Following is a question by the Hon Michael Tien and a written reply by the Secretary for Health, Professor Lo Chung-mau, in the Legislative Council today (April 24):

Question:

     In a discussion paper on "Proposed Amendments to the Dentists Registration Ordinance (Cap. 156)" submitted on July 14 last year to the Panel on Health Services of this Council, the Government pointed out that Hong Kong had been facing a shortage of dentists, with only approximately 0.37 dentists per 1 000 population as at end 2022, lagging behind other countries; and according to the manpower projections for healthcare professionals conducted by the Government in 2020, the shortage of dentists in Hong Kong might persist till 2035. The Government indicated in January this year that it would introduce the amendment bill to the Dentists Registration Ordinance (Cap. 156) into this Council in the first half of this year to provide new pathways for admission of qualified non-locally trained dentists for serving in specified institutions. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:

(1) of the long-term target number set for locally trained dentists;

(2) whether it has assessed the numbers of dentists per 1 000 population in Hong Kong in 2035, 2040 and 2045; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; and

(3) given that the Faculty of Dentistry at the University of Hong Kong is currently the only institution in Hong Kong that provides Bachelor of Dental Surgery programme, whether the Government has considered establishing a new dental school to increase the manpower of local dentists in the long run; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?

Reply:

President,

     In response to the various parts of the Member's question, the consolidated reply are as follows:

     The Government's policy objective in healthcare manpower is to ensure a stable supply of healthcare manpower to meet the expected demand for healthcare services in Hong Kong. The Government carries out healthcare manpower projection on a triennial basis to project the manpower need required to fulfil service demands. The Government assesses the manpower target of different healthcare professions based on the projection result, rather than solely considering the healthcare profession to population ratio.

Dentists' manpower

     For dentists, Hong Kong has a total of 2 876 registered dentists as at end December 2023. The dentist per 1 000 population is around 0.37. According to the Healthcare Manpower Projection 2020, the shortfall of dentist manpower was projected to be 115 and 102 in 2030 and 2035 respectively. The shortfall was expected to persist until 2040 before easing slightly. To increase dentist manpower, the Government increased the number of University Grants Committee (UGC)-funded first-year-first-degree places of the Bachelor of Dental Surgery programme on four occasions. The number increased from 50 in the 2009/10 academic year to 90 in the 2024/25 academic year, representing an increase of 80 per cent.

Enhancing manpower resources for dental profession

     To safeguard the oral health of the public, the Government established the Working Group on Oral Health and Dental Care (the Working Group) in end 2022 to review the policy objectives, implementation strategies, service scopes and delivery models of oral health and dental care. The Working Group released an interim report in December 2023, recommending the Government to develop primary dental care services appropriate for different age groups by focusing on prevention of dental diseases, making use of the capacity of ancillary dental workers to complement to overall development need of primary dental care services. Another recommendation is to strengthen manpower supply of dental professionals. Specific measures include providing new pathways for admitting qualified non-locally trained dentists to alleviate their shortage, and enhancing training for ancillary dental workers to enable them to take on a greater role in primary dental care services. 

     To complement the development of oral health and dental care, the Government must take necessary measures to alleviate the existing manpower shortage of dental professions. Given the lead time required for training local dentists, as well as the practical constraints in expanding the teaching manpower and facilities, the Government cannot solely rely on increasing the number of local training places to address the imminent manpower shortage, particularly the acute shortage of dentists in the public sector. The Government introduced the Dentists Registration (Amendment) Bill 2024 (the Bill) into the Legislative Council to provide new pathways for the admission of qualified non-locally trained dentists to practise in specified institutions under the premise that the professional standards and patients' welfare are maintained.

     At the same time, based on the risk-based principle, the Bill also suitably adjusts the areas of practice of ancillary dental workers, and introduces a statutory registration regime for both dental hygienists and dental therapists under the regulatory control of the Dental Council of Hong Kong (DCHK) while retitling ancillary dental workers as dental care professionals, with a view to recognising their professional status and ensuring patients' safety and service quality. According to information from the DCHK and the Department of Health (DH), there are a total of 613 registered dental hygienists and 237 dental therapists employed by Government as at February 2024. To enhance training for local ancillary dental workers, the training places of dental hygienists and dental therapists will be increased by the Government to nearly double from 95 in the 2023/24 academic year to 185 in the 2024/25 academic year. The DH will provide full tuition sponsorship to students studying the dental hygienist and dental therapist programmes starting from 2023/24 academic year in order to attract more individuals to join the industry.  

     The Health Bureau has earlier launched a new round of healthcare manpower projection to tie in with the planning exercise for the 2025-28 triennium of the UGC. Subject to the projection results, the Government will review the strategies for local healthcare manpower development and consider the need to further adjust the number of healthcare training places in the next triennium of UGC, as well as exploring long-term measures for the training of healthcare professionals. The Government currently has no plan to set up a second dental school, which involves important policy considerations and substantial funding, while not being able to alleviate the shortage of dentists within a short period of time.

     The Government will continue to keep in view the community's demand for dental care services and manpower situation of the profession, and suitably adjust the strategy to ensure the supply of dentists and ancillary dental workers, including the regular planning of training places based on manpower projection. 

      In response to the Japanese Government's plan to discharge nuclear-contaminated water at the Fukushima Nuclear Power Station, the Director of Food and Environmental Hygiene issued a Food Safety Order which prohibits all aquatic products, sea salt and seaweeds originating from the 10 metropolis/prefectures, namely Tokyo, Fukushima, Ibaraki, Miyagi, Chiba, Gunma, Tochigi, Niigata, Nagano and Saitama, from being imported into and supplied in Hong Kong.
 
     For other Japanese aquatic products, sea salt and seaweeds that are not prohibited from being imported into Hong Kong, the Centre for Food Safety (CFS) of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department will conduct comprehensive radiological tests to verify that the radiation levels of these products do not exceed the guideline levels before they are allowed to be supplied in the market.
 
     As the discharge of nuclear-contaminated water is unprecedented and will continue for 30 years or more, the Government will closely monitor and step up the testing arrangements. Should anomalies be detected, the Government does not preclude further tightening the scope of the import ban.
 
     From noon on April 23 to noon today (April 24), the CFS conducted tests on the radiological levels of 254 food samples imported from Japan, which were of the "aquatic and related products, seaweeds and sea salt" category. No sample was found to have exceeded the safety limit. Details can be found on the CFS's thematic website titled "Control Measures on Foods Imported from Japan" (www.cfs.gov.hk/english/programme/programme_rafs/programme_rafs_fc_01_30_Nuclear_Event_and_Food_Safety.html).

     In parallel, the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD) has also tested 50 samples of local catch for radiological levels. All the samples passed the tests. Details can be found on the AFCD's website (www.afcd.gov.hk/english/fisheries/Radiological_testing/Radiological_Test.html).
 
     The Hong Kong Observatory (HKO) has also enhanced the environmental monitoring of the local waters. No anomaly has been detected so far. For details, please refer to the HKO's website
(www.hko.gov.hk/en/radiation/monitoring/seawater.html).
 
     From August 24 to noon today, the CFS and the AFCD have conducted tests on the radiological levels of 45 439 samples of food imported from Japan (including 29 735 samples of aquatic and related products, seaweeds and sea salt) and 12 082 samples of local catch respectively. All the samples passed the tests.

     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 (April 24):
     
Question:

     The Government launched the "18111 – Mental Health Support Hotline" on December 27, 2023, to provide one-stop, round-the-clock support for people with mental health needs, rendering them immediate mental health support and referral services. The Mental Health Support Hotline, the first mental health support hotline fully-funded by the Government, co-ordinates existing counselling services provided by the Government and non-governmental organisations. Moreover, it is answered 24 hours a day by dedicated personnel who provide immediate support and counselling services to members of the public from all backgrounds and of all ages. Callers will also be referred to the most appropriate service organisations depending on the nature of individual cases. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:

(1) of the total number of calls received by the authorities since the launch of the Mental Health Support Hotline and, among them, the number of calls from (i) first-time callers, (ii) non-first-time callers, (iii) people with mental health needs themselves, and (iv) relatives and friends or carers of people with mental health needs (with a breakdown of people with mental health needs by age, gender, occupation, educational attainment, marital status, district of residence, language used and ethnicity);

(2) of the following statistics on the cases received by the authorities since the launch of the Mental Health Support Hotline (with a breakdown by age, gender, occupation, educational attainment, marital status, district of residence, language used and ethnicity):

(i) cases referred to other service organisations;

(ii) cases that received immediate brief counselling;

(iii) high-risk cases;

(iv) suicidal cases;

(v) cases involving domestic or sexual violence;

(vi) cases involving mental illness;

(vii) cases involving emotional disturbance;

(viii) cases involving livelihood pressure;

(ix) cases involving academic or occupational disturbance;

(x) cases involving social or interpersonal disturbance; and

(xi) cases involving other issues;

(3) how it ensures that the service resources of the Mental Health Support Hotline are adequate and appropriate, e.g. whether it has (i) adjusted and increased service resources (including (a) the number of hotlines, (b) the number, qualifications and training of hotline operators, (c) the number and types of service organisations accepting the relevant referrals, and (d) the scope and modes of counselling and support services provided by the hotlines) according to service demand and user feedback, (ii) considered expanding the services to other platforms (e.g. websites, mobile applications and social media), (iii) provided tailor-made services for different user groups, and (iv) provided services for people using different languages and dialects;

(4) how it assesses the service quality and effectiveness of the Mental Health Support Hotline, e.g. whether it has (i) conducted user satisfaction surveys or followed up cases on a regular basis, (ii) collected and analysed users' comments and suggestions, (iii) formulated and implemented service improvement plans, (iv) set service indicators and standards, (v) published service reports and statistics on a regular basis, (vi) conducted service evaluations and audits, and (vii) established and maintained good co-operative relationships with other relevant service organisations; if so, whether it has given the Legislative Council or the public an account of the relevant service situations or reported to them on such situations; and

(5) how it will step up the publicity and promotion of the Mental Health Support Hotline, e.g. whether it has (i) formulated and implemented publicity strategies and plans, (ii) made use of different channels and means to introduce and promote the relevant services to members of the public, (iii) collaborated with different stakeholders and partners, and (vi) designed and distributed relevant publicity materials targeting different user groups and people using different languages and dialects?

Reply:

President,

     The reply to the question raised by Professor the Hon Priscilla Leung is as follows:
     
(1) and (2) The Health Bureau launched the "18111 – Mental Health Support Hotline" (the Hotline) on December 27, 2023, to provide one-stop, round-the-clock support for people with mental health needs (including carers), rendering emotional and mental health support to persons from all backgrounds and of all ages. Callers will be provided with service information or referred to appropriate service organisations based on their individual needs.

     As at March 21, 2024, the Hotline has answered a total of around 30 000 calls (i.e. an average of about 349 calls per day) and provided immediate support. There could be multiple reasons for calling, and the more common reasons include mental distress (21 per cent), family relationship (14 per cent), physical health problems (13 per cent) and work pressure (12 per cent).

     The Hotline has referred a total of around 200 cases to the Integrated Community Centre for Mental Wellness and the Designated Hotline for Carer Support of the Social Welfare Department (SWD), the Hospital Authority (HA)'s Mental Health Direct hotline and non-governmental organisations (NGOs), etc, for further follow-up. Among them, two of the cases were more urgent and required immediate referral to the Police for follow-up.

     The Hotline aims at providing immediate mental health support and referral services. In order not to cause distress to callers or discourage them from using the service, the Hotline does not require all callers to provide their personal data after receiving the service. The Hotline only collects personal data, such as telephone numbers and names, which are necessary for making referrals when required and according to the individual circumstances of the callers. All persons with mental health needs (irrespective of whether they are first-time callers and they themselves are the persons with mental health needs or not) are the service targets of the Hotline. The Hotline does not maintain relevant breakdown statistics. 

(3) (i) The Government has been closely monitoring the operation of the Hotline and regularly reviewing the effectiveness of the services with the operator in terms of areas such as the service, operation, manpower arrangement and publicity in accordance with the review requirements stipulated in the contract with the operator. The Hotline can answer calls from at least six lines at the same time, and can answer calls from a maximum of 30 lines at the same time through appropriate manpower deployment having regard to the circumstances.

     All call handlers of the Hotline have relevant counselling experience and have received professional training related to mental health, including mental health knowledge, emotional support skills and crisis response, to equip them with sufficient skills to provide brief counselling when necessary, and to provide service information or referral to appropriate service organisations according to the needs of individual callers. In addition, call handlers will answer calls under the supervision of two supervisors at all times. In case of emergency, immediate risk management can be carried out by contacting the Police or the Fire Services Department (FSD) for immediate follow-up.

     The Hotline has now established referral mechanisms with relevant government departments/organisations, including the FSD, the Hong Kong Police Force, the SWD, and the HA, as well as about 20 NGOs providing suicide prevention counselling services and mental health support services. The NGOs concerned target different groups including ethnic minorities, the youth and women. 

(ii) Taking into account the outcome of the review of the operation, the Government will consider the feasibility of extending the service to other platforms (such as instant messaging software) in consultation with the Advisory Committee on Mental Health in due course.

(iii) As mentioned in (i) above, the Hotline refers help-seekers to the most appropriate service organisations according to their needs through collaboration with different NGOs. The Hotline will continue to establish referral mechanisms with more NGOs providing different services as necessary, with a view to providing mental health support services to members of the public on all fronts.

(iv) The Hotline offers service in Cantonese as the main language and also provides Putonghua and English services. A mechanism has been established with relevant NGOs to provide interpretation services to callers who speak ethnic minority languages in the form of teleconferencing when necessary.

(4) The Government has been closely monitoring the operation of the Hotline and regularly reviewing the effectiveness of the services with the operator in terms of areas such as the service, operation, manpower arrangement and publicity in accordance with the review requirements stipulated in the contract established with the operator. Furthermore, the Government plans to commission a service evaluation study by an independent organisation in the third quarter of 2024. The Government is preparing the study framework, including exploring different directions of collecting views from relevant stakeholders (such as NGOs) through focus groups and conducting questionnaires, etc, with a view to evaluating the services comprehensively.

(5) The Government has launched a publicity programme in the first quarter of 2024 and rolled out a number of online and offline promotional activities as the highlight of this year's publicity campaign on mental health. Service information of the Hotline has been disseminated to the public through various channels, such as setting up a dedicated page in the website of the "Shall We Talk" mental health promotion and public education initiative, and the Government's social media platforms including the "Shall We Talk" page and the "Tamar Talk" page. In offline terms, the Government has produced posters and invited schools, hospitals, public clinics, social welfare organisations, public housing estates and property management organisations to facilitate promotion by displaying the posters at relevant venues. Additionally, relevant promotion videos have also been broadcast on television, at railway stations and in train compartments. The Government will continue to step up publicity and promotion of the Hotline and provide support to persons with mental health needs in a more timely manner.

     Following is a question by the Hon Paul Tse and a written reply by the Secretary for Development, Ms Bernadette Linn, in the Legislative Council today (April 24):
 
Question:
 
     According to the Government's estimate in 2000, there were about 800 000‍ unauthorised building works (UBWs) in Hong Kong at that time. It has been reported that due to an excessive backlog of cases of illegal conversions and UBWs, and possibly as a result of the Government's lax and time‍-‍consuming law enforcement, the Buildings Department (BD) estimated some years ago that it would take 100 years to thoroughly deal with the nearly 800 000 UBWs. There are views that after some 20 years, hidden hazards are now ubiquitous in the community, especially in old composite buildings in the urban areas where both guesthouses and subdivided units can be found under the same roof. In the event of a fire, such buildings may cause heavy casualties, and the recent fire at New Lucky House in Jordan, in which five people were killed and 40 injured, is sadly the latest example. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
 
(1)whether it has compiled statistics on the current number of old buildings in Hong Kong which are similar to New Lucky House (i.e. over 50 years old and for both commercial/residential use) that involve UBWs and structural alterations; among them, of the number of buildings for which the BD has issued Mandatory Building Inspection Scheme notices, repair orders or even removal orders, as well as the number of cases involving expired notices/orders that have not been complied with; 

(2) as some members of the public have suggested that, in view of the heavy casualties caused by the fire in the aforesaid old building and BD's progress in law enforcement, which makes it almost "impossible" to complete the handling of cases of illegal conversions and UBWs, the BD should focus on the level of risks involved in the cases and the number of people affected as the main factors for consideration when setting priorities for investigation and law enforcement actions in respect of the cases, instead of being unduly influenced by media attention or reports, whether the BD will consider such a suggestion; and
 
(3) with regard to cases of illegal conversions and UBWs located in remote and non-densely populated districts, and in areas with low traffic volume, as well as those affecting a relatively smaller number of people and posing relatively lower safety risks, whether it has examined the possibility of allowing the owners concerned to settle such cases by way of payments such as punitive fines, arrears of government rent arising from the violation and premiums, after the safety of the buildings in question has been assured by relevant professional Authorized Persons, so as to minimise the nuisance and burden caused to the public under the generally adverse socio-‍economic circumstances, enable the public to improve their living space and environment while reducing the environmental pollution caused by the demolished materials, and supplement the revenue of the Treasury and enhance the law enforcement efficiency of the BD?
 
Reply:
 
President,
 
     The Buildings Department (BD) takes enforcement actions against unauthorised building works (UBWs) in accordance with the Buildings Ordinance (BO). In order to optimise the use of limited manpower resources in the most effective manner in view of the large number of cases, the BD has adopted a pragmatic "risk-based" approach to set priorities for enforcement, with priority given to cases constituting obvious hazard or imminent danger to life or property, newly erected or constituting serious health or environmental nuisance etc. The BD will accord priority to handle UBWs falling into these categories by issuing removal orders to the owners and registering the removal orders in the Land Registry, i.e. "imposing an encumbrance". If the owner fails to rectify the situation within the specified period without reasonable excuse, the BD will consider instigating prosecution.
 
     In addition, under the Mandatory Building Inspection Scheme (MBIS) implemented in 2012, the BD each year selects about 600 private buildings aged 30 years or above (Note 1) on a risk basis, and owners of such buildings served with statutory MBIS notices are required to carry out prescribed inspections and repairs for their buildings. The Government subsequently allocated $6 billion in 2018 to the Urban Renewal Authority for implementing the Operation Building Bright 2.0 to provide technical and financial assistance to eligible owners in complying with MBIS notices. 
      
     In addition to the MBIS, the BD also selects target buildings to conduct large-scale operations each year and issues repair orders and removal orders requiring the owners to deal with dilapidated or defective external walls and common parts of these buildings as well as their UBWs. In addition, the BD will also follow up on reports from the public on dilapidation and defects of buildings and UBWs, including issuing repair orders and removal orders to owners, as well as carrying out emergency works where necessary to ensure public safety. 
      
     The BD will adjust enforcement priorities from time to time in the light of the actual situation. For example, the landslide on the Redhill Peninsula after continuous heavy rainstorms last year revealed that UBWs in houses situated on the slope along the seafront could pose safety risks. In this connection, the BD, in collaboration with the Lands Department, inspected 89 houses on the Redhill Peninsula and has been taking enforcement actions based on investigation results. In addition, after the Jordan fire, the BD will re-assess its enforcement priorities, targeting those with higher risks among old buildings, such as single-staircase buildings, buildings with higher concentration of guesthouses or sub-divided units, and buildings which have not complied with MBIS notices and have not appointed building inspectors, and will step up prosecution against non-compliance with the Fire Safety Directions.
 
     Our reply to various parts of the question is as follows: 
 
(1) As at end of 2023, there were in total 5 442 composite buildings aged 50 or above. Statistics of MBIS notices, repair orders or removal orders issued and have not been complied with in relation to these buildings are tabulated as follows (the figures in brackets denote the number of buildings involved): 

     
(2) As mentioned above, the "risk-based" approach has all along been BD's pragmatic approach in enforcement. The BD will review enforcement priorities and optimise the mode of enforcement from time to time with a view to enhancing the effectiveness of enforcement, including strengthening law enforcement and deterrent effect by stepping up prosecution work; and setting higher priority for buildings with greater fire safety/public risk or hazard when considering instigating prosecutions and selecting target buildings for large-scale operations. In the longer term, as announced in the Chief Executive’s 2023 Policy Address, the Government is taking forward in full steam the exercise of reviewing the BO, targeting UBWs and illegal building works as well as non-compliance with expired statutory orders or notices, so as to more effectively combat illegal behaviours including UBWs by way of streamlining prosecution procedures, lowering the prosecution threshold and increasing penalties.　The Government will put forth the proposed amendments to the BO this year for consultation with the industry and the public. 

(3) As regards the Hon Tse's proposal to dispose of UBWs through payment of fines or land premium, we have the following considerations: 

(i) Building and public safety: Under the BO, any person intending to carry out building works is required to appoint an authorised person before commencement of works and, where necessary, a registered structural engineer and/or a registered geotechnical engineer to prepare and submit building plans for approval by the BD (Note 3). In addition, the Minor Works Control System under the BO allows minor works to be carried out in a simplified manner. These systems ensure that all building works as well as the completed building/structure comply with the requisite building standards on safety and health. Building works carried out or any structures completed not in compliance with the BO are unauthorised and their building safety may not necessarily be ascertained solely by means of inspections afterwards. 

​(ii) Fairness of policy: Such suggestion would be unfair to those owners who have adhered to the BO, without financial means, or have voluntarily removed their UBWs upon receiving advisory letters or removal orders issued by the BD. Such practice would also convey a wrong message to the community who may mistakenly believe that the illegal behaviour of UBWs could be exonerated by financial means. As evident from the UBW problems unfolded on the Redhill Peninsula and other luxury estates, there are strong calls in the community that the Government should take robust enforcement actions against UBWs posing danger to public safety and/or with serious legal contraventions. 

     Since the Government is reviewing the BO to enhance the effectiveness of enforcement, pragmatic and robust enforcement policies must also be formulated to deal with the backlog cases. Notwithstanding this, based on the above principles, the Government will not consider lightly the suggestion of granting exemption from removal of UBWs in the form of payment of land premium, payment of punitive fines, payment of Government rent, etc. For cases of UBWs that constitute serious contraventions, we all the more do not want to convey a wrong message to the community that serious contraventions could be legalised by financial means. The possibility of increasing Government revenue through such means is also not among our considerations.
 
Note 1: Except domestic buildings not exceeding three storeys.
Note 2: The figures are the cumulative numbers of MBIS notices, repair orders and removal orders issued since 2012. The figures also include notices/orders received before the buildings concerned reached 50 years of age. The figures in brackets denote the number of buildings involved.
Note 3: Except for works falling within the scope of designated minor works that can be carried out under the simplified requirements of the Minor Works Control System or are exempted works under the BO.

     The Transport Department (TD) today (April 24) announced that the auction of traditional vehicle registration marks will be held on May 12 (Sunday) in Meeting Room N101, L1, New Wing, Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre, Wan Chai.

     "A total of 350 vehicle registration marks will be put up for public auction. The list of marks has been uploaded to the department's website, www.td.gov.hk/en/public_services/vehicle_registration_mark/index.html," a department spokesman said.

     Applicants who have paid a deposit of $1,000 to reserve a mark for auction should also participate in the bidding (including the first bid at the reserve price of $1,000). Otherwise, the mark concerned may be sold to another bidder at the reserve price.

     People who wish to participate in the bidding at the auction should take note of the following important points:

(1) Successful bidders are required to produce the following documents for completion of registration and payment procedures immediately after the successful bidding:
(i) the identity document of the successful bidder;
(ii) the identity document of the purchaser if it is different from the successful bidder;
(iii) a copy of the Certificate of Incorporation if the purchaser is a body corporate; and
(iv) a crossed cheque made payable to "The Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region" or "The Government of the HKSAR". (For an auctioned mark paid for by cheque, the first three working days after the date of auction will be required for cheque clearance confirmation before processing of the application for mark assignment can be completed.) Successful bidders can also pay through the Easy Pay System (EPS). Payment by post-dated cheques, cash or other methods will not be accepted.

(2) Purchasers must make payment of the purchase price through EPS or by crossed cheque and complete the Memorandum of Sale of Registration Mark immediately after the bidding. Subsequent alteration of the particulars in the memorandum will not be permitted.

(3) A vehicle registration mark can only be assigned to a motor vehicle which is registered in the name of the purchaser. The Certificate of Incorporation must be produced immediately by the purchaser if a vehicle registration mark purchased is to be registered under the name of a body corporate.

(4) Special registration marks are non-transferable. Where the ownership of a motor vehicle with a special registration mark is transferred, the allocation of the special registration mark shall be cancelled.

(5) The purchaser shall, within 12 months after the date of auction, apply to the Commissioner for Transport for the registration mark to be assigned to a motor vehicle registered in the name of the purchaser. If the purchaser fails to assign the registration mark within 12 months, allocation of the mark will be cancelled and arranged for re-allocation in accordance with the statutory provision without prior notice to the purchaser.

     For other auction details, please refer to the Guidance Notes – Auction of Traditional Vehicle Registration Marks, which can be downloaded from the department's website, www.td.gov.hk/en/public_services/vehicle_registration_mark/tvrm_auction/index.html.