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The government announced that a new phase of a food coupon programme for the elderly was rolled out from Tuesday, to mark the upcoming 29th anniversary of the establishment of the Hong Kong SAR. Chief Secretary Eric Chan said the fifth phase of the Caring Food Coupon Programme will see a set of eight vouchers distributed to the elderly, allowing them to have discounted afternoon tea sets at designated restaurant chains. "Each eligible elderly citizen will receive a set of eight coupons valid from July 1, the day marking the 29th anniversary of the establishment of the SAR, to August 31," he said. "With these coupons, they can enjoy designated afternoon tea sets offered by eight restaurant chains at a special price of HK$18." The coupons will be distributed through more than 200 elderly centres and be valid for purchasing designated meals at the eight participating restaurant chains: Café de Coral, Fairwood, Tai Hing, Maxim's, McDonald's, Ngan Lung Restaurant, Pizza Hut and KFC. Chan said the programme provides a platform for the elderly to connect with one another. "This initiative is not only about providing seniors with an affordable dining option," he said. "In fact, I believe its most important purpose is to build a warm and welcoming platform for the community, where [elderly] people can connect with one another and extend care to every corner of the neighbourhood." Chan said nearly 230,000 sets of coupons were distributed to the elderly under the first four phases of the scheme. Edited by Edmond Fong

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Development chief points to greater use of drones

Secretary for Development Bernadette Linn said on Sunday that the government is planning to introduce high-performance drones to boost efficiency and safety in public works and emergency response. These would include models capable of carrying heavy loads and equipped with robotic arms. "With their high mobility and ability to quickly gather information from high altitudes, drones play a role in various fields and application scenarios, including aerial surveillance, disaster relief and patrol support," she wrote on her blog. "Now, drones can be combined with artificial intelligence for in-depth analysis, further enhancing departmental efficiency." She said the government is exploring broader drone applications, such as transporting building material and tools at construction sites and infrastructure projects. Linn also suggested the use of drones for slope maintenance, where they could send repair supplies to hard-to-reach areas. The development chief added that drones have overcome physical barriers and captured high-definition images of remote areas, as well as illegal rooftop structures and illegal building renovation works. The initiative is tied to the government's "Regulatory Sandbox X" under the low-altitude economy framework. In April, four pilot projects involving non-traditional aircraft were selected for phased testing, including a Development Bureau project in collaboration with industry players focused on aerial lifting operations. Linn said the authorities are also studying the use of drones for routine maintenance of infrastructures such as dams, reservoirs and surrounding slopes. She also noted that field trials are expected to begin soon. Edited by Edmond Fong

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Civil service reviews 'to start with some grades'

An enhanced appraisal system for civil servants will only cover some grades in the first stage, Secretary for the Civil Service Ingrid Yeung said on Saturday. The revised system will be implemented starting October 1, under which about five to 10 percent of those deemed to have underperformed would not be granted a salary increment. Yeung told a television programme that a review would be conducted after two years to see if any adjustments needed to be made to the system as well as decide on the number of civil service grades to be included in the second stage of the system's implementation. The government, she added, is ultimately aiming to have all civil servants appraised under the system. "Our first phase does not cover all grades, but all departments have to participate," Yeung said. "Every department, based on their size, has to nominate one or two grades to participate. "These two grades must be from the core of the department, meaning that they carry out its core duties." Yeung was asked whether the move would affect cooperation within the civil service and morale as staff attempt to be the top performers. “In terms of morale, I think if an appraisal is too lenient, then it will affect the morale of those workers who really performed well," she said. "They may strive to perform well but if they get ratings that are equal to those colleagues who have a significant gap with them, this quite affects morale." Implementation of the enhanced appraisal system comes amid the recent release of pay trend survey findings – which the government references in deciding the pay rises for more than 170,000 civil servants in the city – that point the way to possible salary increments of 4.12 percent for seniors, 2.64 percent for middle-ranking staff and 1.17 percent for juniors. While the Executive Council has yet to make the final decision, as the result is only one of the factors that it has to consider, Yeung stressed that the government has to provide attractive salary levels in order to be able to compete with the private sector for talents and retain their services. Edited by Thomas McAlinden

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'Controls on illicit tobacco products going smoothly'

Secretary for Health Lo Chung-mau on Saturday said the government would enter a new phase in its crackdown on illicit cigarettes and vapes, as part of its tobacco control measures laid out after a public consultation was conducted in 2023. A series of short, medium, and long-term measures were planned following the consultation, Lo said, which included 10 tobacco control measures rolled out in the beginning of this year. From April 30, the possession or use of alternative smoking products, such as vapes, e-cigarettes or heated tobacco in public has been prohibited. Speaking to reporters after attending a radio programme, Lo said the measures so far had been effectively implemented, and the next step would be to focus on duty stamps and uniform packaging. "These will be fully implemented by the end of next year, and there are very important counter measures against illicit smoking products," he said. "After all these measures, we will start implementing possible measures against all additives in tobacco products — which in fact attracts the younger generation, as well as a lot of women, into nicotine addiction," he added. The minister said the administration would then look into other medium and long term goals, such as charging those smoking while walking. Hong Kong logged an "historic low" smoking prevalence rate at 8.5 percent in 2025, missing the original target set at 7.8 percent. Lo said the SAR's goal was set in accordance to the World Health Organisation's initiative in reducing 30 percent of the global smoking rate, but the organisation postponed the target by three years due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Edited by Tony Sabine

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Calls for greater transparency in permit-quota review

A think tank said on Wednesday that the government should provide more details on how often it plans to adjust a quota system for ride-hailing permits to offer the market greater transparency. Authorities have proposed rolling out up to 10,000 permits in the first phase. Assistant research director Jason Leung from the Our Hong Kong Foundation described it as "a prudent quota, but a tight one", given the city's 18,000 licensed taxis. Leung also said the government should offer the public more information about the quota review system. "To make that review clause credible, it should pre-commit to specific and measurable figures," he said. "For instance, if citywide peak-hour booking success rates drop below a defined threshold, or if average waiting times exceed a set benchmark, at which point the quota is automatically, or there's a mechanism for it to be raised. "So a regular, perhaps quarterly review, guided by objective metrics, would give passengers and platforms the confidence that the 10,000 number is not a completely unchangeable one, that it can be adjusted in the future based on real-life metrics." The government has proposed a HK$1.2 million annual licence fee for platform operators, which Leung said is not a significant amount for larger operators offering hundreds of thousands of trips each month. "It can be easily absorbed into operational costs, so it's not a barrier to a major operator. "But if you are talking about smaller operators or new entrants to the market, it could be potentially burdensome, especially for emerging platforms with limited revenues." He said the government could set up a tiered or revenue-linked fee structure to allow smaller platforms to operate. On top of monitoring operational data to be shared by platforms, Leung said authorities should track the metrics of taxi in evaluating how they perform, so as to better assess whether ride-hailing services and cabbies co-exist. Edited by Edmond Fong

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'Ride-hailing services to complement cabbies'

Secretary for Transport and Logistics Mable Chan on Wednesday said she believes the proposed regulatory regime for ride-hailing services will complement the taxi industry. The government has proposed issuing up to 10,000 vehicle permits in the first phase. Chan expects to invite interested platforms to file applications as soon as August this year, and they could start operating as soon as the end of November. She stressed that she wants the regime to be rolled out gradually. “As a start, we would like to take a prudent, careful approach to ensure that our proposed regulatory regime will be achieved and implemented in a safe, smooth and progressive manner,” Chan said. She noted that Hong Kong’s situation is unique – about 90 percent of the residents opt for public transportation – but the government also values the public’s travel experience. Chan believes that ride-hailing platforms could also include taxis to offer appointment services. The current cap, she said, was proposed after balancing various considerations. But Chan added the government would adjust the quota when necessary by closely monitoring the operational data from ride-hailing platforms. “Once we issue licences for one or two or more platform operators in future, we will impose requirements for the operators to submit and share and store the relevant operational data, and to share it with the Transport Department,” she said. “I believe that our mechanism and our review should be based on data and should take into account the various operating indicators.” Edited by Tony Sabine

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