consumed liquor; whether it will step up its efforts to publicise and educate the public about the health effects of alcohol, in order to prevent problems such as alcohol dependence, alcohol abuse and binge drinking; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?

Reply:

President,

     Having consulted the Health Bureau, the Census and Statistics Department (C&SD) and the Customs and Excise Department (C&ED), the consolidated reply to the question raised by Dr the Hon Kennedy Wong is as follows:

     Currently, liquor duty in Hong Kong is levied on liquor for local sales or other uses, while liquor for export or re-export through Hong Kong to other regions is not subject to duty. As such, the liquor duty reduction has a more direct impact on liquor imported for local consumption, whereas the re-export trade of liquor is more influenced by macro factors such as global economic conditions and geopolitics.

     According to the statistics from the C&ED, during the 8.5-month period from the reduction of the duty rate on high-end liquor on October 16 last year to the end of June this year, both the volume (in litre) and value of duty-paid liquor import increased as compared with the 8.5-month period prior to the liquor duty reduction. Of these, the import volume of liquor rose by more than 20 per cent, while its value went up significantly by nearly 90 per cent, reflecting that the two-tier system introduced by the Government is effective in boosting high-end liquor trading. A comparison of the volume and value of duty-paid liquor before and after the reduction in liquor duty rate, as well as detailed statistics breakdown by type of liquor, is provided in Annex I for Members’ reference.

     On the other hand, as liquor duty is not levied on re-exported liquor, the C&ED does not maintain statistical data on the value of liquor re-export. The information provided by the C&SD is set out in Annex II.

     As the liquor duty reduction has only been implemented for a short period, its effectiveness in various aspects remains to be observed. Regarding the suggestion from some members of the trade that the Government should further reduce the duty on liquor, we would like to reiterate that the purpose of lowering liquor duty is to encourage the trade and auctions of high-end liquor in Hong Kong, thereby giving impetus to the development of other high value-added sectors such as logistics and storage, tourism as well as high-end food and beverage consumption. At the same time, we are also mindful of the need to avoid increasing liquor consumption among the public as a result of reducing liquor duty, thereby leading to other problems.

     When introducing the relevant measures, the Government has fully balanced different policy considerations such as promoting economic development, maintaining stable public finances and protecting public health. We will closely monitor the development of the liquor trade and review the effectiveness of the measures in a timely manner. Any further adjustments will require careful consideration of the impact on different aspects with prudent planning. The Government currently has no plan to further adjust the duty rate on liquor.

     In fact, the Government has been attaching great importance to the harms brought by alcohol, in particular alcohol dependence, alcohol abuse and binge drinking. In 2018, the Government launched the “Towards 2025: Strategy and Action Plan to Prevent and Control Non-communicable Diseases in Hong Kong”, setting out nine local targets, with “reduce harmful use of alcohol” being one of them, to be achieved by 2025. The Government will continue to adopt a risk-based approach to reduce alcohol-related harm through publicity, education, treatment and support services. Among which, the Department of Health (DH) has launched the Pilot Alcohol Cessation Counselling Service (Pilot Programme) through subvention to a non-governmental organisation. The Pilot Programme was launched on April 8, 2024, and will last for two years to provide free counselling service for Hong Kong residents identified to have probable alcohol dependence. The DH has also launched a publicity and education campaign named “Understanding Alcohol Harm” since 2022 to enhance the public’s understanding of the health risks associated with alcohol consumption; and provides online risk assessment of drinking behaviour, personalised health advice, self-help tools, health education resources, etc to encourage drinkers to change their drinking behaviour for the sake of their health.

     In addition, the DH conducts the Population Health Survey (PHS) approximately every five years with the Health Behaviour Survey conducted in between as regular surveillance to understand the health status of the Hong Kong population, including drinking behaviours. Figures relevant to drinking behaviours in past PHSs are set out in Annex III. The 2025/26 PHS is expected to commence in the third quarter this year with the findings to be available in end-2026, which would reflect the situation after the partial reduction of duty on liquor.

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

​Following is a question by the Hon Stanley Ng and a written reply by the Secretary for Education, Dr Choi Yuk-lin, in the Legislative Council today (July 23): 
 
Question:

The media earlier reported that some Hong Kong students had developed problems of different natures while participating in Mainland exchange tours (exchange tours), which has aroused public concerns about the quality of the exchange tours and may have an impact on the willingness of parents, teachers and students to go north for exchange. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:

(1) of the total number of primary and secondary schools that have been subsidised by the Education Bureau (EDB) and the number of primary and secondary students who have participated since the implementation of the Mainland exchange programmes for students; the effectiveness of the programmes;

(2) whether the EDB has provided various schools with the tendering criteria for selecting the service providers of exchange tours; if so, of the details; the review mechanism in place to examine areas such as health and accommodation safety of the exchange tours, and whether guidelines have been drawn up to specify the requirements for the capability of service providers to respond to incidents; and

(3) it is learnt that the EDB has pointed out that if the quality of the exchange tours was poor, the service providers concerned would not be invited to submit bid again by the authorities, whether the authorities have used the service providers’ records of the exchange tours as the selection criterion, and of the effectiveness of the relevant selection mechanism; whether the authorities have put in place a mechanism to regularly review and enhance the arrangements for the exchange tours (e.g. the itinerary arrangements and selection of itineraries for patriotic education); whether any service providers have been removed from the list of potential service providers for exchange tours by the EDB due to poor track record; if so, of the details?

Reply:

President,

Since the 2004/05 school year, the Education Bureau (EDB) has been providing students with Mainland exchange opportunities in line with the country’s latest developments and the school curriculum every year. This includes organising Mainland exchange programmes (MEPs) of different themes for students and subsidising schools to organise such programmes. Approximately 100 000 subsidised quotas are provided each year to ensure that every student has the opportunity to join at least one MEP each in their primary and secondary stages. The EDB has commissioned external organisations to provide services (e.g. transportation, meals, accommodation and exchange activities) for programmes such as the Mainland Exchange Programme for Junior Secondary and Upper Primary Students and the Mainland Exchange Programme for Secondary School Students, etc. To take better care of students and teachers, every tour will be accompanied by a licensed medical professional or a tour escort holding a valid first aid certificate. Schools may also apply for subsidies from the EDB under two programmes, namely the Junior Secondary and Upper Primary School Students Exchange Programme Subsidy Scheme: “Understanding Our Motherland” and the Senior Secondary School Students Exchange Programme Subvention Scheme, to design their own Mainland exchange activities according to school-based needs and students’ learning needs. MEPs for students align with learning elements of the curriculum and cover diversified learning themes, including history, culture, economics, science and technology. Through participation in the various programmes mentioned above, students can gain first-hand experience of the development of our country from multiple perspectives, and consolidate and deepen classroom learning. This will in turn enhance their understanding of the country and their sense of national identity. Mainland exchange activities for students have delivered remarkable learning outcomes since their launch. Furthermore, to tie in with the implementation of the senior secondary subject of Citizenship and Social Development (CS), the EDB has launched CS Mainland study tours since April 2023. As Mainland study tours form an integral part of the CS curriculum, all senior secondary students studying the local curriculum will receive a full subsidy once to participate in CS Mainland study tours organised by the EDB. After completing their CS Mainland study tours, students have to conduct project learning and submit a report to the school in the form of an individual project.

Our reply to the question raised by the Hon Stanley Ng is as follows:

(1) With student participation on a voluntary basis, MEPs for students have all along been well received by schools, parents and students. During the five school years (s.y.) from the 2014/15 to 2018/19 s.y., the number of primary and secondary student participants increased from approximately 50 000 to more than 70 000. With full resumption of normal travel between Hong Kong and the Mainland, the EDB resumed MEPs for students in the 2023/24 s.y., and the responses from schools were positive, with around 68 000 students participating, which was comparable to its pre-pandemic level. The response in the 2024/25 s.y. is even more encouraging, with over 80 000 primary and secondary students already enrolled in MEPs for students, showing that the programmes are highly popular among schools. Schools will decide on the departure dates based on their school context and students’ learning needs. The numbers of students participating in MEPs from the 2022/23 to the 2024/25 s.y. are as follows:
 

School year	Number of students (rounded down to the nearest hundred)
2022/23	600
2023/24+	68 200
2024/25++	81 000

+ Actual figures revised from last year’s estimates
++ Provisional figures (actual figures to be confirmed after departure)

In addition, following the launch of CS Mainland study tours since April 2023, the EDB has arranged for a cumulative total of more than 140 000 senior secondary students and 15 000 teachers to take part in the study tours in the past three school years (from the 2022/23 to 2024/25 s.y.). The EDB has continued to enhance the scale of and arrangements for CS Mainland study tours. With respect to the number of routes, there is an increase from 22 one-to-three-day tours in the Guangdong Province in the 2022/23 s.y. to 28 one-to-five-day tours in the 2024/25 s.y., covering 11 provinces and municipalities, so as to enable students to participate in various types of learning activities during CS Mainland study tours. Experiential learning activities are arranged in the activity bases for students’ comprehensive practice or other visiting spots as part of the itinerary. The numbers of students participating in CS Mainland study tours from the 2022/23 to 2024/25 s.y. are as follows:
 

School year	Number of students (rounded down to the nearest hundred)
2022/23	43 300
2023/24+	49 900
2024/25++	50 400

+ Actual figures revised from last year’s estimates
++ Provisional figures (actual figures to be confirmed after departure)

In conclusion, it is without doubt that MEPs for primary and secondary students and CS Mainland study tours are beneficial to students. According to the results of questionnaire survey, feedback from teachers and students on these programmes are very positive. They generally consider that Mainland exchange and study tours have extended classroom learning and deepened students’ understanding of our country’s history, culture and technological development, etc, thereby instilling in them a sense of belonging to our country and enhancing their sense of national identity; facilitated friendship building through exchanges between local and Mainland students; and enhanced students’ understanding of the rapid development of our country to help them seize future development opportunities.  

(2) and (3) In selecting service providers for Mainland exchange and study tours, the EDB has all along been following the established government procedures of services procurement, with assessment and approval made under the principles of fairness, openness and impartiality. Service providers are required to have relevant experiences in organising Mainland exchange and study tours for students. During tender evaluation, the EDB will take into account both technical factors (including pro-innovation proposals) and price factors, and may not necessarily award contracts to the lowest bidders.

With the safety and health of students as the prime concern, the EDB has established a regular mechanism to safeguard the safety of students during Mainland exchange and study tours. For instance, the service providers are required by the EDB to formulate for its scrutiny contingency guidelines and arrangements for handling various emergency situations encountered in Mainland exchange and study tours, such as inclement weather, accidents, loss of identity documents and physical discomfort. Prior to departure of each tour, the service providers are required to communicate properly with the schools and arrange on-site briefings to go through the itinerary, points to note and ways to cope with emergencies, etc. Handbooks and name badges containing information about dealing with emergency incidents (e.g. emergency telephone numbers in the Mainland, and particulars and contact numbers of the accompanying staff) will be distributed to teachers and students for persual during the tour. The EDB has put in place a notification mechanism on the safety of students, through which the service providers are required to report on a daily basis the situation of each of the tours during the course of the journey. In addition, the EDB gauges participants’ feedback of these programmes by holding regular meetings with the service providers, deploying staff to attend the programmes to assess the appropriateness of the content and collecting views of the participants, conducting questionnaire surveys, and evaluating the opinions of the participants towards the programmes by arranging interviews and post-tour sharing sessions. Such efforts are conducive to the continuous enhancement and exploration of diverse themes for Mainland exchange and study tours. We will also regularly review the performance of the service providers concerned and monitor the progress and implementation of their work through field inspections and work reports, etc. Any cases of unsatisfactory performance of service providers will be handled by the EDB according to the established mechanism. According to existing records, no service provider has been removed from the list of potential service providers for exchange and study tours by the EDB due to poor track records.

Regarding the incidents in which students of individual schools had developed gastroenteritis symptoms during the Mainland exchange and study tours for students conducted earlier, we seriously and promptly followed up with relevant Mainland organisations/units to provide appropriate support for the schools concerned, including arranging for those students feeling sick to see a local doctor upon parental consent, reallocating rooms for them to prevent cross-infection, providing antiseptic products and arranging disinfection of the coaches. For the sake of safety, while the source of the outbreak could not be verified, we had immediately requested relevant service providers to stop patronising the suspected eatery, and required all those which offered catering service for MEPs for students and CS Mainland study tours to temporarily stop serving raw and undercooked food and cooked shellfish, etc. All the tours concerned had returned to Hong Kong after successful completion of their journey.

Meanwhile, we have promptly set up a dedicated task force for student Mainland study tours to enhance the arrangements for exchange and study activities in a timely manner. Efforts include directly liaising and arranging regular collaboration meetings with Mainland departments and units, with a view to improving various facilities and arrangements to further ensure students’ safety. We have also reached a consensus with service providers on strengthening the notification mechanism for unforeseen incidents. In the event of an incident, the service providers should get to know the situation as soon as possible, keep abreast of its developments, and provide appropriate assistance.  They have also been reminded that there should be more detailed planning and contingency measures for the itinerary, accommodation and catering arrangements, etc. The information presented and guidelines for the pre-departure on-site briefings have also been updated to enhance the hygiene and safety awareness of teachers and students. Moreover, we will maintain close liaison with the Centre for Health Protection of the Department of Health (DH) to update from time to time the latest information on disease prevention and control provided by the EDB and the DH on the “Passing on the Torch” National Education Activities Series website (www.passontorch.org.hk/en), and remind all primary and secondary schools in Hong Kong to check out and get familiar with such information before setting off for the tours. To enable accompanying teachers to get hold of the latest information on exchange tours, the EDB will regularly organise briefings and sharing sessions to promote the good practices of different schools and provide illustrative examples on how to respond to emergencies for the schools’ reference.

On promoting patriotic education, it was mentioned in “The Chief Executive’s 2024 Policy Address” that starting from the 2024/25 s.y., at least 30 routes with “red resources” would be provided through the Mainland exchange and study tours for students. The EDB has made corresponding arrangements to incorporate relevant visiting spots, including historical sites, museums and thematic memorial halls, as well as learning activities, into 30 routes of MEPs and 11 routes of CS Mainland study tours respectively. To further strengthen patriotic education, and tie in with the launch of the Curriculum Framework of National Security Education in Hong Kong (2025) and mark the 80th anniversary of victory in the War of Resistance, starting from the 2025/26 s.y., the number of routes with “red resources” to be provided through MEPs and CS Mainland study tours for students will be increased to 33 and 15 respectively to facilitate students’ understanding of the revolutionary stories and arduous struggles of our revolutionary predecessors and foster their national spirit. The EDB will continue to gauge views from different stakeholders for reviewing the effectiveness of and enhance the arrangements for the Mainland exchange and study tours for students. The EDB will also keep in view the learning effectiveness of the Mainland exchange and study tours for students through school visits and inspections, collection of student work (including photographs, video clips and student reflections), interviews with teachers and students, etc, and will share students’ learning outcomes with the public.

The EDB has all along been actively organising for the benefit of students various kinds of Mainland exchange and study tours, which have gained general support and recognition from schools. The learning outcomes of students are also remarkable. We are looking forward to the continuous support from relevant stakeholders for the Mainland exchange and study tours for students. We will also adhere to our original aspiration and continue to enhance the quality of MEPs for students, and join hands with various stakeholders to achieve more fruitful outcomes. 

Source: Government of Singapore

14th chemical emergency response exercise conducted as part of the bilateral co-operation under the Malaysia-Singapore Joint Committee on the Environment (MSJCE)

JOINT NEWS RELEASE BETWEEN NEA AND DOE

Singapore, 23 July 2025 – The National Environment Agency (NEA), Singapore and the Department of Environment (DOE), Malaysia, successfully conducted the 14^th chemical emergency response exercise at the Tuas Second Link this morning, sharpening the inter-operability between the two countries to respond to and mitigate chemical spillage incidents. A total of 15 agencies and companies from both countries were involved in the exercise [1].

2               The Malaysia-Singapore Joint Committee on the Environment (MSJCE) conducts a biennial exercise to test the effectiveness of the Joint Emergency Response Plan developed by NEA, DOE, and other relevant agencies for dealing with accidental hazardous chemical releases on the Tuas Second Link [2]. These exercises strengthen the emergency response capabilities of the respective agencies, ensuring that they are prepared to take swift and effective action to protect the public’s safety should such an accident occur.

3               Today’s exercise simulated an emergency response to hazardous chemicals being released as a result of a multi-vehicle accident along the Tuas Second Link [3]. In the simulated scenario, a truck transporting drums of concentrated sodium hydroxide swerved sideways into an International Organisation for Standardization (ISO) tanker transporting anhydrous ammonia from Singapore to the Pasir Gudang Industrial Area, Malaysia. Unable to avoid the sudden collision, a car then crashed into the truck. The impact caused two drums of concentrated sodium hydroxide to be dislodged and the chemical to be spilled. The ISO tank was punctured, releasing about 400kg of ammonia gas into the surroundings. The drivers of both the ISO tanker and truck suffered injuries and showed signs of ammonia exposure – coughing and irritation to the eyes, nose and throat. The driver of the car and the passenger were trapped in their vehicle with minor injuries.

4               NEA Chief Executive Officer Mr Wong Kang Jet attributed the success of the exercise to the longstanding and strong bilateral relations between Singapore and Malaysia. “This joint chemical spill exercise has enabled Singapore and Malaysia agencies to further strengthen our cooperation on environmental matters. This exercise is part of a broader set of collaboration that also includes joint regular water quality monitoring along the Straits of Johor as well as workshops to exchange ideas and share expertise. All in, around 500 participants from across 15 agencies from both countries helped with this morning’s exercise. We also had the opportunity to test out newer technologies such as SCDF’s robotic dog, as well as BOMBA’s Long Range Gas Detector. These innovations allow us to monitor the air quality in the incident area in a safer way. The completion of this exercise has also given us greater confidence that we can manage an accident along the Second Link, as well as any other environmental incident with cross border impact. We look forward to strengthening this partnership as well as to explore new opportunities to further increase our collective readiness.”

5               Director General of the Department of Environment, Dato’ Wan Abdul Latiff Wan Jaffar, stated: “I believe in the strong commitment and collaboration between agencies of both countries in ensuring the success of this exercise, and I am confident that it will continue in the future. This cooperation reflects our level of preparedness in responding to any unforeseen incidents”. The Department of Environment is also committed to strengthening inter-agency collaboration within Malaysia through the delegation of power, which was gazetted on 7 July 2025. This delegation reinforces the roles and functions of 15 agencies, supporting more efficient and comprehensive task execution. This move not only allows for more effective use of resources but also serves as a strategic approach to addressing current challenges, while maintaining integrity and public confidence in the country’s environmental regulatory system.

6               To facilitate the exercise, all three lanes on the Singapore to Malaysia-bound carriageway on the Tuas Second Link were closed to vehicular traffic on 23 July 2025, from 5am and will reopen at 2pm. We thank motorists and any affected travellers for their patience and understanding.

 

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For more information, please submit your enquiries electronically via the Online Feedback Form or myENV mobile application.

ANNEX A

The Malaysia-Singapore Joint Committee on the Environment (MSJCE)

Background

            The Tuas Second Link was opened on 2 January 1998. As part of the bilateral co-operation programme, the Malaysia-Singapore Joint Committee on the Environment (MSJCE) agreed that road transportation of hazardous chemicals between the two countries should be restricted to the Tuas Second Link. This has ensured that road tankers and vehicles carrying hazardous chemicals do not pass through congested and populated areas in Johor Bahru and Woodlands/Bukit Timah areas.

2            Hazardous chemicals are often moved between the two countries. Common chemicals transported between the two countries include sulphuric acid, hydrochloric acid and sodium hydroxide. Considering the large amounts of chemicals transported via the Tuas Second Link, it is important to have in place response plans for any accidents or emergencies involving vehicles transporting hazardous chemicals.

3            Under the auspices of the MSJCE, the Department of Environment (DOE), Malaysia, and the National Environment Agency (NEA), Singapore, together with other relevant agencies, jointly developed an Emergency Response Plan (ERP) to deal with accidents involving transportation of hazardous chemicals on the Tuas Second Link. The ERP comprises the following:

a) a notification procedure to alert the two countries early on any incident involving release of hazardous chemicals occurring on the Tuas Second Link; and

b) a response procedure to facilitate and co-ordinate emergency response actions by the agencies of both countries to control and mitigate a release of hazardous chemicals from incidents occurring on the Tuas Second Link.

4          The ERP will enable emergency response agencies of both Malaysia and Singapore to take quick and effective response actions to minimise the consequences of an accident involving hazardous chemicals at the Tuas Second Link. To familiarise agencies from both countries with the ERP, DOE and NEA regularly conduct joint field exercises. Previous exercises are as follows:

 

Participating Agencies / Companies in the 14^th Malaysia-Singapore Joint Emergency Exercise for Chemical Spill

S/N	Singapore
1. 2. 3. 4.	Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) National Environment Agency (NEA) Pride-Chem Industries Pte Ltd

S/N	Malaysia
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11.	Ministry of Home Affairs (KLN) Malaysian Border Control & Protection Agency (AKPS) Ministry of Health (KKM) Department of Environment (DOE) Fire and Rescue Department (BOMBA) Malaysian Highway Authority (LLM) Malaysia Road Transport Department (JPJ) Malaysia Immigration Department (JIM) PLUS Berhad Royal Malaysian Customs Department (JKDM) Royal Malaysian Police (PDRM)

S/N	Malaysia
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11.	Ministry of Home Affairs (KLN) Malaysian Border Control & Protection Agency (AKPS) Ministry of Health (KKM) Department of Environment (DOE) Fire and Rescue Department (BOMBA) Malaysian Highway Authority (LLM) Malaysia Road Transport Department (JPJ) Malaysia Immigration Department (JIM) PLUS Berhad Royal Malaysian Customs Department (JKDM) Royal Malaysian Police (PDRM)

 

ANNEX B

Information on the Chemicals

Information on Anhydrous Ammonia

Physical Description ·       Colourless liquefied gas. ·       Has a stinging odour and is not flammable.   Health Hazard ·       Inhalation may cause severe irritation or burn of the nose, throat and respiratory tract. ·       Corrosive to the skin and can cause burns. ·       May cause serious eye damage when in contact with the eye. ·       Ingestion may be fatal, cause burns and corrosion, severe pain in the throat, esophagus, and stomach.   Industrial Uses ·       Commonly used to make fertilisers, household cleaning products and refrigerant recirculating fluid. ·       It is also used in many soldering machines for the manufacturing of jewellery.

Information on Concentrated Sodium Hydroxide

Physical Description ·       Colourless liquid. ·       Odourless and not flammable.   Health Hazard ·       Inhalation may cause burns of mucous membranes, cough, and shortness of breath. ·       May cause severe skin burns and eye damage when in contact with the eye. ·       Ingestion can cause severe burns of the mouth and throat, as well as the potential danger of perforation of the esophagus and stomach.   Industrial Uses ·       Commonly used in paper manufacturing, chemical cellulose bleaching, chemical industry, petrochemical, textile industry and the making of soap and detergents.

Information on Ammonia Gas
Physical Description ·       Colourless gas. ·       Stinging odour. Health Hazard ·       May cause serious eye damage when in contact with the eyes.   Industrial Uses ·       Commonly used in fertiliser production, chemical manufacturing, water treatment and fuel production.

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

Source: Hong Kong Information Services

The Police Force’s National Security Department (NSD) has laid a holding charge after arresting an 18-year-old local man over the alleged writing of seditious words in the toilet of a commercial building on three occasions.

The charge involves one count of committing an act or acts with seditious intention and three counts of criminal damage.

The case was due to be mentioned at the West Kowloon Magistrates’ Courts this afternoon.

The man was arrested on Monday in Kowloon in relation to acts committed with seditious intention, in contravention of the Safeguarding National Security Ordinance.

The seditious words concerned involve provoking hatred, contempt or disaffection against the constitutional order and the executive, legislative or judicial authority of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, as well as inciting other persons to break the laws of the Hong Kong SAR.

Police reminded members of the public that committing any act with seditious intention is a serious offence, and that offenders are liable to imprisonment for seven years on first conviction. It urged members of the public not to defy the law. 

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

​Following is a question by the Hon Yung Hoi-yan and a written reply by the Secretary for Transport and Logistics, Ms Mable Chan, in the Legislative Council today (July 23):

Question:

It has been reported that after the occurrence of traffic accidents recently, many drivers who caused the accidents chose to hit and run or refused to provide the drivers’ personal particulars. There are views that the reason for the drivers who caused the accidents taking such actions is the lighter penalty for the relevant traffic offences, thereby enabling them to circumvent more serious offences such as causing casualties by dangerous driving, which reflected the existence of legal loopholes in the authorities’ efforts to combat traffic offences. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:

(1) of the respective numbers of persons who were (i) arrested, (ii) prosecuted, (iii) convicted after trial and on own plea for being involved in traffic accidents in each of the past five years, together with a breakdown by the offenses involving the drivers concerned (including but not limited to (a) careless driving, (b) causing grievous bodily harm by dangerous driving, (c) causing death by dangerous driving, (d) failing to stop after a traffic accident, (e) failing to report after a traffic accident, and (f) refusing to provide the driver’s information after a traffic accident);

(2) given that under the Road Traffic Ordinance (Cap. 374) (the Ordinance), the maximum penalty for refusal to give information on the driver of a vehicle suspected of having committed an offence under the Ordinance is liable to a fine of $10,000 and an imprisonment for six months, whereas the maximum penalty for dangerous driving causing death is a fine of $50,000 and an imprisonment for 10 years; disqualification from driving for not less than five years on first conviction and not less than 10 years or life on subsequent conviction, there are views that the disparity in the penalties between the two offences is significant, which may indirectly encourage drivers who caused accidents to circumvent serious offences by refusing to give personal particulars, whether the Government has plans to increase the penalties and maximum penalty for refusal to give a driver’s personal particulars, so as to enhance the deterrent effect; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that;

(3) it is learnt that if the registered owner of the vehicle concerned is a limited company and the relevant person refused to give the driver’s personal particulars after the traffic accident, the penalty is only limited to a fine and no one has to be imprisoned, whether the Government has plans to review the responsibility of the registrant of the vehicle concerned after a traffic accident, e.g. whether it will hold the responsible individuals of companies of the vehicle involved (including director, general manager or company secretary) responsible for the traffic accident, and whether it will study empowering the Commissioner for Transport to refuse to issue licences to owners of company vehicles who have repeatedly committed offences under section 63(1) of the Ordinance; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that;

(4) given that Schedule 8 to the Criminal Procedure Ordinance (Cap. 221) sets out the level of fines for offences, but there are views that the Schedule was last revised in 1994 and has failed to adequately reflect the severity of some of the offences (including behaviour in contravention of traffic legislation) taking into account the current social environment and economic changes, whether the Government has plans to review the Schedule and increase the corresponding amounts of fines; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; and

(5) given that under the Magistrates Ordinance (Cap. 227), the maximum sentence Magistrates’ Courts can impose is generally two years’ imprisonment and a fine of $100,000; and maximum three years’ imprisonment where there are two or more indictable offences being dealt with by the courts at the same time, whether the Government will review the Ordinance and study expanding the Magistrates’ power to impose imprisonment and fine in parallel, so as to ensure that they can impose deterrent penalties when more serious offences (including contravention of traffic legislation) are being adjudicated; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?

Reply:

President,

After consulting the Hong Kong Police Force (HKPF), the Department of Justice, and the Judiciary Administration, my consolidated reponse to the questions raised by the Hon Yung Hoi-yan on combating traffic offences is as follows:

(1) The numbers of arrests related to the offences mentioned in the question from 2020 to 2024 are listed in the table below. Apart from the initial figures, which may have been influenced by the COVID-19 pandemic, the numbers have remained generally stable in recent years.
 

Offences	2020	2021	2022	2023	2024
Careless Driving	26	48	25	36	34
Causing grievous bodily harm by dangerous driving	84	93	102	103	102
Causing death by dangerous driving	51	55	54	56	34
Failing to stop after a traffic accident	7	20	24	23	33
Failing to report a traffic accident	7	18	24	20	31
Failing to give particulars after a traffic accident	0	1	0	1	0

The HKPF does not maintain a breakdown of statistical data for “prosecutions”, “convictions through trial”, or “guilty pleas”. 

(2) and (3) In accordnance with sections 63(1), (2) and (3) and 63B(2) and (3) of the Road Traffic Ordinance (Cap. 374) (the Ordinance), if the driver of a vehicle is suspected of having committed an offence under the Ordinance, or an accident occurs owing to the presence of a vehicle on a road, a police officer may, within six months after the date of the alleged offence or accident, demand any person to provide the personal particulars of the driver involved and the relationship (if any) of the person to the driver concerned. Sections 63B(5) and (7) of the Ordinance provide that any person who contravenes section 63B(2) or (3) commits an offence and is liable on conviction to a fine at level 3 (i.e. $10,000) and to imprisonment for six months, unless the person proves that he did not know, and could not with reasonable diligence have ascertained, the personal particulars of the driver involved.

The Government agrees that a registered vehicle owner should have a certain degree of responsibility with regard to who drives the vehicle registered under his name. However, the registered owner may not actually have full control of all operational information of his vehicle. Therefore, the current section 63B of the Ordinance provides a defence provision to exempt registered vehicle owners from the responsibility of providing driver information in respect of the vehicle concerned under certain circumstances to strike a proper balance.

The HKPF has consistently enforced the law strictly and effectively, striving to bring offenders to justice. When investigating traffic accidents, apart from requiring the registered vehicle owner to provide information on the driver who may have been involved in the accident under section 63 of the Ordinance, the HKPF will, depending on the nature of the case, use various methods to gather evidence. These methods include analysing footage from nearby security cameras, dash cameras, or even fingerprints to identify the driver involved. In other words, even if the HKPF cannot obtain information of the driver who may have been involved in the accident from the registered owner, there are still ways for the HKPF to find out the cause of the accident through other means and to prosecute the suspected offender.

The Government will continue to pay heed to stakeholders’ views and review the legislation when appropriate.

(4) Schedule 8 to the Criminal Procedure Ordinance (Cap. 221) sets out different levels of fines applicable to penalty provisions under various ordinances. Bureaux and departments will from time to time review and propose adjustments to penalties under relevant legislation based on their policy considerations to ensure that the penalties reflect the severity of the offences. The Government will review the fine levels table as appropriate.

(5) The scope of charges heard in the Magistrates’ Courts includes summary offences and indictable offences, with the maximum penalty for indictable offences generally being imprisonment for two years and a fine of $100,000. The Government may, in accordance with relevant policies, empower magistrates to impose maximum penalties under specific legislation when enacting or amending such laws to enhance deterrent effect, instead of amending the Magistrates Ordinance (Cap. 227). Currently, certain ordinances already authorise magistrates to impose a maximum penalty of up to three years’ imprisonment and a fine of $5 million for a single offence. In addition, while all criminal proceedings commence in the Magistrates’ Courts, more serious indictable offences may be transferred to the District Court or the Court of First Instance of the High Court for trial. The District Court has a sentencing limit of up to seven years’ imprisonment, while the Court of First Instance may impose the maximum penalty prescribed by the relevant legislative provisions. This mechanism has been operating effectively.

Currently, different levels of courts (including the Magistrates’ Courts) have distinct judicial jurisdictions, allowing cases to be reasonably allocated based on their nature, severity, and complexity to ensure the efficiency of judicial operations. Any proposals to adjust the judicial jurisdiction of individual court levels (including the Magistrates’ Courts) should go through a comprehensive and prudent review and an extensive consultation with stakeholders, before any decisions are made. Key considerations include the demarcation of judicial jurisdiction among different court levels, ensuring that each level of courts has adequate judicial manpower and legal support to handle relevant cases, as well as the overall resources, facilities, and supporting arrangements of the courts.