Tag Archives: China

     Following is a question by Professor the Hon Priscilla Leung and a written reply by the Secretary for Health, Professor Lo Chung-mau, in the Legislative Council today (January 15):

Question:

     The Working Group on Oral Health and Dental Care has recently published its final report. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:

(1) given that the Government plans to launch the Primary Dental Co-care Pilot Scheme for Adolescents in the first quarter of this year, of the specific implementation details (including the operation mode) of the scheme, and how it ensures that the relevant subsidies can effectively help adolescents aged between 13 and 17 establish a good habit of receiving regular oral check-ups;

(2) of the factors to be considered in drawing up the service quota and the application process for the Community Dental Support Programme, and how it ensures that the quota can be fairly allocated to persons with financial difficulties;

(3) how the Government monitors and assesses the service quality in the process of providing oral health assessment and related dental treatments, so as to ensure that the beneficiaries can receive necessary dental care; and

(4) whether the Government has plans to further expand the aforesaid scheme in the future, particularly in respect of complicated dental treatments, and how it will take into account the views of professional dentists in order to enhance the services?

Reply:

President,

     The Government attaches great importance to the oral health of its citizens. In December 2022, the Working Group on Oral Health and Dental Care (Working Group) was established to review current services and formulate future development strategies and recommendations. The Working Group released its final report on December 6, 2024, and recommended that the Government transform the current oral health and dental care system’s tendency from being treatment-oriented to one that emphasises prevention, early identification, and timely intervention.

     In response to the Working Group’s recommendations, the Government has formulated an oral health policy. As oral health is an integral part of general health, the policy aims to enable all Hong Kong citizens to improve their oral hygiene and lifestyles conducive to further enhancing both their oral and general health levels. The Government will adopt strategies of developing community-wide preventive primary oral health care, and providing essential dental services targeting underprivileged groups, in developing the oral health and dental care system. The community-wide preventive primary oral health care approach involves actively developing prevention-oriented primary oral healthcare through extensive promotion to Hong Kong citizens across different age groups to assist them in managing their oral health, establishing good oral hygiene habits and lifestyles, and seeking regular oral check-ups and risk assessment of their own accord. The essential dental services targeting underprivileged groups will focus on the provision of essential dental services, including both preventive and curative oral health and dental care services, through public services or subsidised models to underprivileged groups who have difficulties in accessing dental care services, including those with financial difficulties, persons with disabilities or special needs, and high-risk groups.

     Below are the responses to Professor the Hon Priscilla Leung’s questions:

(1) The Government will launch a three-year Primary Dental Co-Care Pilot Scheme for Adolescents (PDCC) this year as an interface with the School Dental Care Service for primary school students by subsidising part of the cost of private oral check-ups for adolescents aged between 13 and 17. The PDCC aims to foster the establishment of a long-term partnership between adolescents and dentists in the private sector or non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and to promote the adolescents’ lifelong habit of regular oral check-ups for prevention of dental diseases.

     The oral check-up services under the PDCC must include oral health risk assessments, oral examination, scaling, personalised oral hygiene instructions and fluoride application based on risk levels, and provision of a check-up report. Both private and NGO dentists are eligible to participate.

     The PDCC is based on a co-payment model. Eligible adolescents can receive subsidised oral check-up once a year. The Government will provide a fixed subsidy of $200 per service user to the dentist and service users will pay a co-payment fee to the dentist. Participating dentists can set their co-payment fees for oral check-ups, with the Government recommending a reference level of $200. Participating dentists will also be required to increase fee transparency by disclosing the co-payment fee for oral check-ups and the specific fees of other self-financed services (i.e., X-rays, fillings, and extractions).

(2) This year, the Government will collaborate with NGOs to launch the Community Dental Support Programme (CDSP) to enhance emergency dental services for underprivileged groups with financial difficulties. Under the new service model, service capacity and service locations will be expanded. The target is to provide a service capacity of at least two times the current capacity of dental General Public Session of the Government. In addition to extractions, the service scope will also be expanded to include fillings, aligning with the Working Group’s dental care principle of retaining teeth.

     The Government will make full use of existing means-testing mechanisms, such as the Old Age Living Allowance and the Hospital Authority’s medical fee waivers, to reduce administrative procedures and costs. The networks of NGOs and social welfare organisations serving underprivileged groups will also be utilised so as to focus more on supporting underprivileged groups with difficulties in accessing services, such as the homeless persons.

     In November last year, the Department of Health invited eligible NGOs to submit proposals and the response was positive. The Department of Health is currently reviewing the relevant proposals to finalise the list of participating NGOs and is formulating implementation details. Details of the CDSP will be announced in due course.

(3) Both dentists and service users participating in government-subsidised dental service programmes must register with the Electronic Health Record Sharing System (eHealth). Data on oral health and treatment services provided under the programmes would be deposited in eHealth. The Government will analyse the data collected in order to evaluate the quality and effectiveness of the services.

     In addition, the Department of Health will monitor and assess the service quality of government-subsidised dental programmes by various means. The Department of Health will formulate guidelines for participating organisations and dentists, covering eligibility criteria of programme participants and complaint handling mechanisms. Measures will also be implemented to ensure compliance with the guidelines by relevant persons. The Department of Health will conduct sample checks to verify the eligibility of service users and actual receipt of the relevant services. Participating dentists and organisations must maintain medical records related to the programmes, as well as records of government subsidies and fees charged to programme participants. Furthermore, they must allow the Government to conduct on-site inspections, access and review the abovementioned records as necessary, and co-operate with the Government in managing, auditing, and evaluating the programmes. Feedback will also be collected from service users, service providers, and dentists by the Department of Health to monitor usage and assess the programmes’ effectiveness.

     If the Department of Health receives cases concerning the service quality or professional standards of participating dentists and organisations, and such cases are substantiated, it may consider disqualifying the relevant organisations and dentists from participating in the programmes. Where necessary, cases may also be referred to the Dental Council of Hong Kong for follow-up.

(4) The Working Group has recommended the Government to develop the oral health and dental care system with an emphasis on prevention, early identification, and timely intervention and considered that most dental diseases can be prevented and avoided, and preventing serious dental diseases and complex treatments through preventive dental services and retaining teeth is the most cost-effective strategy. In future, the Government will prioritise subsidisation on dental services according to this principle.

     The aim for the Government to launch PDCC is to encourage adolescents to maintain the habit of regular oral check-ups for prevention of dental diseases. The Department of Health’s recent oral health survey also found that the oral health of 12-year-old students in Hong Kong is very good, benefitting from the School Dental Care Service during their primary school years. Their need for complex dental treatments is very low and therefore the PDCC focuses on providing subsidisation on preventive dental care services. If individual adolescents require further curative care, they can follow up with participating private dentists at their own expense. On the other hand, the CDSP includes both tooth extractions and fillings, encouraging early identification and timely intervention to avoid costly dental treatments. If individuals require further treatment, they can follow up with NGOs participating in the CDSP at reasonable fee levels.

     Additionally, the dental grants under the Comprehensive Social Security Assistance Scheme currently provide a dental service safety net for those who cannot support themselves financially. Eligible elderly aged 65 or above can also use the Elderly Health Care Vouchers to access preventive and curative dental services in the private sector. read more

     Following is a question by Hon Yang Wing-kit and a reply by the Secretary for Home and Youth Affairs, Miss Alice Mak, in the Legislative Council today (January 15):
 
Questions:
 
     There are views pointing out that Hong Kong’s religious culture has a long history and is all-embracing, with traditional temples and monasteries such as Wong Tai Sin Temple, Chi Lin Nunnery, Man Mo Temple and the Kwun Yum Temple in Hung Hom which have preserved the beliefs and customs of different religious denominations, in addition to religiously sacred sites such as the Big Buddha, Po Lin Monastery and Tsz Shan Monastery which have even become renowned tourist attractions in Hong Kong and attracted a large number of tourists and worshippers year after year. The Government should therefore leverage the local religious and cultural heritage to promote the development of tourism. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
 
(1) whether it will explore drawing up a religious and cultural map of Hong Kong in collaboration with the tourism industry, local temples, monasteries and religious institutions, so as to promote Hong Kong’s diverse religious culture to the public as well as Mainland and overseas tourists through practical guiding information on religious tourism itineraries; 

(2) whether it will step up publicity on activities organised by local temples, monasteries and religious institutions, and promote the cultures of meditation and vegetarianism, etc; and 

(3) whether it will consider producing online and offline games related to local religions, such as presenting badges to participants who have completed a visit to a religious attraction and unlocking the next visiting task for them, thereby offering lively and interesting ways for participants to visit all the religious attractions in Hong Kong?

Reply:
 
President,
          
     Hong Kong is an open and inclusive city in which religious freedom is the fundamental rights enjoyed by Hong Kong residents as protected by the Basic Law and other relevant legislation. The HKSAR Government has been maintaining close liaison with religious groups and attends events organised by them with a view to promoting the communications with them and understanding their needs.
      
     In consultation with the Culture, Sports and Tourism Bureau (CSTB), I give the consolidated reply to the Hon Yang Wing-kit’s question on behalf of the Government as follows:
          
     The Government has leveraged the diverse assets in town to promote tourism, including Chinese and Western cultural activities and festivals, the great outdoors and outlying islands, as well as traditions and customs of various religions and beliefs. On tourism experiences with religious elements, we showcase the traditional customs and attractions with authentic local characteristics to visitors and invite media and trade representatives to visit attractions with religious elements in person, including the Po Lin Monastery on Lantau Island, Tin Hau Temple in Nam Chung, Che Kung Temple in Sha Tin and Tin Hau Temple in Lam Tsuen of Tai Po, and many more. We also produce TV shows and roll out thematic promotions to attract visitors to Hong Kong, especially among visitor source markets that share the culture of temple visits and traditional culture.
      
     Separately, the Culture and Promotion Working Group of the Chinese Temples Committee (the Committee) formulates publicity and promotion strategies and identifies key promotion activities on an annual basis, with a view to promoting Chinese traditional culture related to Chinese temples. In 2024-25, the Committee has been working with organisations such as the Hong Kong Tourism Board, the Hong Kong Museum of History and the Hong Kong Heritage Discovery Centre in organising talks, guided tours and workshops on Chinese temple culture. The Committee has also been organising recurrent promotion activities, as well as funding and facilitating festive celebrations by organisations to promote Chinese temple culture to residents and visitors.
      
     In the Development Blueprint for Hong Kong’s Tourism Industry 2.0 promulgated in end December 2024, it is mentioned that the Government will focus on diversified development of religious tourism to enrich Hong Kong’s tourism offerings, including engaging with religious groups to explore opening up religious venues as tourist attractions on a limited scale without affecting religious activities. The Home and Youth Affairs Bureau will assist in liaison with relevant religious groups to explore the feasible arrangements and actively collaborate with the CSTB’s work. read more

     Following is a question by the Hon Elizabeth Quat and a written reply by the Secretary for Labour and Welfare, Mr Chris Sun, in the Legislative Council today (January 15):
 
Question:
 
     There are views pointing out that in order to meet the manpower demands of Hong Kong’s current and future ageing society, unleashing female labour force is one of the solutions. However, it has been reported that some women in Hong Kong have not joined the workforce due to the need to juggle work and family responsibilities and the stress caused by, among others, the lack of adequate child care services as well as the absence of flexible working hours arrangements and family-friendly working environment/measures in the workplace. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
 
(1) of the respective numbers of service recipients, places utilised and utilisation rates of the child-minding services of aided child care centres, After School Care Programme for Pre-primary Children, After School Care Programme for Primary School Students and Neighbourhood Support Child Care Project in various districts in the previous year;
 
(2) whether the Government will explore conducting a comprehensive review on the policies on women (including employment, health, marriage and sexual harassment), as well as formulating a blueprint for women’s development in Hong Kong, so as to ensure that women enjoy equal rights in the political, economic, cultural, social, familial spheres, etc., and set quantitative objectives for raising the labour force participation rate for females, thereby motivating more women to join the workforce; if so, of the details and the timetable; if not, the reasons for that;
 
(3) of the Government’s plans in place to step up the promotion of family-friendly employment practices, such as drawing reference from the Mainland’s experience and implementing the “mother post” employment mode, offering tax incentives to enterprises to encourage them to implement more family-friendly measures, and taking the lead in setting up child care facilities in the workplaces of government personnel, so as to facilitate the entry of women with caring burden into the workforce; and
 
(4) whether it will organise more job fairs, training exhibitions, job referral services, etc. targeting at female job seekers, and set up an additional dedicated webpage on job vacancies for women on the Labour Department’s Interactive Employment Service website, so as to assist women in re-entering the workforce?
 
Reply:
 
President,
 
     The Government attaches great importance to women’s contributions to the society, and supports and promotes women employment from various aspects (including training, employment services and child care services). The Government also encourages employers to adopt good human resource management practices to create an environment conducive to women’s participation in the employment market.
 
     In response to the Member’s question and after consulting the Home and Youth Affairs Bureau, Civil Service Bureau, Financial Services and the Treasury Bureau, a consolidated reply is provided as follows:
 
(1) The Government has been supporting parents who cannot take care of their children temporarily through subsidising non-government organisations to provide a variety of day child care services, including Child Care Centres (CCCs), the After School Care Programme (ASCP) and the Neighbourhood Support Child Care Project (NSCCP). To strengthen support for working families in childbearing, the Government has announced the setting up of additional 11 aided standalone CCCs in phases, doubling the total number of service places to reach around 2 000. The Government is extending the After School Care Programme for Pre-primary Children (ASCP(PC)) to cover all districts in phases, and increasing the number of service places under NSCCP to 2 500 with the estimated number of beneficiaries increasing to 25 000. The Social Welfare Department also provides information and assistance to private organisations applying for registration to operate CCCs to encourage their provision of child care support for their employees.
 
     In 2023-24, the information on the aided CCCs (including aided standalone CCCs and aided CCCs attached to Kindergartens), ASCP(PC), ASCP and Enhanced ASCP for primary students, as well as NSCCP is set out at Annex 1 to Annex 3 respectively.
 
     The Government launched the School-based After School Care Service Scheme in the 2023/24 school year to provide focused support for students in need (particularly those from single-parent families) to stay at school after school hours for care and learning support, thereby allowing their parents to take up jobs. The Scheme was implemented at 59 primary schools located at seven districts with more targeted students in the first year. Related information is set out at Annex 4.
 
(2) The Government has all along upheld the principles and provisions of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women in promoting women’s development and advancement in all fields. The Home and Youth Affairs Bureau (HYAB), in collaboration with the Women’s Commission and the community as a whole, will continue to promote the well-being and interests of women through a three-pronged strategy, namely the provision of an enabling environment, empowerment of women and public education. The HYAB implemented a series of new initiatives in relation to women’s development last year, including setting up on April 1 a dedicated Women Affairs Team and designating the post of Commissioner for Women Affairs; launching a one-stop family and women information portal and implementing the Maintenance Mediation Pilot Scheme through the Community Care Fund. Besides, the HYAB organised the first Family and Women Development Summit last October which provided a platform for individuals who are concerned about women’s development to explore collectively on areas of interest related to women’s development and the strategies for promoting women’s development. To promote women’s workplace development, the HYAB will also launch the “She Inspires” mentorship programme in the first half of 2025. The programme will match local female university students who aspire to pursue a career in the professional or business sectors with senior management mentors, and provide related training and activities in order to nurture the future strength that “hold up half the sky”. Bureaux and departments have all along been working closely to provide necessary assistance to individuals, including women, under their respective purviews. The Government will continue to promote women’s development through various initiatives and will continue to assess the need for formulating a “Blueprint for Women’s Development in Hong Kong”.
 
(3) The HYAB has been supporting the work of the Family Council in promoting a culture of loving families, as well as encouraging the wider adoption of more diversified and flexible family-friendly employment practices (FFEPs) in the community. These measures will also help encourage women to rejoin the workforce. Since 2023-24, the Family Council has launched the promotional videos entitled “Family-friendly Workplace”, which featured various FFEPs adopted by local companies and sharings by employers and employees. FFEPs introduced in the videos include work-from-home arrangement, flexible work hours and allowing employees to bring their children to work during summer vacation. The Family Council has also collaborated with the Radio Television Hong Kong to launch radio programmes to promulgate different FFEPs. The Family Council will continue the relevant promotion work.
 
     The Labour Department (LD) encourages employers, having regard to their individual circumstances, to adopt FFEPs, including flexible work arrangements, additional leave benefit to cater for family needs and offering living support, to assist employees (including women) in balancing their work and daily needs. The LD will continue to organise publicity activities, including the Good Employer Charter, to strengthen the promotion of related measures to employers.
 
     As a good employer, the Government has all along been committed to creating a family-friendly working environment for staff, enabling them to cope with both work and family commitments. The family-friendly employment measures provided by the Government include, among others, the five-day week initiative, maternity leave and paternity leave that are more favourable than the statutory requirements, and the implementation of a breastfeeding-friendly workplace. In order to further exemplify the Government’s commitment as a caring employer, following the introduction of marriage leave and compassionate leave from April 2024 onwards, the Government announced in the 2024 Policy Address the introduction of childcare leave and enhancements to the special work arrangements on festivals or their eves.
 
     Under the principle of striking a balance between the needs of employees and prudent use of public money, the Government will continue to endeavour to provide its staff with a family-friendly working environment through keeping the current arrangements under review from time to time and listening to the views and suggestions of the staff side and other stakeholders. In respect of the proposal in relation to tax concessions, the Government must ensure that a balance is struck between promoting relevant policy objectives and exercising fiscal prudence, especially at a time when the Government’s fiscal deficit is high.
 
(4) The Employees Retraining Board (ERB) provides around 700 market-oriented training courses straddling 28 industries and generic skills for eligible persons, including women, to assist them in joining or re-joining the labour market. To cater for the needs of women with family commitments, ERB provides flexible arrangements such as the Modular Certificates Accumulation Scheme and the “Hire and Train” Scheme to enable trainees to arrange their study and work schedule flexibly. ERB’s “Smart Living” and “Smart Baby Care” Schemes provide free job matching and referral services for graduates, mostly women, of training courses in domestic and post-natal care services.
 
     The LD provides diversified employment services to job seekers (including women) through various channels, including job centres, industry-based recruitment centres, the Telephone Employment Service Centre, the Interactive Employment Service (iES) website (www.jobs.gov.hk) and its mobile application. The iES website features various dedicated webpages, e.g. Dedicated Webpage on Part-time Job Vacancies, dedicated webpages on retail industry and catering industry vacancies, etc., providing relevant employment information. The LD also liaises with employers of different industries to canvass vacancies suitable for job-seekers with different educational attainments and work experience, and stages district-based and thematic job fairs from time to time to facilitate job seekers (including women) to apply for the vacancies.
 
     To further promote the employment of older and middle-aged persons, the LD launched the three-year Re-employment Allowance Pilot Scheme (REA Scheme) on July 15, 2024 to encourage persons aged 40 or above who have not been at paid employment for three consecutive months or more to join the employment market. The REA Scheme covers full-time jobs, part-time jobs and qualified “casual work” promoting flexible employment for women. To encourage employers to take on participants of the REA Scheme, the LD has also uniformly extended the durations of on-the-job training under the Employment Programme for the Elderly and Middle-aged for employers engaging REA Scheme participants.
 
     The Government will continue to provide support and carry out promotion work to help unleash the female labour force. read more

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

     â€‹Result of the tender of the People’s Bank of China RMB Bills held on January 15, 2025:
 

     Following is a question by the Hon Adrian Ho and a written reply by the Secretary for Environment and Ecology, Mr Tse Chin-wan, in the Legislative Council today (January 15):
 
Question:
 
     It has been reported that as at the end of December last year, the price of ICE London Brent Crude Futures stood at US$74.17 per barrel, down by about 20.35 per cent from its highest at US$93.12 per barrel last year. However, there are views pointing out that the unleaded petrol retail prices of various oil companies in Hong Kong rose instead during the same period, causing users and members of the transport industry to think that the retail prices of auto-‍fuels (oil prices) in Hong Kong are “quick to rise and slow to drop”. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
 
(1) as there are views that the lack of transparency about the data on various costs and sales of oil companies in Hong Kong has made it difficult for the community to monitor the market effectively, of the authorities’ policies and measures in place to require the oil companies to disclose more data, including those on costs, fuel duties and sales, thereby enhancing market transparency and safeguarding consumers’ right to know;
 
(2) given that the Competition Commission (the Commission) put forward six recommendations on improving market competition in its Report on Study into Hong Kong’s Auto-fuel Market released in 2017, of the authorities’ monitoring and improvement work in respect of the development and structure of the local auto-fuel market since the release of the Report; whether the Government has maintained communication with the Commission to investigate if various anti-competitive conducts are involved in the auto-fuel retail market; if it has, of the details; if it has not, the reasons for that;
 
(3) as there are views pointing out that the global tensions in recent years have led to volatility of international oil prices, whether the authorities have studied what measures are in place to help motorists and the transport industry cope with the possible fluctuations in oil prices, thereby sparing them from the heavy burden of oil prices; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; and
 
(4) as the Government indicated in its reply to a question raised by a Member of this Council on May 4, 2022, that it would not introduce a requirement for the supply of 95 RON petrol at petrol filling stations because this would make it necessary for oil companies to construct and modify facilities at their oil terminals and petrol filling stations, which would incur additional operating and capital costs and thus lead to higher oil prices instead, but there are views that the price of 95 RON petrol is about 20 per cent lower than that of 98 RON petrol in Guangdong Province and Singapore, and the oil prices in Hong Kong are still on the rise at present, whether the authorities will, having regard to the latest market situation, study afresh the feasibility of introducing 95 RON petrol in a bid to increase the choices of less expensive fuel products on the market and obviate the need for users to pay for expensive fuels?
 
Reply:

President,
 
     Although retail prices of auto-fuels in Hong Kong are determined by the market, the Government has been endeavouring to ensure a stable fuel supply, maintain an open market and encourage competition, and at the same time enhancing the transparency of the prices of auto-fuel products so that consumers can make suitable choices.
 
     Under the National 14th Five-Year Plan, our country will accelerate the green and low-carbon transformation of the energy structure, increase the proportion of new energy vehicles, and promote electric vehicles (EVs) and other means of green transport. The Hong Kong Roadmap on Popularisation of Electric Vehicles published by the Government has set the goals of ceasing the new registration of fuel-propelled private cars in 2035 or earlier and attaining zero vehicular emissions before 2050. With the popularisation of EVs, we expect that the demand for auto-fuels will continue to decrease.
 
     In consultation with the Commerce and Economic Development Bureau and the Transport and Logistics Bureau, the reply to the question raised by the Hon Adrian Ho is as follows:
 
(1) The retail prices of auto-fuels depend on a host of factors, including the costs of purchasing imported refined oil products and operating petrol filling stations (PFSs), such as the discounts offered, government rent, tax, staff costs, transportation, maintenance of oil terminals and PFSs. When oil companies adjust their retail prices of petrol, they would also take into account changes in these operating costs. Hence their adjustments cannot be deduced solely based on international crude oil prices. With the increasing popularity of EVs, the sales volume of auto-fuels is expected to decline, which would put pressure on the unit operating costs in the long term. If oil companies can provide more costs and sales data to improve the transparency of market information, it would help clear the doubts of consumers.
 
     As Hong Kong has no oil refinery, all auto-fuels sold locally are imported refined oil products instead of crude oil. Crude oil and refined oil (such as unleaded petrol and motor vehicle diesel) are different products. Therefore, changes in international crude oil price are not necessarily the same as changes in the prices of unleaded petrol and motor vehicle diesel. The Government has been monitoring the changes in local retail prices of auto-fuels and comparing them with the trend movements of international oil prices (i.e. Singapore free-on-board prices or Means of Platts Singapore), and publishes these data online on a weekly basis to increase price transparency. In addition, oil companies generally provide various kinds of discounts and concessions to customers. We note that the walk-in discount and the membership card discount offered by certain oil companies have increased from $0.9 per litre in 2019 to a maximum of $7.5 per litre recently; the number of days on which the special discount is offered has also increased from one day a week to two to five days a week. Therefore, the pump prices listed at PFSs may not necessarily be the actual price paid by customers. After analysing the market data and deducting walk-in discount, the local retail prices of unleaded petrol decreased from the highest of about $24 per litre at the beginning of last year to about $18 per litre at the end of last year, representing a decrease of about 20 per cent.
 
     In order to enhance the transparency of prices of auto-fuel products, the then Environment Bureau commissioned the Consumer Council (CC) to launch the new Oil Price Watch website and mobile application in 2020 for the convenience of customers to obtain comprehensive discount information and compare prices for making choices that suit their needs, thereby enhancing price competition. As at December 2024, the Oil Price Watch mobile application recorded 104 000 downloads in total and 131 000 monthly visits on average respectively and the Oil Price Watch website recorded an average of over 200 000 monthly visits. According to our rough estimate, by leveraging the information available on the Oil Price Watch, drivers using unleaded petrol and diesel could enjoy extra fuel discounts of about $5.6 per litre and $2.8 per litre on average respectively upon each refuelling in last year, which are equivalent to savings of about 20 per cent and 10 per cent of their fuel costs. Such discounts have yet to include the designated membership discounts, credit card discounts and membership card discounts offered by each oil company.
 
(2) Regarding the study report on Hong Kong’s auto-fuel market published by the Competition Commission (the Commission) in 2017, we have followed up on the relevant recommendations as appropriate, such as the issuance of the guidelines on setting up a price information board within PFS sites in 2019, and the commissioning of the CC to launch the new Oil Price Watch in 2020 to push updates to users about each oil company’s changes in auto-fuel prices and the latest discounts information. We will maintain communication with the Commission on the ways to further enhance competition.
 
     According to the Competition Ordinance (Cap. 619) (the Ordinance), the Commission may exercise the investigative powers granted by the Ordinance to conduct an investigation if it has reasonable cause to suspect that a contravention of a competition rule has taken place. These include requiring any person to provide information or documents and attending before the Commission. The Government will continue to liaise closely with the Commission on the implementation of the Ordinance.
 
(3) In view of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the transport sector, the Government previously introduced a series of relief measures, including fuel subsidies and one-off subsidies, for the transport sector. At present, the Government has no plan to provide fuel subsidies again, but will maintain communication with the trade and explore measures to help improve the operating environment.
 
(4) Assuming that an oil company supplies 95 RON petrol in addition to the existing two 98 RON petrol products at its PFSs, it would need to install additional underground storage tank(s) and to modify the ancillary facilities (e.g. dispensers, pipelines and nozzles), given that different types of petrol products are required to be stored at separate underground storage tanks. For some PFSs, owing to site constraints (e.g. limited underground space), it may not be technically feasible to install additional storage tank(s) and ancillary facilities. Even if it is feasible, such installations might lead to additional costs and take a longer time to carry out the modification works. It is understood that given the small difference in the estimated wholesale price between 95 RON petrol and 98 RON petrol (about 10 cents per litre), which accounts for less than one per cent of the retail price, the abovementioned cost of the additional installation and modification facilities might possibly offset or even outweigh the minor difference in wholesale price between the two types of petrol. The Government’s policy is to encourage drivers switching to EVs. As mentioned in the Chief Executive’s 2024 Policy Address, the Government would earmark $300 million for a new scheme, encouraging the private sector to install quick-charging facilities. The target was to have a total of 3 000 quick chargers installed by 2030 to step up efforts to promote green transport. In view of the above considerations and the anticipated future development of EVs and alternative fuel vehicles, the Government has no plan to require the supply of 95 RON petrol at PFSs. read more