The Government announced today (March 31) the reappointment of Mr Kenneth Leung Yuk-wai as Vice-Chairman of the Youth Development Commission (YDC) and the reappointments of 13 non-official members as well as appointments o… read more
The following is issued on behalf of the Legislative Council Secretariat:
The Legislative Council (LegCo) will hold a meeting on Wednesday (April 2) at 11am in the Chamber of the LegCo Complex. During the meeting, the Second Reading debate on the Ozone Layer Protection (Amendment) Bill 2024 will resume. If the Bill is supported by Members and receives its Second Reading, it will stand committed to the committee of the whole Council. After the committee of the whole Council has completed consideration of the Bill and its report is adopted by the Council, the Bill will be set down for the Third Reading.
Meanwhile, the Banking (Amendment) Bill 2025, the Firearms and Ammunition (Amendment) Bill 2025, the Promotion of Recycling and Proper Disposal of Products (Miscellaneous Amendments) Bill 2025, the Import and Export (Amendment) Bill 2025 and the Housing (Amendment) Bill 2025 will be introduced into the Council for the First Reading and the Second Reading. The Second Reading debates on the Bills will be adjourned.
On Members’ motions, Mr Lai Tung-kwok will move a motion on enhancing the handling of non-refoulement claims. The motion is set out in Appendix 1. Mr Chan Hak-kan, Dr Hoey Simon Lee and Mr Tang Ka-piu will move separate amendments to Mr Lai’s motion.
Mr Shiu Ka-fai will move a motion on enhancing the measures on the importation of manpower. The motion is set out in Appendix 2. Dr Ngan Man-yu and Mr Lee Chun-keung will move separate amendments to Mr Shiu’s motion.
Members will also ask the Government 22 questions on various policy areas, six of which require oral replies.
The agenda of the above meeting can be obtained via the LegCo Website (www.legco.gov.hk). Members of the public can watch or listen to the meeting via the “Webcast” system on the LegCo Website. To observe the proceedings of the meeting at the LegCo Complex, members of the public may call 3919 3399 during office hours to reserve seats. read more
Following is the speech by the Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism, Miss Rosanna Law, at the Hong Kong Football Festival 2025 Press Conference today (March 31):
Miss Rachel Carroll (Managing Director of TEG Sport), Mr Pui Kwan-kay (President of the Football Association of Hong Kong, China), media friends, ladies and gentlemen,
Good afternoon. First of all, I hope you have recovered from the excitement, and I actually mean hangover, of Hong Kong Rugby Sevens already. And more importantly, I hope you are as excited as I am in joining this press conference to announce the big event this coming summer: Hong Kong Football Festival 2025 to be held in our new Kai Tak Sports Park, Kai Tak Stadium. Four top international football teams will be playing in two matches in the last week of July. And you heard the details from Carroll just now.
There is indeed no better way of concluding our Super March with the announcement of yet another set of mega sports events. While we may still be overwhelmed by the joy and atmosphere of the Hong Kong Sevens or are still savouring the series of arts and cultural offerings in March, Hong Kong is in fact all set to welcome Liverpool, AC Milan, Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur to Hong Kong. I did promise you that the mega event calendar in Hong Kong will continue to be filled by highly anticipated events, and that I will be personally announcing our major international football matches with a big grin on my face, so here you go!
Hong Kong Football Festival 2025 represents so much more than two football matches. It is a celebration of Hong Kong and Asia’s longstanding passion for football, one of the most powerful sports in captivating audiences from around the world.
Another milestone meaning for these two matches is of course that they will be the first international football club matches to be staged at our world-class new stadium at Kai Tak Sports Park.
My special thanks go to our special guests – the legendary players from all four teams. They have come all the way to share our excitement. I can already feel that the “football temperature” is rising in Hong Kong. And I am sure that the adrenaline of our football fans is pumping up fast.
Before I close, I would like to thank TEG Sport for bringing to us this wonderful football festival. Let’s work together to make this event a great success! And I look forward to seeing you all at Kai Tak Stadium in end-July. read more
The Environmental Protection Department (EPD) has officially launched the Packaging Reduction Charter to encourage businesses to reassess and reduce their packaging usage, foster a waste reduction culture in commercial activities, and support Hong Kong’s long-term goals of “zero landfill” and carbon neutrality. So far, 102 local and multinational companies have already undertaken the initiative.
The Secretary for Environment and Ecology, Mr Tse Chin-wan, officiated at the launching ceremony today (March 31). In his speech, he highlighted that while packaging plays a crucial role in protecting products during transportation, most packaging materials are discarded after a single or limited use, placing a significant burden on the environment.
He stated, “The launch of the Packaging Reduction Charter aims to encourage businesses to adopt sustainable packaging reduction practices, including reviewing their packaging designs to minimise unnecessary material usage, enhancing the recyclability and reusability of their packaging, as well as exploring innovative solutions. These efforts not only alleviate the pressure on landfills, but also help businesses fulfil their social responsibilities, contributing to Hong Kong’s long-term goals of ‘zero landfill’ and carbon neutrality.”
Signatory companies to the Charter undertake to submit to the EPD their annual total packaging material usage, implement measures to reduce packaging or adopt sustainable packaging solutions, as well as encourage their upstream and downstream suppliers, business partners and customers to reduce packaging materials and enhance packaging management.
To assist businesses in packaging reduction and management, the EPD has published the Practical Guides on Packaging Reduction and Management (Practical Guides) for eight specific sectors (Note) on its website. The EPD has also conducted briefing sessions for relevant trades and will closely monitor their progress in packaging reduction.
The Packaging Reduction Charter also serves as a platform for knowledge exchanges and collaboration, enabling businesses to connect and share experiences through various activities, promote industry partnerships, and drive innovation in developing efficient and eco-friendly packaging solutions. Furthermore, the initiative will assist local businesses in preparing relevant data to meet Environmental, Social, and Governance reporting requirements on product packaging.
Details of the Packaging Reduction Charter and the Practical Guides are available on the Hong Kong Waste Reduction website: www.wastereduction.gov.hk/en-hk. For enquiries, please contact the Charter’s Secretariat at 5279 1936 or by email to lesspackagingcharter@bec.org.hk.
Note: The eight specific sectors covered by the Practical Guides are supermarkets and grocery stores, logistics, e-commerce, hotel and hospitality, electronics and electrical appliances, beverage manufacturing, food manufacturing, and importers.
The Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD) today (March 31) launched the Platform for Cemeteries and Crematoria Services (service platform) (app.fehd.gov.hk/ccsp). This one-stop portal provides online services for all cemeteries and crematoria facilities under the FEHD’s management, streamlining the electronic application process and offering personalised services to further facilitate the handling of after-death arrangements for members of the public.
Starting today, members of the public can submit applications for all cemeteries and crematoria services managed by the FEHD via the service platform, including cremation services, allocation of public niches, cemetery services, green burial, cremation or keeping services for abortus, free memorial sails and the establishment of the Internet Memorial Service Website (Advanced Planning Version). The service platform features a key function that allows members of the public to create an integrated service account to manage after-death arrangements for multiple deceased individuals, reducing cumbersome procedures. Users can also manage multiple applications for the same deceased in a single account and track the application progress of each service at a glance.
The service platform also supports multiple electronic payment methods, saving time for the public by eliminating the need to visit cemetery and crematorium offices in person for applications and fee payments.
Applicants must register and complete authentication on the service platform before applying for cemetery and crematorium services. The FEHD encourages the use of the “iAM Smart” electronic identity verification, which automatically fills in parts of the online forms to expedite the application process.
To facilitate the public in registering as users of the service platform and understanding how to handle after-death arrangements through the new system, the FEHD has produced a series of demonstration videos and pamphlets. For details, please visit the following website: www.fehd.gov.hk/english/cc/platform_for_cemeteries_and_crematoria_services.html. read more