What role the Legislative Council (LegCo) should play in our executive-led system continues to spark controversy.  Lawmakers themselves are discussing the issue, which is a healthy sign. 

Central authorities have also spoken indirectly on LegCo’s role.

On January 26, the Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office head Xia Baolong pointed out that executive-led government in Hong Kong means that each branch – executive, legislative, and judicial – performs its “own role and cooperates and coordinates with each other.”

According to Article 64 of the Basic Law, LegCo’s role includes holding the government to account. This means asking questions, asking for justification of government action, investigating government actions and inactions, and, when necessary, sanctioning government officials for policy failures.

According to the Powers and Privileges Ordinance (Cap 382), enacted in 1985, with the select and investigation committee system, as well as the system of policy panels, LegCo has the capacity to fulfil its “own role.”

It is precisely how to understand LegCo’s “own role” that has sparked controversy.

First, may LegCo use the tools it has to hold the government to account? The central authorities have condemned the way the opposition in LegCo used these tools after 2010. They call it abuse, citing filibustering and other tactics that delayed legislation.

The record is clear: the fourth- and fifth-term Legislative Councils passed far fewer bills than either before or after. The sixth-term LegCo was heading in the same direction until the government disqualified some opposition lawmakers, and most of the rest resigned.  

Moreover, both the central and the city’s authorities accuse the opposition of abusing LegCo’s powers to investigate, and to summon and inquire – precisely those powers legislators still have and need to hold the government to account.

In this view, the abuse dates from after 2010 when the opposition and representatives of the central government negotiated a deal over political reform in Hong Kong. It has been downhill ever since, according to Beijing. 

From 1985 to 2010, LegCo convened six select or investigation committees, which focused on issues of public concern: the Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) operations and staff loyalty, the chaotic Chek Lap Kok airport opening, short piling in public housing, SARS, misselling Lehman-Brothers minibonds, and conflicts of interest in the post-retirement employment of civil servants.

The result: the government changed course and made improvements in public policy.

For example, authorities introduced the Principal Officials Accountability System (POAS) in 2002, which is still with us today. LegCo’s work and the results of an expert committee investigation on the SARS outbreak in 2003-04 better prepared us for the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020. These positive results are undeniable. 

Even in the post-2010 period, pressure from LegCo to investigate sometimes had positive results. In 2015, for example, responding to public concern expressed in the legislature, the government established a commission of inquiry into lead in drinking water in some public housing estates. Again, the government changed course. 

Second, authorities tell us that executive-led government means that LegCo and the executive should “cooperate” and “coordinate.” Does this mean that legislators may not criticise government policy? Reporting indicates that many LegCo members perceive this to be the case. 

Remember Chief Executive John Lee’s harsh rebuke of LegCo member Paul Tse’s criticism of government policy in the first “patriots-only” seventh-term LegCo? The chief executive deemed such criticism “dangerous,” similar to the “soft resistance” of the much-criticised opposition and must be “stamped out.”

The few government critics in the seventh-term LegCo all left the body in 2025. 

More recently, consider the Hospital Authority’s (HA) rebuke after LegCo members Gary Chan, Rebecca Chan, and David Lam expressed concerns that residents might not have collected their HA-provided medication because of increased charges. (A sidenote: Rebecca Chan served as a political assistant in the Food and Health Bureau from 2012 to 2017.)

The legislators drew attention to the very figure disclosed by the Health Bureau: that 26,000 public hospital prescriptions were uncollected after the new fee regime was introduced in January. However, rather than listening and investigating, the HA said the remarks were “untruthful.”

The government apparently prefers to send legislators “warm reminders” on many issues of public concern, in effect telling them to shut up. Precisely because no lawmaker spoke up when LegCo deliberated the bus seatbelt issue in September 2025, the policy resulted in a fiasco. 

The public needs a legislature that is engaged, open, and responsibly critical of government action – this is the minimum required to perform its “own role.”

Of course, LegCo should cooperate and coordinate with the government, but to do so should not compromise the legislature’s “own role.”  

Hong Kong needs a middle way for LegCo – somewhere between the dysfunction seen from the 2014 Umbrella Movement through the 2019 protests and a rubber stamp.

We have experienced a middle way, for example, from 1985 to at least 2010.

At the time, as noted above, LegCo investigations played an important role in improving public policy. Hong Kong people value this kind of LegCo role. It benefits the government and the community, building trust and legitimacy. 

Authorities should trust their own gatekeeping in selecting patriotic LegCo members. Many LegCo members seem to understand that they should play a more active role.

The government should realise that it cannot do everything alone. Effective governance is co-produced.

Authorities need to recognise the legitimacy of a middle way, a more authentic role for LegCo. We will all benefit.

Over 60 per cent of Hong Kong’s homeless are unfamiliar with how to apply for medical waivers, and nearly three-fifths are reducing medical visits due to increased public hospital fees, an NGO has found.

ImpactHK, which serves the city’s homeless, surveyed 120 people from February 1 to March 31 to understand how medical fee reforms were affecting the community.

The survey was done after a sweeping public hospital fee overhaul came into effect on January 1, which increased prices of some services, such as accident and emergency (A&E).

At the same time, authorities relaxed the threshold for medical waivers, allowing more people to qualify for more affordable healthcare.

ImpactHK’s survey, however, found that only 38.7 per cent of respondents indicated they understood how to apply for the waivers.

Around 32 per cent said they had a slight idea, while almost 30 per cent said they had no knowledge at all.

Citing its figure that 73 per cent of respondents knew that the fee waivers existed, ImpactHK said there was a “high awareness, low mastery” gap.

It urged the government to simplify documentation requirements for the waiver applications. Currently, applicants must submit income proof for at least the past six months.

The NGO said that the homeless face challenges in keeping documents in order while living on the streets, which are subject to frequent sweeps by authorities.

Some banks charge HK$50 for each physical monthly statement, and while access to digital statements may be exempt from administrative fees, it is difficult for those who are homeless to have a smartphone and a phone number, the NGO said.

ImpactHK urged automatic fee waivers for people experiencing homelessness who are registered with outreach teams to “bypass the digital and administrative divide.”

It also said that NGOs should be allowed to act as correspondence addresses for those who are homeless, as they do not have a fixed abode.

60% cutting hospital visits

The increased public hospital fees were part of the government’s sweeping subsidy reforms, which authorities said were needed to strengthen the sustainability of the healthcare system.

Under the new pricing structure, A&E patients classified as urgent, semi-urgent or non-urgent – per the Hospital Authority’s five-tier triage system – are charged HK$400, up from HK$180. Those categorised as critical or emergency are treated for free.

Fees for general outpatient clinics and specialist outpatient clinics also increased.

According to ImpactHK’s survey, almost 60 per cent of respondents said they were reducing their trips to the hospital as a result of the increased fees.

Almost 30 per cent said they were seeking other subsidised alternatives for medical services, and around 13 per cent said they were cutting down on other expenses to handle the burden of increased medical fees.

See also: Less-urgent visits to Hong Kong public hospitals’ A&Es down 21% after fee rise

Regarding the medical waiver applications, ImpactHK said around one-third of respondents indicated they were worried that the information they provided would be insufficient and that the process would take too long.

The NGO also said the current waiver threshold of HK$7,575 for a single-person household was “unrealistically low.” It proposed increasing the threshold to the median monthly income, which stands at HK$10,500 as of the last quarter of 2025.

A labour NGO has urged the Hong Kong government to thoroughly investigate the death of a 59-year-old worker, who was killed by a heavy industrial component at the Kai Tak Hospital construction site.

A worker, surnamed Lam, was found unconscious at the construction site at around 5pm on Wednesday, police said. He was sent to Union Hospital, where he was certified dead.

Staff at the construction site told police that Lam was hit by an industrial component on a forklift.

The industrial component, measuring one metre by 2.3 metres by 0.65 metres, weighs around a tonne, according to a preliminary investigation.

In a statement published late Wednesday evening, the Association for the Rights of Industrial Accident Victims (ARIAV), a labour concern group, said the worker was helping transport a fire hydrant component when the incident took place.

ARIAV urged the Labour Department “to thoroughly investigate the cause of the accident and make public the investigation report to avoid similar accidents.”

It also urged the worker’s employer to assist his family.

According to the government, the Labour Department immediately deployed staff to the scene upon receiving a report of the accident and is now conducting an investigation.

Kai Tak Hospital, set to be Hong Kong’s biggest hospital with around 2,400 beds, will open in October, the Hospital Authority (HA) said earlier this month.

The HA said on Wednesday night that it had urged the main contractor, China State Construction Engineering (Hong Kong) Ltd, to provide assistance to the worker’s family.

It also urged the main contractor to investigate the incident and to submit a report to the authority.

In January, the collapse of a large bamboo scaffold at the Kai Tak Hospital construction site injured 11 workers, including one who sustained a serious injury.

Hong Kong is set to open its biggest public hospital, Kai Tak Hospital, in October, providing 2,400 beds in a “healthcare hub” with a gross floor area of 500,000 square metres.

During the first phase of opening, Kai Tak Hospital will begin offering specialist outpatient services in departments including medicine, neurosurgery and oncology, according to a government statement published on Friday.

Accident and emergency (A&E) services at the hospital will start in 2028, alongside inpatient and surgical care.

Kai Tak Hospital is set to take over Queen Elizabeth Hospital, currently the largest hospital in the Kowloon Central cluster with 2,018 beds. Services from Queen Elizabeth Hospital will be gradually relocated to Kai Tak Hospital, while Queen Elizabeth Hospital will be developed for other healthcare services.

Kai Tak Hospital “will serve Yau Tsim Mong, Kowloon City, Wong Tai Sin and Kwun Tong districts, covering a population of more than 1.8 million,” a Hospital Authority spokesperson said, adding that the hospital would ensure more balanced distribution of healthcare resources.

The new hospital will consist of five towers with 37 operating theatres. It will also be home to a number of specialist centres, including those for oncology and neuroscience.

The opening of Kai Tak Hospital comes 10 years after it was proposed in the government’s policy address in 2016 as part of a blueprint for hospital development.

In May last year, authorities said it would strengthen public transport links to Kai Tak Hospital ahead of its opening. A new bus route – 20X, connecting Kai Tak Cruise Terminal and Tsim Sha Tsui – will come into effect, while two existing bus routes in the area will be extended.

Patients at Queen Elizabeth Hospital will be notified of new appointment details if their treatment is relocated to Kai Tak Hospital, the government said on Friday.

Hong Kong police have arrested a man suspected of stealing the personal data of more than 56,000 patients from a Hospital Authority (HA) computer system.

On Wednesday, police identified the 30-year-old suspect as an employee of a systems maintenance contractor hired by the HA. He is accused of downloading patient data without authorisation.

The HA previously disclosed on Saturday that personal information belonging to patients – including names, genders, ID numbers and surgical procedure details – in the Kowloon East cluster was leaked onto a “third-party platform.”

During a press conference on Wednesday, officers from the Cyber Security and Technology Crime Bureau said the leak originated from two of the contractor’s offices in the New Territories.

Police raided the offices, seizing more than 60 digital devices, including servers and mobile phones. The suspect was arrested Tuesday in Tin Shui Wai on suspicion of “access to computer with criminal or dishonest intent.”

Superintendent Ferris Cheung said investigators are still probing the suspect’s motive and possible accomplices.

Limited access to medical records

Tony Ha, the HA’s director for strategy and planning, said during the same press conference that the contractor was responsible for an operating room system used by the Kowloon East network.

“The system involved in this data leak only contained information related to surgical procedures,” Ha said in Cantonese. “The system and the contractor do not have full access to patients’ medical records.”

Following the breach, the HA conducted a comprehensive scan of its other systems and found no further irregularities, he said.

Ha added that all contractor access to HA systems had been suspended and that any emergency maintenance must now be carried out under the direct supervision of HA personnel.

See also: Hong Kong privacy watchdog records 20% increase in data breaches – a third involve hacking

Former lawmaker Michael Tien alleged on Saturday that the leak occurred at United Christian Hospital’s anaesthesiology department during a system upgrade on April 1.

Ha declined to comment on this specific claim on Wednesday. He also defended the delay in public disclosure, saying the timing was coordinated with law enforcement.

Kenny Yuen, IT coordinator for the HA’s Kowloon East cluster, said the authority had notified more than 37,000 users via the HA Go mobile app. An additional 9,000 patients were informed by phone, and 18,000 letters were sent.

Officials urged patients to remain vigilant against potential scams and to report any suspicious calls to the authorities.