Disabled residents and a former lawmaker have slammed Hong Kong’s town planning authorities for failing to consider accessibility needs and overlooking potential fire safety risks in an approved development plan for Wan Chai, calling for a review to make the area more barrier-free. Former social welfare sector lawmaker Tik Chi-yuen said on Thursday that the…
Hong Kong authorities should step up support for elderly at risk of suicide across all social classes, analysts have said, after a 73-year-old woman was arrested on Thursday on suspicion of murdering her husband in a hotel before taking sleeping pills and losing consciousness. They added that officials should broaden efforts to educate frontline workers…
Hong Kong’s incoming social welfare lawmaker has vowed to actively engage young people in policy discussions and strengthen communications with frontline workers to plug a “knowledge gap” in professional conduct. Grace Chan Man-yee, chief executive of the Hong Kong Council of Social Service, a statutory body representing local welfare groups, also expressed confidence that there…
Hong Kong’s university entrance exam should be internationalised to help turn the city into a global tertiary education hub, several lawmakers have suggested ahead of the annual policy address next month, arguing the move will not harm local students’ interests. The legislators also called for the establishment of more Diploma for Secondary Education (DSE) exam…
Lawmakers have called for a comprehensive review of the authorities’ procurement process following allegations that a company supplied infringing mainland Chinese-branded bottled water to government offices, prompting a police investigation. The Post also found that the directors of the company involved, Xin Ding Xin Trade, were linked to unpaid loans of HK$8 million (US$1.1 million)…
Hong Kong lawmakers are calling for the expansion of pilot schemes to identify and support elderly residents living alone or with a spouse in ageing districts, following two recent cases in which skeletal remains were found in public flats in Kwai Tsing. Some legislators on Thursday highlighted existing gaps in the city’s social safety net…
Electronic ballot counting will be used in Hong Kong’s Legislative Council election for the first time for the 30 trade-based seats, with lawmakers calling for greater adoption of advanced technology to improve voter turnout. But legislators heard on Monday that the technology would not be deployed for the 20 directly elected geographical constituency seats, as…
Hong Kong authorities will launch a guide for professionals required to report child abuse cases by the end of the month, which will include a decision tree that can be used as a legal defence in court. An ordinance that requires 25 education, healthcare and social work professions to report suspected cases of child abuse…
Hong Kong needs to completely overhaul its civil servant review mechanism rather than add another layer of assessment to the existing system if the administration wants to improve performance and governance, observers have said. While one lawmaker said the government should implement clear assessment criteria for civil servants, others stressed that objective performance measures for…
An advocacy group that has fought to protect Hong Kong’s Victoria Harbour for 30 years may take the government to court for passing a legal amendment to relax reclamation restrictions, calling it the last-ditch effort before the organisation closes. Winston Chu Ka-sun, founder of the Society for Protection of the Harbour, said on Saturday that…