Following is a question by the Hon Lai Tung-kwok and a written reply by the Secretary for Security, Mr Tang Ping-keung, in the Legislative Council today (January 19):

Question:

     In the 2020-2021 financial year (up to February 28, 2021), the number of vacancies at the Rank and File level of the Hong Kong Police Force (HKPF) stood at 4 744, representing an increase of 124.9 per cent over the preceding financial year. Regarding the manpower of the Police, will the Government inform this Council:

(1) of the respective up-to-date numbers of vacancies at and numbers of recruits of (i) the Gazetted Officer rank, (ii) the Inspector rank and (iii) the Rank and File level of the HKPF since the current financial year; whether the numbers of recruits have met the recruitment targets for the current financial year;

(2) whether the HKPF increased the staffing establishment of the Hong Kong Auxiliary Police in the past three years; if so, of the relevant figures; and

(3) whether the HKPF implemented further measures last year to retain talents and alleviate the work pressure of frontline staff; if so, of the details, and whether such measures included expanding the eligibility for extension of service beyond retirement age to include police officers of all ranks?

Reply:

President,

     The Hong Kong Police Force (HKPF) has been adopting proactive strategies and measures to recruit and retain talents in order to meet its operational needs and services. The HKPF has formulated detailed human resources and strategic plans to strengthen its efforts on recruitment, staff training and career development etc. Vacancies will be filled through recruitment, promotion and various extension of service measures.

     My reply on various parts of the question is as follows:

(1) The vacancies at the Gazetted Officer rank, the Inspector rank and the Rank and File level of the HKPF in the past two financial years are tabulated below:
 

 *Police Constable and Inspector ranks are recruited via open recruitment; Sergeant, Station Sergeant, Senior Inspector of Police, Chief Inspector of Police and Gazetted Officer ranks are promoted internally. 

(2) The Hong Kong Auxiliary Police Force (HKAPF) plays an important role in supporting the regular force. In the past three years, while the establishment of the HKAPF maintained at 4 501, the average number of auxiliary officers deployed each day (calculated based on work shifts of eight hours per each auxiliary officer) has increased from about 560 in financial year 2019-20 to about 710 in financial year 2021-22 (as at November 30, 2021) in view of the operational needs. The HKPF will continue to promote the recruitment of the HKAPF in supporting frontline policing work.

(3) The implementation of the option for officers to choose to retire at the raised retirement age (Option) by the Civil Service Bureau in July 2018 allows officers appointed to the civil service on or after June 1, 2000 but before June 1, 2015 and are appointed on permanent terms under the Civil Service Provident Fund Scheme, regardless of their ranks, to choose to retire at the raised retirement age. Regarding the HKPF, the retirement age of police officers taking the Option will be raised to 60. Moreover, to meet the operational needs and long-term manpower challenges, the HKPF launched the Continued Service of Police Officers Beyond Prescribed Retirement Age Scheme (CSPO Scheme) in April 2021, allowing all serving police officers at non-directorate level, who joined the Government before June 1, 2000, to extend their service up to the age of 60. The HKPF will be able to retain more than 17 000 police officers in the coming 10 odd years through the implementation of these two strategies for retention of human resources.

     The HKPF has been adopting proactive recruitment strategies based on the human resources situation in the market to attract high calibre candidates who possess the competence to become a police officer. The HKPF has disseminated recruitment and publicity information through various social media platforms, and has organised regular recruitment activities and projects, such as the Police Recruitment Experience and Assessment Day, Auxiliary Police Recruitment Express, Police Recruitment On-air, Police Mobile Recruitment Station, Police Mentorship Programme, Police Mentorship Programme Outreach (Mainland/ overseas network), Auxiliary Undergraduate Scheme, Project ACHIEVE, Police Recruitment Buddies Scheme, and the education and careers expo etc.

     The HKPF will continue to monitor the human resources situation, implement effective mechanism to formulate holistic plans and assess future manpower needs, and regularly review officers' establishment in order to meet the service needs of the community.

     Following is a question by the Hon Yiu Pak-leung and a reply by the Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development, Mr Edward Yau, in the Legislative Council today (January 19):
 
Question:
 
     Some practitioners of the tourism industry have relayed that the industry has been hard hit by the Coronavirus Disease 2019 epidemic. Although the Chief Executive has recently announced the launch of the fifth-round measures under the Anti-epidemic Fund to assist those industries affected by the epidemic, such measures are just a drop in the bucket to the tourism industry. The tourism industry hopes that the Government will conduct policy planning and provide continuous support for the industry in a systematic manner, so as to expand the room for business for the industry as far as possible. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
 
(1) given that the Government has again tightened the anti-epidemic measures, and that various tourism-related activities have to be suspended causing the industry to suffer heavy losses, whether the Government will draw up criteria for the expeditious resumption, upon easing of the epidemic situation, of tourism activities such as local tours, "cruise-to-nowhere" travel and the "Free Tour" programme; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for; and
 
(2) whether it will, by drawing reference from the earlier practice of offering short-term jobs to tourism practitioners, consider creating temporary posts related to anti-epidemic work or guided tours for local hotspots for frontline tourism practitioners who are underemployed, so as to retain talents for the tourism industry; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?
 
Reply:
 
Acting President,
 
     Thank you for the Hon Yiu Pak-leung's questions.
 
     With the continuous outbreak of COVID-19 worldwide, both outbound and inbound tourism has remained at a standstill.
 
     The Government fully understands that tourism is the most affected industry, and has been supporting the trade in various ways.
 
     To cope with the harsh business environment, the Government has so far provided financial support of over $3.42 billion to the trade. Premising on the effort to contain and combat the epidemic, the Government has also been striving to open up room for the operation of the tourism industry, including the following measures to support the trade when the epidemic situation was relatively stabilised in the past year.
 
     Two theme parks, organisation of local group tours as well as "cruise-to-nowhere" itineraries were allowed to re-open or resume conditionally, and the admission or relevant participant capacity was gradually relaxed.
 
     The Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB) rolled out five rounds of "Free Tours" and "Staycation Delights" to encourage the public to spend locally and experience local tourism.
 
     The Green Lifestyle Local Tour Incentive Scheme (GLIS) was extended to open up more extensively tourism themes and attractions, and promoting local tourism in the long run, etc.
 
     On subsidies, coupled with the latest round of the scheme supporting the tourism industry announced last Friday, the Government has rolled out a total of six rounds of direct subsidies to the travel trade under the Anti-epidemic Fund (AEF). In addition, the Government provided support to the trade through the topped-up GLIS in the latest round of the AEF and the Travel Agents Incentive Scheme .
 
     Reply to the two parts of the question raised by the Hon Yiu Pak-leung is as follows:
 
(1) In view of the latest development of the epidemic situation, the Government announced on January 5 and January 14, 2022, the tightening of social distancing measures with effect from January 7 and their extension until February 3 respectively with a view to containing the latest wave of the epidemic as early as possible. Some tourist facilities and activities, including themes parks, local tours and "cruise-to-nowhere" itineraries, as well as other premises have to be temporarily closed or suspended from service. 
 
     On January 14, the Chief Executive announced the sixth round of measures supporting the tourism industry under the AEF, the $570 million support includes the provision of $270 million cash subsidies to the travel trade and injection of $300 million to extend GLIS.
 
     As mentioned above, apart from providing support to the trade, the Government has also been encouraging and assisting the trade to open up and expand the market, in particular the local market before the recovery of cross-boundary/border travel. The Government is delighted to see that the scheme on green local tours is welcomed by the trade and the public. As at the end of last year, about 700 travel agents have applied for the scheme, accounting for about half of the total number of licensed travel agents, and the subsidy involved has almost reached the scheme's original ceiling of $100 million.
 
     The announcement made last Friday on the injection of $300 million to the scheme has responded to the call from trade and made better preparation for the recovery of the industry.
 
     The measures mentioned above aim at helping the tourism industry expeditiously resume their businesses upon easing of the epidemic situation. Nevertheless, the control and development of the epidemic situation is the prime consideration of how and when to resume.
  
(2) To relieve the unemployment situation owing to the epidemic and the anti-epidemic measures, the Government has created time-limited jobs under the AEF in 2020 and 2021. Under the second phase of the Job Creation Scheme, we have proactively employed around 1 900 practitioners of the tourism industry to assist in operational and administrative support services at Community Vaccination Centres, vaccination centres at public hospital and Mobile Vaccination Stations set up by the Government. We will look for similar opportunities and consider using similar ways to assist practitioners of the trade.
 
     In addition, the subsidy for local tour scheme indirectly and directly provides more job opportunities to the trade.
 
     We understand that what the industry hopes for the most at the moment is the resumption of cross boundary travel with the Mainland and Macao as soon as possible when the epidemic has stabilised, and that to be followed gradually by the same with overseas economies. It is expected that with the gradual recovery of cross-boundary/border travel, the mode of tourism around the globe may become different from the current mode. When planning itineraries in future, travellers may consider more elements including the risks of epidemic and the required arrangements including testing and quarantine, which may incur potentially higher costs. Competition to attract tourists will also become more intense than before.
 
     If Hong Kong is to compete with the rest of the world for tourist sources, it must provide travel experience that is more in-depth and of higher quality and with richer content. To pursue this, the Government, in the past few years, have been following the Development Blueprint for Hong Kong's Tourism Industry promulgated in early years, and working with the trade to enhance the themes and attractions of the tourism industry through different channels in the areas of culture, history, art, conservation, locality, etc. We will continue to closely liaise and study with the trade through the HKTB and the Tourism Commission, and put forward more measures to restore the ability and confidence of the industry.
 
     The implementation of the plans mentioned above will definitely provide more and diversified job opportunities to the tourism industry, and enhance and retain talents for the industry in the long run.

     Following is a question by the Hon Tony Tse and a reply by the Secretary for the Environment, Mr Wong Kam-sing, in the Legislative Council today (January 19):
 
Question:
 
     The Government has put forward the Northern Metropolis Development Strategy in the 2021 Policy Address with a view to driving Hong Kong's economic as well as innovation and technology development, increasing housing supply, and at the same time formulating and implementing a conservation policy. However, some members of the architectural, surveying, town planning and landscape sectors hold different views regarding the details of the proposed 2 000-hectare conservation area. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
 
(1) of the study basis for the total area, site distribution, conservation proposals, etc. of the aforesaid conservation area, and whether it will conduct further studies and make amendments in the light of the views of the sectors;
 
(2) regarding the Sam Po Shue Wetland Conservation Park which will cover an area of around 520 hectares of the aforesaid conservation area, as some members of the sectors consider that some sites within the Park have relatively low ecological conservation value, and that incorporating such sites into the conservation area will affect the enormous development potentials to be brought about by a number of existing and proposed MTR stations as well as the Shenzhen Innovation and Technology Zone in the vicinity of the Park, whether the Government will review afresh the relevant planning so as to optimise the development potentials of the land concerned; and
 
(3) as some members of the sectors are worried that the planning and conservation studies for the Northern Metropolis will slow down and even bring a halt to the progress of the public and private development projects which are underway or awaiting vetting and approval, how the Government will prevent the occurrence of such situations and whether it will take measures to expedite the progress of the existing development projects in the district in order to increase the land and housing supply in the near future?
 
Reply:
 
Acting President,
 
     The Chief Executive announced in October last year the Northern Metropolis Development Strategy (Development Strategy) which proposed for the first time to adopt a proactive conservation policy, and to resume private fish ponds and wetlands with conservation value in Deep Bay (including areas around Tsim Bei Tsui, Nam Sang Wai, Fung Lok Wai, Tai Sang Wai, San Tin/Sam Po Shue, Hoo Hok Wai, Sha Ling/Nam Hang) and, together with the adjoining Government land, to establish a system of Wetland Conservation Parks (WCPs) to create environmental capacity, so that Hong Kong can strike a proper balance between conservation and development and achieve "Co-existence of Development and Conservation".
 
     Our reply to the question raised by the Hon Tse is as follows:
 
(1) The Northern Metropolis in the New Territories has diverse habitats, including large areas of wetlands such as fish ponds, marshes and mangroves, whereas the Mai Po and Inner Deep Bay area is designated as an internationally important wetland under the Ramsar Convention. The wetlands in the Northern Metropolis are ecological environment which are priority areas for conservation in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area and even in Southern China. The Development Strategy aims to adopt more proactive conservation measures to protect the ecological value of these areas to build a comprehensive wetland conservation system.
 
     The wetland conservation system as proposed in the Development Strategy is estimated to have a total area of about 2 000 hectares (ha), which includes the existing Hong Kong Wetland Park (about 62 ha), the Mai Po Nature Reserve (about 370 ha), the proposed establishment of three WCPs (i.e. Nam Sang Wai WCP (about 400 ha), Sam Po Shue WCP (about 520 ha) and Hoo Hok Wai WCP (about 300 ha)), the expansion of the Hong Kong Wetland Park (about 240 ha), as well as establishment of Sha Ling/Nam Hang Nature Park (about 4 ha) and Tsim Bei Tsui/Lau Fau Shan/Pak Nai Coastal Protection Park (about 145 ha). These areas cover ecologically important fish ponds and marshes, which are internationally and regionally important foraging ground and habitat for migratory waterbirds.
      
     As the Development Strategy is a conceptual strategic plan, the locations and estimated areas of the proposed WCPs shown in the Development Strategy report are for illustrative purposes only and do not reflect the exact locations or areas. In order to determine the exact locations/areas and management model for the three new WCPs, the Sha Ling/Nam Hang Nature Park and the expansion of the Hong Kong Wetland Park, as well as to assess the effectiveness of the relevant measures in creating environmental capacity, the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD) will launch a strategic feasibility study within this year and consult stakeholders in due course. In addition, the Development Bureau will commence a feasibility study on the development potential of the Tsim Bei Tsui, Lau Fau Shan and Pak Nai areas within this year, while the Environment Bureau will in parallel explore the area to be reserved for the coastal protection park through this study.
 
(2) Regarding the future development of the Sam Po Shue wetland area, the Government is advancing the San Tin/Lok Ma Chau Development Node project, with the aim to commence the first batch of works in 2024. This development node will be mainly for innovation and technology uses and, together with the Hong Kong-Shenzhen Innovation and Technology Park in Lok Ma Chau Loop, will form the San Tin Technopole, which will generate a synergy effect with the Innovation and Technology Zone on the other side of the Shenzhen River.
 
     At the same time, the Sam Po Shue area covers a large area of ecologically important fish ponds and wetlands, which provide foraging ground and habitat for migratory waterbirds and other wildlife, and constitute an important part of the Deep Bay wetland ecosystem. The local fish pond operators in Sam Po Shue have also been actively conducting habitat management work for years to provide foraging ground and habitat for waterbirds. The ecological value of fish ponds has been enhanced while conserving the local cultural heritage of traditional aquaculture. The proposed Sam Po Shue WCP will be included in the AFCD's strategic feasibility study to be commenced this year.
      
     The Government will strive for the co-existence of development and conservation in the planning of the Northern Metropolis, with a view to achieving sustainable development.
 
(3) Regarding the establishment of the WCP system proposed in the Development Strategy, the Government will conduct further study to work out the exact locations and areas of the proposed WCPs.
         
     The planning and development of a development project involves a process. Generally speaking, for development projects involving statutory planning procedures, even when the developer has obtained planning permission from the Town Planning Board (TPB), the developer will still be required to fulfill the approval conditions timely and commence the approved development within a set time frame. For example, the development project's conservation and management plan, etc. must comply with all requirements and conditions imposed by the Government in order to be considered having fulfilled the relevant planning requirements. The development project shall also comply with other statutory requirements. For instance, some development projects will still need to conduct the statutory environmental impact assessment in accordance with the Environmental Impact Assessment Ordinance (the Ordinance) to demonstrate that the environmental impacts arising from the development could fully comply with the requirements of the Ordinance and obtain an environmental permit. 
 
     Even though the AFCD will commence a strategic feasibility study this year to work out the areas and management model of these WCPs, relevant private development project owners can still follow up on the relevant planning requirements or approval conditions with relevant departments. The AFCD's strategic feasibility study will fully consider the impact on the overall function and operation of the WCP system arising from different private development projects within the area of each proposed WCP which have fulfilled the relevant planning requirements or already been granted with planning permission, in formulating the overall strategy.
      
     Regarding development applications within the Northern Metropolis that have yet to obtain statutory planning approval or are newly received, they will be handled in accordance with the established mechanism, including being considered based on the existing statutory plans, the planning intention of the relevant land use zoning, and relevant planning considerations. Relevant Government departments will carefully consider the specific development proposals and conservation plans of the projects from different policy and technical perspectives, including whether the projects fulfill the policy intentions described in the Development Strategy (including the development of the WCPs and the overall wetland conservation objective), and provide comments for the TPB's consideration.
 
     Thank you, (acting) President.

     The Transport and Housing Bureau said today (January 19) that, regarding the support to be provided to the cross-boundary passenger transport trade under the fifth round of the Anti-epidemic Fund, the Transport Department (TD) and the Marine Department (MD) will respectively issue notification letters to each of the eligible registered owners of cross-boundary coaches (CBCs) and cross-boundary hire cars (CBHCs) and the eligible cross-boundary ferry (CBF) operators on the details of the relevant subsidies.
  
     The Government has announced that further financial support will be provided to the cross-boundary passenger transport trade under the fifth round of the Anti-epidemic Fund as follows:
 

1. CBCs: To provide a one-off non-accountable subsidy of $30,000 per vehicle to the registered owner of each licensed CBC (including port shuttle buses). About 1 500 CBCs are expected to benefit; 
2. CBHCs: To provide a one-off non-accountable subsidy of $30,000 per vehicle to the registered owner of each licensed CBHC. About 600 CBHCs are expected to benefit; and
3. CBFs: To provide a one-off non-accountable subsidy of $500,000 per ferry to the operator of each eligible CBF. About 80 CBFs are expected to benefit. 

 
     The eligibility criteria for providing a one-off non-accountable subsidy for CBCs and CBHCs are:
 

• the registered owners must have held a valid vehicle licence for CBCs or CBHCs as at January 14, 2022;
• the registered owners who did not hold a valid vehicle licence for CBCs or a valid hire car permit for CBHCs as at January 14, 2022, are also eligible provided that the vehicle licence/hire car permit has been successfully renewed (by the same registered owners) on or before January 13, 2023; or
• the owners who did not hold a valid vehicle licence for CBCs as at January 14, 2022, but had obtained the approval-in-principle letter issued by the TD on or before January 14, 2022, to replace a scrapped CBC with a non-franchised public bus are also eligible provided that the same owner has successfully obtained the valid vehicle licence and the International Passenger Service (Cross Boundary Service) endorsement issued by the TD for the replacement non-franchised public bus on or before January 13, 2023, and that the replacement CBC had not received any one-off subsidy to the cross-boundary passenger transport trade under the Anti-epidemic Fund.

     
     â€‹The eligibility criteria for providing a one-off non-accountable subsidy for CBFs are:
 

• successfully granted a subsidy in the further financial support measure provided to the cross-boundary passenger transport trade under the Anti-epidemic Fund in August 2021; and
• still held a valid Certificate of Registry/Certificate of Ships Nationality as at January 14, 2022.

     For enquiries, please contact the TD by email at oneoffsubsidy@td.gov.hk or by phone at 3842 5849 (for CBCs and CBHCs), or contact the MD by email at yhchan@mardep.gov.hk or by phone at 2547 1312 (for CBFs).

     Following is a question by the Hon Edward Leung and a written reply by the Secretary for Security, Mr Tang Ping-keung, in the Legislative Council today (January 19):
 
Question:
 
     With the coronavirus disease 2019 epidemic persisting, the number of foreign domestic helpers (FDHs) coming to Hong Kong has reduced sharply, resulting in a shortage of FDHs and giving rise to quite a number of cases of FDHs prematurely terminating their employment contracts for change of employers (commonly known as "job-hopping"). Although the Immigration Department (ImmD) has indicated that it has all along been vetting and approving employment visa applications from FDHs stringently to combat job-hopping, it has been reported that the situation has seen no improvement. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
 
(1) of the respective numbers of applications for extension of the limit of stay in Hong Kong as visitors made by FDHs who had prematurely terminated their contracts which were received, approved and rejected by the ImmD in each of the past five years;
 
(2) of the number of complaints about intermediaries abetting FDHs or even providing incentives to encourage FDHs to job-hop received, and what follow-up actions were taken on such complaints, by the ImmD in each of the past five years; and
 
(3) regarding the substantiated cases among the complaints mentioned in (2), whether the ImmD has put the FDHs and intermediaries concerned on a dedicated blacklist; if so, of the respective numbers of FDHs and intermediaries put on such blacklist in each of the past five years, and the penalties imposed on them?
 
Reply:
 
President,
 
     The Immigration Department (ImmD) has all along been proactively combating job-hopping of foreign domestic helpers (FDHs) and has set up a special duties team (SDT) in June 2013 for that purpose. In vetting visa applications, the ImmD will refer suspicious cases to the SDT for investigation. Case officers will holistically consider a host of factors, such as the conduct of the FDHs, records of the FDHs and their former employers, and the reasons for premature termination of the employment contract. To understand such reasons, case officers will also contact the former employers and the applicants as necessary in light of the individual case circumstances. In respect of FDHs suspected of job-hopping, the ImmD will decisively refuse their visa applications and ask them to leave Hong Kong. The ImmD will maintain their application records and take them into account when vetting future applications from the FDHs concerned for employment visa or extension of stay.
 
     According to Clause 12 of the Standard Employment Contract for employing FDHs, both the employer and the FDH shall give the Director of Immigration notice in writing within seven days from the date of contract termination, and shall forward a copy of the other party's written acknowledgement of the termination to the Director of Immigration. They may choose to complete the ImmD's Notification of Termination of Employment Contract with Foreign Domestic Helper (Form ID407E), in which they can fill in the reasons for terminating the contract in the corresponding section. The ImmD will keep and take relevant records into account when vetting any future application from the FDH for employment visa or extension of stay.
 
     The ImmD's SDT reviews and adjusts its work strategy from time to time. It will reinforce its efforts in a timely manner to proactively investigate suspicious cases, such as stepping up checks on all applications involving premature termination of contract. In 2021, 5 844 applications were referred to the SDT for follow-up on suspected job-hopping and 2 833 applications were rejected, representing almost nine times the total number of applications rejected in 2020. The number of visa applications from FDHs referred to the SDT for investigation on suspicion of job-hopping, and the number of rejections among referred applications in the past five years are tabulated as follows:
 

 
     Having consulted the Labour and Welfare Bureau, the ImmD and the Labour Department (LD), I provide a consolidated reply to the question raised by the Hon Edward Leung as follows:
 
(1) In accordance with the prevailing FDH policy of the Government, a FDH shall leave Hong Kong upon completion of employment contract or within two weeks from the date of contract termination, whichever is the earlier. Save for the exceptional circumstances deemed reasonable by the ImmD (including the premature termination of contract owing to the transfer, migration, death or financial reasons of the original employer, or where there is evidence that the FDH has been abused or exploited), an application from a FDH for change of employer in Hong Kong within the two-year contract period will normally not be approved. A FDH who wishes to have a new employer must leave Hong Kong and submit a fresh employment visa application to the ImmD.
 
     The Government announced on March 21, 2020 that FDHs would be allowed to apply for extension of stay in Hong Kong as visitors for not more than one month. The purpose of this measure was to reduce their risk of COVID-19 infection due to cross-boundary travel. To local employers who needed to employ FDHs, this measure also helped meet their demands. However, to prevent abuse by individual FDHs who sought to change employers frequently, the Government discontinued this facilitation arrangement on December 30, 2020.
 
     The figures relating to applications from FDHs for extension of stay in Hong Kong as visitors upon expiry or early termination of contract (Note 1) in the past five years are tabulated as follows:
 

 
Note 1: The ImmD does not maintain the requested statistics.
Note 2: Except for applications from FDHs for extension of stay in Hong Kong as visitors for not longer than one month as per the Government's facilitation arrangement in light of the pandemic announced on March 21, 2020 (this arrangement ceased on December 30, 2020), FDHs will only be allowed to extend their stay in Hong Kong as visitors in certain circumstances. Such circumstances include, but are not limited to, where FDHs have to attend relevant tribunal hearings because of labour or monetary disputes, or where they have been criminally intimidated or abused and have to remain in Hong Kong to assist in investigations.
Note 3: The applications processed in a year may not correspond with the applications received in the same year.
 
(2) and (3) The LD is responsible for administering Part XII of the Employment Ordinance (Cap. 57), the Employment Agency Regulations (Cap. 57A) and the Code of Practice for Employment Agencies (CoP). It regulates employment agencies (EAs) in Hong Kong through means such as licensing, inspection, complaint investigation and prosecution, with a view to protecting the interests of job seekers and employers using the services of local EAs.
 
     Pursuant to the CoP, EAs shall act honestly and exercise due diligence when providing placement services to employers and job seekers, and shall ensure that the candidates recommended could satisfy the employers' requirements. In general, employers expect FDHs recommended by EAs to complete the two-year Standard Employment Contract. 
 
     Generally speaking, upon receipt of complaints or enquiries regarding EAs, the ImmD will refer them to the LD for follow up actions. In the past five years (i.e. from 2017 to 2021), the LD received 15, nine, 17, 29 and 177 complaints respectively involving EAs abetting FDHs to job-hop. The LD has launched investigation into each complaint, sent officers to inspect the EAs concerned and reminded them not to encourage FDHs to job-hop.
 
     The LD has taken stronger measures to combat EAs suspected of abetting FDHs to job-hop, including issuing letters time and again to all EAs providing FDH placement services to remind them not to adopt business practice to encourage or abet FDHs to job-hop; closely monitoring the business practice of EAs and inspecting EAs that offer cash incentives to FDH job seekers (particularly those who have terminated their contracts prematurely) and their referrers; and formulating inspection and investigation guidelines in respect of FDH job-hopping cases to facilitate more targeted investigation and collection of evidence of EAs abetting FDHs to job-hop.
 
     The ImmD will also conduct detailed analysis on applications from FDHs who are suspected of job-hopping. Targeting persons or EAs suspected of encouraging or abetting FDHs to job-hop or contravening the Immigration Ordinance (Cap. 115), the ImmD and the LD will conduct joint operations to inspect the EAs concerned, and will remind them not to encourage or abet FDHs to job-hop through unfair business practice.
 
     If an EA is found to have breached the CoP, the LD may revoke, refuse to issue or renew its licence, or issue warnings for rectification of the irregularities detected. From 2017 to 2021, the LD revoked, refused to issue or renew the licences of six, 11, 13, seven and seven EAs respectively on different grounds, such as the conviction of the licensees for overcharging commission from job seekers or for unlicensed operation, and the breach of the CoP by the licensees.