Following is a question by Dr the Hon Dennis Lam and a written reply by the Secretary for Health, Professor Lo Chung-mau, in the Legislative Council today (May 31):

Question:

     There are views that Hong Kong has the conditions for developing into a first-rate medical tourism destination in Asia and in the international arena, including possessing excellent medical scientific research talents, internationally recognised clinical trial know-how, a comprehensive regulatory regime, internationally-aligned medication standards, and a well-developed commercial medical insurance market. However, the Government still does not have a clear action agenda for developing Hong Kong's medical tourism industry. Moreover, it has been reported that the scale of the Mainland medical tourism service market already reached Renminbi 118.6 billion in 2018, while the scale of the global medical tourism market is expected to reach US$165.345 billion in 2023. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:

(1) whether it has compiled statistics on the number of non-Hong Kong residents who came to Hong Kong to seek medical treatment in the past five years, the countries or regions from which they mainly came, and the main specialties involved in the medical treatment;

(2) whether it has considered issuing visas for non-Hong Kong residents who come to Hong Kong for medical treatment; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that;

(3) whether it can provide non-Hong Kong residents who wish to come to Hong Kong to seek medical treatment with more official advice and assistance; and

(4) whether it has plans to assist non-Hong Kong residents who wish to come to Hong Kong to seek medical treatment in taking out commercial medical insurance in Hong Kong; if not, of the reasons for that?

Reply:

President,

     In consultation with the Security Bureau, the Financial Services and the Treasury Bureau, the Department of Health and the Hospital Authority (HA), a consolidated reply to the question raised by Dr the Hon Dennis Lam is as follows:

(1) Public healthcare services in Hong Kong are highly subsidised by the Government, and are mainly provided for Eligible Persons (EPs) (Note 1). While prioritising its services for EPs, the HA will also provide emergency medical services for Non-eligible Persons (NEPs). For non-emergency services, the HA will consider providing such services for NEPs having regard to their clinical conditions on a case-by-case basis only when spare service capacity is available and services for EPs are not affected. NEPs are required to pay their medical service fees in full on a cost recovery basis when using public healthcare services. Under normal circumstances, the Government does not proactively encourage non-Hong Kong residents without urgent medical needs to seek medical treatment in the public healthcare sector.

     The table below sets out the total HA's specialist outpatient (clinical) attendances of NEPs from 2018-19 to 2022-23.
 

     The HA does not have the statistical information on the nationality or place of origin of NEPs.

     Private hospitals do not differentiate between Hong Kong residents and non-Hong Kong residents when offering medical services, and thus currently do not maintain relevant statistics on non-Hong Kong residents who seek medical treatment. The Government will consider requiring private hospitals to provide figures in this regard. 

(2) Regulation 2(1) of the Immigration Regulations (Cap. 115A), Laws of Hong Kong, stipulates that permission given to a person to land in Hong Kong as a visitor shall be subject to the following conditions of stay:

(a) he shall not take any employment, whether paid or unpaid; 
(b) he shall not establish or join in any business; and 
(c) he shall not become a student at a school, university or other educational institution. 

     On the premise that the relevant conditions of stay are observed, no prior application is needed for visitors to receive medical treatment in Hong Kong, regardless of whether they are required to apply for an entry visa or not.

     At present, passport holders of about 170 countries and territories may visit Hong Kong (including transit) without a visa/entry permit for a period ranging from seven days to 180 days, subject to the normal immigration requirements being met, and there is no limitation for them to receive medical treatment. For those who need to apply for visa/entry permit, as long as they are permitted to land in Hong Kong as a visitor, there is also no limitation for them to receive medical treatment.

(3) and (4) The Government observes that some private hospitals and healthcare facilities have been providing information to facilitate non-Hong Kong residents in seeking medical treatment. The Government does not proactively encourage non-Hong Kong residents to seek medical treatment in public healthcare sector, and has no plan to specifically provide information on our public healthcare services to non-Hong Kong residents outside the city.

     Under the Voluntary Health Insurance Scheme (VHIS) launched by the Government in April 2019, participating insurance companies may decide on whether or not to accept applications from non-Hong Kong residents having regard to their business considerations. Local insurance companies have also been offering options of non-VHIS medical insurance products for consumers.

     Currently, there is no requirement for inbound travelers to Hong Kong to have purchased insurances which cover their medical needs. If non-Hong Kong residents have already purchased travel insurance or medical insurance at their places of origin, it may have already covered the medical services used in Hong Kong depending on the specific terms of the relevant insurance policies.

     All in all, considering that healthcare services in Hong Kong are mainly provided by public healthcare sector, and basically serve Hong Kong residents as target beneficiaries, currently the Government has no plans to develop medical tourism as an industry. 

Note 1: EPs are holders of a Hong Kong identity card (HKIC) issued under the Registration of Persons Ordinance (Cap. 177) (except those who obtained their HKIC by virtue of a previous permission to land or remain in Hong Kong granted to them and for whom such permission has expired or ceased to be valid); or children who are Hong Kong residents and under 11 years of age; or other persons approved by the Chief Executive of the HA.

Note 2: Specialist outpatient (clinical) attendances also include attendances in nurse clinics in specialist outpatient setting. The tabulated figures have taken into account the impact of the COVID-19 epidemic.

     Following is a question by the Hon Paul Tse and a reply by the Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development, Mr Algernon Yau, in the Legislative Council today (May 31):
 
Question:
 
     It is learnt that, regarding the Special 100% Loan Guarantee (Special Loan) provided by the Government to assist small and medium enterprises (SMEs), some members of the public have queried cases involving suspected unreasonable rejection of applications by the lending banks and the HKMC Insurance Limited (HKMCI), which have left the applicants with no way of seeking redress of their grievances. Some applicants have pointed out that some lending banks have allegedly gone back on their words by first telling them that their applications have been successfully approved (and even claiming that based on their good records of loan repayment, the banks can increase the amounts of loan), thus spurring the applicants to recruit a large number of staff and make expansion arrangements. However, approvals for the applicants' loans are subsequently denied by the lending banks on the ground of HKMCI's rejection of their applications (in a situation where there is no explanation for the reasons for the rejection and no information on the corresponding parties or responsible officers), making the applicants feel that they have been seriously misled and even fooled. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
 
(1) of the assistance that the Government can provide in respect of the aforesaid situation involving rejection of applications by lending banks or the HKMCI (especially those applications initially approved but subsequently rejected where "the corresponding parties cannot be found"); whether it can assist the applicants in contacting the lending banks concerned and the HKMCI to gain an understanding of the reasons for the rejection, and put in place a review or appeal mechanism by following relief measures such as the Consumption Voucher Scheme and the Employment Support Scheme;
 
(2) of the number of cases expressing dissatisfaction with the vetting and approval situation and requesting for appeals or reviews which have been received by the authorities since the launch of the Special Loan, together with the follow-up actions taken; and
 
(3) whether it has assessed if the aforesaid situation involving applications suspected of being initially approved but subsequently rejected will go against the good intention of local banks and the Government to assist SMEs in tiding over the difficulties, and create negative impacts on the Government's popularity?
 
Reply:
 
President,
 
     We thank the Hon Tse for the question, which gives the Government an opportunity to explain the details of the scheme. The SME Financing Guarantee Scheme (SFGS) was launched in January 2011. The Government helps businesses obtain commercial loans by providing loan guarantees through the SFGS. To assist enterprises hard hit by the epidemic in coping with cash flow problems, the Government launched in April 2020 the Special 100% Guarantee Product under the SFGS to provide low-interest concessionary loans to small and medium enterprises (SMEs), and has subsequently implemented several rounds of enhancement measures, raising the maximum loan amount per enterprise thrice from initially the total of six months of employee wages and rents to currently the total of 27 months of employee wages and rents, subject to the upper limit of $9 million. To alleviate the cash flow burden of borrowing enterprises, the maximum repayment period was also extended thrice from originally three years to currently 10 years.
 
     The HKMC Insurance Limited (HKMCI) is responsible for administering the operation of the SFGS. Lending institutions participating in the SFGS check the eligibility of enterprises with their professional knowledge, judgement and due diligence, and submit the verified applications with all the required documents to the HKMCI for final assessment and approval.
 
     The Government's consolidated reply to the three parts of the question is set out below:
 
     The HKMCI has not tightened the eligibility criteria for enterprises since the launch of the Special 100% Guarantee Product. If an application involves an increase in loan amount (e.g. an enterprise with an approved loan applies for a top-up given that it has not reached the maximum loan amount limit), the lending institution will reasonably request the applying enterprise to provide the latest documents of proof to reflect the latest business situation of the enterprise, and ensure that the enterprise continues to meet the eligibility. The lending institution will check the relevant documents and the eligibility of the enterprise, and then submit the application to the HKMCI for assessment and approval. 
 
     During the course of application, even if an applying enterprise is unable to provide the necessary documents of proof, or provide reasonable response to the enquiries of the lending institution and the HKMCI, the HKMCI will still give the applying enterprise opportunities to furnish the relevant documents or respond, before making its final decision. For instance, since the launch of the Special 100% Guarantee Product, rejected applications had been given on average more than three opportunities to furnish documents or respond to enquiries before they were rejected. The average processing time was 85 days. These show that the current approval mechanism already provides applying enterprises with ample opportunities to make clarifications to lending institutions or the HKMCI, it is therefore not necessary to establish a separate review mechanism or gather statistics on the number of cases that request a review. 
 
     Lending institutions are the main point of contact of applying enterprises, and are responsible for handling applications and responding to applying enterprises' enquiries. Applying enterprises can also direct enquiries to the HKMCI regarding the SFGS and applications through the HKMCI's hotline and email. In the event an application is eventually not approved, the lending institution and the HKMCI will suitably explain the reasons (e.g. ineligibility (such as due to business cessation or adverse credit records, etc.) or inability to provide the necessary documents of proof) having regard to the request of the applying enterprise and circumstances of the case, although it may not be possible to provide a specific explanation in certain situations (e.g. suspicious cases that are subject to investigation).
 
     The Special 100% Guarantee Product has been enhanced several times in the past three years with a view to benefitting more enterprises. These enhancements have been well received by the trade and endorsed by the business sector and SMEs. From the launching of the Special 100% Guarantee Product in April 2020 to end April 2023, 62 031 applications had been approved, involving $126.42 billion of loans, benefitting over 36 000 enterprises, among which over 25 000 approved applications involved an increase in loan amount. It has been well demonstrated that the SFGS and the enhancement measures are effective and proper. A total of 375 applications were rejected, equivalent to only 0.6 per cent of the applications received. 
 
     Hong Kong's economy is clearly improving this year. Yet, the Government is mindful that it takes time for SMEs to consolidate their strengths on the way to recovery, and has therefore announced the extension of the application period of the SFGS from end June 2023 to end March 2024, thus giving SMEs more room to adjust and secure a firm footing. The Government will continue to monitor closely the applications and the operation of the SFGS, and review its effectiveness.

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Please broadcast the following as soon as possible:

     Here is an item of interest to swimmers.

     The Leisure and Cultural Services Department announced today (May 31) that due to big waves, the red flag has been hoisted at Clear Water Bay Second Beach in Sai Kung District. Beachgoers are advised not to swim at the beach.

     â€‹Following is a question by the Hon Chan Hak-kan and a written reply by the Acting Secretary for Security, Mr Michael Cheuk, in the Legislative Council today (May 31):
 
Question:

     ​There are views pointing out that during the recent Easter holidays, the situation of passenger congestion occurred at a number of land boundary control points (BCPs), causing nuisance to travellers entering and leaving Hong Kong. Regarding crowd management at BCPs, will the Government inform this Council:
 
(1) given that Hong Kong residents are currently required to complete a health declaration online to obtain a QR code commonly known as "black code" before entering the Mainland, so that they can scan the code for entry when crossing the boundary, but there are views pointing out that the scanning of black code is the main cause of passenger congestion at various BCPs during long holidays, whether the Government has communicated with the relevant Mainland departments on the arrangement concerned; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that;
 
(2) as it is learnt that some BCPs operated apparently smoothly during the last two long holidays by suspending the arrangement for scanning of black code, whether the Government will consider proposing to the relevant Mainland departments to regularise the arrangement for suspending the scanning of black code during public holidays in Hong Kong and on the Mainland; if not, the reasons for that;
 
(3) given that there are a number of land BCPs in Hong Kong, what strategies the authorities have put in place to implement the diversion of travellers, so that the resources of various BCPs can be fully utilised, and whether they will consider making use of technology to share with travellers the information on passenger flow at various BCPs on a real time basis;
 
(4) of the publicity measures the authorities have put in place in respect of BCPs which are newer and have fewer passengers, so as to enable Hong Kong and Mainland residents to fully understand the relevant information on such BCPs; and
 
(5) whether it will consider suitably extending the opening hours of BCPs during public holidays, so as to facilitate Hong Kong residents and encourage staggered peak travel?
 
Reply:
 
President,
 
     ​With the full resumption of normal travel between Hong Kong and the Mainland, there has been an upward trend on the number of cross-boundary passengers. During long holidays, the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Government would, on one hand, conduct real-time monitoring of the passenger flow at various land boundary control points (BCPs), flexibly deploy manpower according to the passenger flow, open more e-Channels and counters to facilitate passenger movement, and also make good use of technology to provide updated information to assist passengers in planning their cross-boundary trips. On the other hand, we would maintain close liaison with the Mainland frontier port authorities for taking timely contingency actions to step up traffic diversion at the relevant BCPs, with a view to providing efficient clearance services to passengers.
 
     ​My reply to the Member's question is as follows:
 
(1) and (2) According to the anti-epidemic requirements of the Frontier Health and Quarantine Law of the People's Republic of China, persons on entry or exit at all frontier ports have to complete the "China Customs' Health Declaration Form" and make a health declaration to the health and quarantine offices of the China Customs. Before entering and leaving the Mainland, residents and passengers can first complete the health declaration form online to obtain a QR code commonly known as the "black code", such that they can swiftly scan the code for clearance when crossing the boundary.
 
     ​At the initial stage of resumption of normal travel, the HKSAR Government noticed that some passengers might have yet to adapt to the requirements of completing health declaration and queuing up for code scanning, resulting in long queues waiting for clearance at control point areas during the peak period on weekends.
 
     ​The Mainland authorities have also expressed concern and responded positively by implementing enhancement measures in phases since February this year to facilitate passengers' health declaration. For example, the option of "Are you travelling from/to Hong Kong SAR or Macao SAR" has been added to the health declaration system of the Mainland side. If the "yes" option is selected, certain required fields such as "Outbound or Inbound types of travel", "Travel history in the past 14 days" and other particulars including "Contact persons in China" (such as the contact person's name, phone number and address in China) can be skipped. This has substantially reduced the time required to fill out the declaration form. In addition, if passengers have made a health declaration before, they can simply select "automatic update" to complete the declaration procedure with the personal information previously provided when doing the next round of declaration. The process is user-friendly and quick. Thanks to the series of enhancement measures introduced by the Mainland authorities, and the fact that passengers gradually get familiarised with the health declaration arrangements, the BCPs are operating smoothly at present.
 
     ​The HKSAR Government will continue to actively accommodate the Mainland's anti-epidemic policy and maintain close communication with the Mainland authorities, especially during long holidays to closely monitor the passenger traffic at the peak hours of boundary crossing, and to take resolute emergency diversion and crowd management measures when necessary to ensure that passengers can travel between the two sides smoothly.
 
(3) Cross-boundary passengers mostly choose the control points for their journeys based on their needs and itineraries. To assist the passengers to plan their trips ahead so as to achieve effective passenger diversion, the HKSAR Government has made use of technology to provide information on waiting time at land BCPs through the Immigration Department Mobile Application and "Safeguard HK" mobile app. Estimated waiting time for passenger clearance will be updated around every 15 minutes such that passengers can, depending on their itineraries, choose to cross the boundary at those land BCPs with less traffic or during non-rush hours in order to minimise waiting time.
 
(4) To enable cross-boundary passengers to have a clear grasp of the utilisation of each control point, the Immigration Department updates the statistics of passenger traffic at all BCPs of the previous day daily on its departmental website and provides real-time updates on the actual waiting time at each control point through the mobile apps mentioned above. In addition, before major long holidays, the HKSAR Government will announce through press releases and social media apps the expected passenger flow during the holiday period, and encourage the public and passengers to plan their trips in advance and make good use of those BCPs with less passenger traffic, while appealing to Mainland travellers and Hong Kong residents planning to enter or leave Hong Kong to cross boundary during non-peak hours as far as possible, with a view to minimising the congestion at land BCPs during the peak hours in the mornings and evenings of holidays. The Hong Kong Tourism Board will also disseminate the above information on its website for the reference of inbound travellers coming to Hong Kong.
 
(5) In view of the resumption of normal travel between the Mainland and Hong Kong since early February this year, the Hong Kong and Shenzhen governments will closely monitor the demand for clearance services at various land BCPs. On the basis of the 24-hour passenger clearance services currently provided in Lok Ma Chau/Huanggang Control Point and Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge Hong Kong Port, we may discuss with the Mainland authorities on extending the operating hours of the passenger clearance service at the Shenzhen Bay Port as and when necessary to further facilitate the flow of people between the two sides. As for the passenger clearance service at Liantang/Heung Yuen Wai Control Point commissioned since February 6 this year, it provides an additional option for passengers bound for the eastern part of Shenzhen and Guangdong East, which will be conducive to facilitating the overall passenger diversion amongst the various land BCPs.

     Following is a question by the Hon Andrew Lam and a reply by the Secretary for Innovation, Technology and Industry, Professor Sun Dong, in the Legislative Council today (May 31):

Question:

     The State Council Institutional Reform Plan, which was deliberated at the First Session of the Fourteenth National People's Congress, proposes the establishment of a National Data Bureau which shall be responsible for, among others, co-ordinating and advancing the construction of the basic system of data, co-ordinating the integration, sharing, development and utilisation of data resources, and advancing the planning and construction of digital China, digital economy and digital society. In addition, the Chief Executive proposed in the 2022 Policy Address the development of Hong Kong into a smart city, and indicated that the Government would explore with the Mainland the arrangements for the flow of data from the Mainland to Hong Kong, with a view to jointly promoting the co-ordinated development of smart cities in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:

(1) in order to develop Hong Kong into a smart city, whether it will set up a "big data bureau" to be co-ordinated by the Government, or transform the Census and Statistics Department into a "big data bureau"; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that;

(2) of the current situation of data interchange between the Government and the relevant Mainland authorities, as well as the anticipated future situation; and

(3) given that the development of a smart city requires the collection, linkage, storage and analysis of data, some members of the public are worried that the Personal Data (Privacy) Ordinance cannot keep pace with the times, whether the Government will review the Ordinance, so as to tie in with the development of a smart city; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?

Reply:

President,

     Digitalisation is an inevitable trend in driving the economy towards high-quality development and constructing Hong Kong into a smart city. The Government has put in place various policies and measures under a data-driven approach to strengthen the consolidation, application, opening and sharing of data among different bureaux/ departments (B/Ds), and leverage the data infrastructure to facilitate the development of digital economy and smart city in Hong Kong. 

     Having consulted the Constitutional and Mainland Affairs Bureau, my reply to the questions raised by the Hon Lam is as follows:

(1) Different regions would formulate appropriate measures to promote the consolidation, sharing, development, utilisation and interchange of data according to their own circumstances and development needs. We understand that the National Data Bureau established by our country would mainly carry four major functions: (i) development of digital government for co-ordinating management of government service data resources, opening up and sharing of data, and integration of information systems; (ii) planning of e-Government management; (iii) management of big data industry including artificial intelligence (AI); and (iv) government service infrastructure such as government cloud. The current work focus of the Office of the Government Chief Information Officer (OGCIO) is comparable to the above-mentioned functions of the National Data Bureau. The OGCIO has achieved some concrete results in this regard, for example,

(i) On the development of digital government and open data, B/Ds and public and private organisations have opened up over 5 160 datasets in the Open Data Portal (data.gov.hk) for free use by the public since the Government announced the Open Data Policy in 2018. The Next Generation Government Cloud Infrastructure enables regular and real-time data interchange among B/Ds' systems and databases by means of Application Programming Interface. The Government is also developing the Consented Data Exchange Gateway (CDEG) and the Common Spatial Data Infrastructure (CSDI) to provide data for smart city development;

(ii) On e-Government management, the Government has formulated a comprehensive government information security incident response mechanism and related measures to protect government systems and data security, while managing and approving e-Government projects;

(iii) On data industry management, we are implementing a number of measures, including developing Hong Kong as the preferred location for setting up high-end data centres in the region, and conducting a feasibility study on the development of an AI Supercomputing Centre; and

(iv) On government service infrastructure, the OGCIO has provided B/Ds with the Next Generation Government Cloud Infrastructure and the Shared Blockchain Platform to accelerate the development of e-Government.

     We are taking forward our work in respect of the development of data infrastructure, data integration and sharing, and digital economy with a clear policy direction and work objectives in mind, which are broadly in line with that of the National Data Bureau. At this stage, we will press ahead with the development of digital economy and smart city in accordance with the above work directions, and continue to keep an open mind on ways to enhance our work in light of the changing circumstances.

 (2) Hong Kong is the nexus that connects the international world and the Mainland, where cross-boundary flow of data is definitely essential. We attach great importance in ensuring data security and protection of personal data privacy while promoting the development of the digital economy in the Greater Bay Area (GBA).

     The Chief Executive's 2022 Policy Address has set out that the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Government would explore with the Mainland on the arrangements for the flow of data from the Mainland to Hong Kong, with a view to jointly promoting the co-ordinated development of smart cities in the GBA. We have since maintained a close communication with the relevant Mainland authorities and made positive progress. The Innovation, Technology and Industry Bureau and the Government Services and Data Management Bureau of Guangdong Province signed the Co-operation Agreement between Guangdong and the HKSAR on Co-developing a Smart City Cluster in March this year, with a view to expediting the development of digital economy and smart city, and jointly promoting the development of a Guangdong-Hong Kong smart city cluster. The HKSAR Government and the People's Government of Guangdong Province are also pressing ahead the interconnection of "iAM Smart" with the "Unified Identity Authentication Platform of Guangdong Province", so as to facilitate Hong Kong residents to login the Guangdong Government Service Network with "iAM Smart" for using the government services of Guangdong Province. As regards the promotion of the cross-border flow of data elements, both sides will explore the collaboration and connection between the open data platforms of the two governments including the data.gov.hk and CSDI in Hong Kong as well as "GData" in Guangdong.

     In addition, a Sub-group on Cross-boundary Data Collaboration has been set up under the Digital Economy Development Committee (DEDC) chaired by the Financial Secretary. The Sub-group is looking into the promotion of cross-boundary data flow. The DEDC is expected to provide preliminary recommendations this year on promoting the development of Hong Kong's digital economy.

(3) The Personal Data (Privacy) Ordinance (PDPO) is a piece of legislation that is technology-neutral and principle-based. The provisions and principles on personal data protection therein do not discriminate in favour of or against any technical means of collecting, using, storing, retaining and transferring personal data. 

     PDPO's regulation covers six personal data protection principles, i.e. purpose and means of personal data collection; accuracy, storage and retention of data; use of data; data security; transparency of data policies; and data access and correction; so as to ensure that the entire process of the handling of personal data is subject to legal safeguards. These principles are in line with internationally-adopted standards.

     The Office of the Privacy Commissioner for Personal Data, Hong Kong (PCPD) has been keeping in view the Government's various measures to develop Hong Kong into a smart city. For instance, the "iAM Smart" launched by the Government allows users to customise and store their various personalised data through the application. This obviates the need for members of the public to fill in the same information for different applications, and facilitates them to log in and gain access to over 260 online services provided by the Government as well as the public and private sectors. The "iAM Smart" application makes use of a personal information collection statement when or before collecting personal data to clearly inform data subjects of the purposes of data collection and the specific classes of persons or organisations to whom the data may be transferred. This basically complies with relevant requirements under the existing PDPO.

     The PCPD also understands that the CDEG will provide personal data to different government departments under the prior consent of the data subjects to facilitate their application for government services. Such technology enables the collection and use of personal data necessary for the development of a smart city. It also meets the requirements on using personal data for new purposes under the existing PDPO.

     As demonstrated by the examples above, there is no conflict between the development of a smart city and the protection of personal data under the PDPO. The Government and the PCPD appreciate that the PDPO needs to keep pace with the times so that it could provide appropriate protection for personal data while at the same time contributing to the development of innovation and technology. The Government and the PCPD will actively make reference to the experience of other jurisdictions in promoting innovation with regard to the handling of personal data, including the study of relevant legal provisions and administrative measures.