Highlights

Establish the Heads of Department (HoD) Accountability System

• Render the accountability in policy formulation and implementation better articulated with each other

• Drive to establish effective management teams and operating systems

• Identify deficiencies, clarify responsibilities and take administrative or disciplinary actions as appropriate when issues arise

• Expand the functions of the Public Service Commission to conduct independent investigation of serious issues, widespread or repetitive systemic problems or matters related to the role of HoDs

Conduct a study to develop a more rigorous performance appraisal system for civil servants

Set up an Artificial Intelligence (AI) Efficacy Enhancement Team led by the Deputy Chief Secretary for Administration to co-ordinate, prioritise and steer government departments in applying technologies such as AI to promote reforms and improve efficacy

Raise the level of decision-making by establishing the Committee on Development of the Northern Metropolis chaired by the Chief Executive

Remove barriers and ease restrictions to streamline the administrative workflows, embracing a new mind-set to adopt construction methods, materials and equipment from different jurisdictions

Introduce dedicated legislation to empower the Government to devise simplified statutory procedures for accelerating the development of the Northern Metropolis

Formulate preferential policy packages to attract enterprises to set up in Hong Kong, thereby promoting industry development and investments

Attract and develop new industrialisation-related industries such as aircraft recycling and new energy

Promote the development of the life and health technology industry and set up the Hong Kong Centre for Medical Products Regulation, helping pharmaceutical companies bring innovative drugs to the markets

Promote the development of the AI and data science industries, and expand the application of the AI in government services and business operations

International Financial Centre

• Continuously strengthen the stock market by exploring shortening the stock settlement cycle to T+1, support China Concept Stock companies to return and choose Hong Kong as their preferred destination, etc.

• Establish a central clearing system for gold in Hong Kong and encourage more institutions to expand the gold storage facilities in Hong Kong

• Publish the Fixed Income and Currency Roadmap

• Introduce a new Renminbi (RMB) Business Facility to support the use of RMB in the real economy

• Formulate legislative proposals regarding the licensing regimes for digital asset dealing and custodian service providers

• Deepen co-operation with carbon markets in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area to test out cross-boundary trade settlement

• Lower the transaction price threshold for residential property investment of the New Capital Investment Entrant Scheme from $50 million to $30 million

International Trade Centre

• Explore the signing of new investment agreements with Saudi Arabia, Bangladesh, Egypt and Peru

• Set up the Strategic Committee on Commodities

• Establish an Economic and Trade Office (ETO) in Kuala Lumpur and expand the ETO coverage to Latin America and Central Asia

International Shipping Centre

• Establish a "rail-sea-land-river" transport network to promote transport of cargoes from provinces and cities in the Mainland to international markets through Hong Kong

• Drive the development of high value-added maritime services

International Aviation Hub

• Expand the Airport City development and take forward the construction works of AsiaWorld-Expo Phase 2 and the development of a yacht bay and its ancillary facilities

• Complete the construction of the permanent facility of the Hong Kong International Airport Dongguan Logistics Park in phases and commence the preliminary study for the Phase 2 development starting this year

Set up the Task Force on Supporting Mainland Enterprises in Going Global to proactively attract Mainland enterprises to use Hong Kong in expanding their businesses overseas, and to formulate proposals for them

Fully support the work of the International Organization for Mediation and promote Hong Kong's legal services

Enhance the building of an international education hub by increasing the number of places for non-local students to study in Hong Kong on a self-financing basis and the provision of student hostels, thereby attracting more international teaching and research talents and students

Strengthen efforts in cracking down on the unauthorised provision of Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education Examination programmes or the operation of "shell schools"

Set aside $2 billion in the Quality Education Fund to support digital education in primary and secondary schools, and release the Blueprint for Digital Education in Primary and Secondary Schools in 2026

Expedite the development of the third InnoHK research cluster, with the focus on sustainable development, energy, advanced manufacturing and materials

Promote the development of a low-altitude economy ecosystem

• Formulate the Action Plan on Developing Low-altitude Economy

• Improve the civil aviation legislation and regulatory framework

• Enhance core infrastructure facilities

• Roll out the advanced "Regulatory Sandbox 𝓧"

Promote intellectual property (IP) financing, valuation and protection to further boost IP trading

Promote youth development

• Launch the Young Talent Training Programme to provide more opportunities for young people to participate in internships of international organisations and attend international conferences

• Organise about 100 youth activities on culture, arts, sports, etc. through the Youth Post hostel in Kai Tak in the coming five years

Develop a premium arts trading hub and deepen collaboration with Art Basel, consolidating Hong Kong's position as the exclusive host city in the region

Commission the WestK Quay within this year and establish the WestK Academy to provide professional training

Introduce market-based business models into designated facilities of the Leisure and Cultural Services Department, including leasing out museum venues on their closing days for commercial use

Promote prime yacht tourism by providing additional yacht berths and enhancing amenities for visiting yachts, such as improving immigration clearance procedures

Provide a half-rate certification fee subsidy, capped at $5,000, for restaurants that have acquired Halal certification to promote Muslim tourism

A multi-year partnership arrangement has been reached with the golf tour LIV Golf to attract top players to compete in Hong Kong

Earmark an additional $30 billion in the next two to three years to increase expenditure on works projects to support the local construction industry

Support small and medium enterprises (SMEs)

• Extend the application period for the 80% Guarantee Products under the SME Financing Guarantee Scheme for two years and the principal moratorium arrangement for one year

• Reduce water and sewage charges for non-domestic accounts by 50%, subject to a monthly ceiling of $10,000 and $5,000 respectively per account; reduce the trade effluent surcharge by 50%; and waive the licence fees for hawkers, food businesses, agriculture and fisheries industries, liquor licences, etc. for one year

• Streamline the restaurant licensing regime and expedite the approval process of applications for outside seating accommodation of restaurants

• Inject $1.43 billion into the BUD Fund and expand its geographical scope

• Set up the "Economic and Trade Express" to assist local SMEs in exploring business opportunities overseas

Promote a pet-friendly culture by introducing a licensing arrangement to allow operators to let dogs enter their food premises

Ensure the employment priority of local workers and enhance the eligibility requirements for importing waiters/waitresses and junior cooks under the Enhanced Supplementary Labour Scheme

Enhance actions to combat illegal employment, strengthen intelligence collection and inter-departmental joint enforcement operations

Improve the work injury compensation mechanism for digital platform workers through legislation to protect those providing food and goods delivery services, etc.

Overall public housing production in the next five years to reach 189 000 units, about 80% higher than the figure at the start of the current-term Government

Complete 30 000 Light Public Housing units by the first half of 2027, with the Composite Waiting Time for Subsidised Rental Housing moving closer to the target of 4.5 years in 2026-27

Enrich the housing ladder

• Increase the ratio of quotas between Green Form and White Form to 50:50

• Increase the quota of the White Form Secondary Market Scheme by 1 000 to 7 000, with half of the additional quota allocated to young family and one-person applicants below 40

• Relax the alienation restriction period of new flats for sale to 10 years

• Introduce a pilot scheme to allow eligible owners of subsidised sale flats to let their flats to White Form applicants after paying relevant fees

Improve the efficiency of land production and reduce construction costs

Take forward urban renewal with a new mind-set, including suitably increasing the plot ratio of private redevelopment projects for areas with more pressing redevelopment need, and allowing the increased plot ratio to be transferred to other districts

Strive for early passage of the legislation on regulating ride-hailing services to safeguard the public's travel safety

Enhance public healthcare services, including taking forward the work on setting up Stroke Centres and Integrated Cardiovascular Diseases Centres

Shorten the waiting time for stable new case bookings in the specialty of Surgery by about 10 weeks

Enhance the overall ophthalmology service and set up a new high-capacity ambulatory cataract surgery centre

Enhance the preventive screening and care services of family medicine clinics, increase their service capacity, and regularise their current extended service hours progressively

Launch the Chronic Disease Co-care Platform to conduct hepatitis B screening on a pilot basis

Commence the operation of The Chinese Medicine Hospital of Hong Kong in phases and publish the Chinese Medicine Development Blueprint within this year

Promote mental health by rolling out measures covering prevention, identification, intervention and treatment

Continue our work on targeted poverty alleviation

• Enhance the Strive and Rise Programme

• Inject $180 million to the Child Development Fund to reduce inter-generational poverty

• Set up six additional Community Living Rooms

• Provide time-limited cash incentives, on a pilot basis, for households leaving the Comprehensive Social Security Assistance Scheme and eligible for receiving the Working Family Allowance to promote self-reliance

Care for the elderly

• Increase 700 new subsidised residential care service places, 4 000 Community Care Service Vouchers for the Elderly and 1 000 Residential Care Service Vouchers for the Elderly

• Set up three new Neighbourhood Elderly Centres

• Increase the number of Mainland residential care homes for the elderly participating in the Residential Care Services Scheme in Guangdong to 24 and the number of cities covered to eight

Earmark an annual recurrent expenditure of $500 million to roll out a series of measures to enhance support for carers

Establish a Working Group on Ageing Society Strategies to formulate relevant policies, covering areas such as elderly care, healthcare, housing, culture and leisure, gerontechnology, and promoting the further development of silver economy

Promote fertility

• Starting from the year of assessment 2026/27, extend the claim period of additional child allowance for newborns to the first two years following childbirth

• Set up 15 new aided child care centres in the next three years to provide approximately 1 500 day care places for children aged between birth and three years old

• Increase the service quota for assisted reproductive services under the Hospital Authority to 1 500

Set up two additional ethnic minority (EM) Care Teams and one additional Interpretation and Translation Service Centre for EMs to strengthen support for EMs