Hong Kong may relax a decades-old rule that bans pet dogs in restaurants, with the city’s leader expected to announce the measure in Wednesday’s Policy Address. The move may involve a new licencing regime, local media have reported.
Chief Executive John Lee is set to deliver his fourth annual policy blueprint on Wednesday. Citing sources, local media reported over the weekend that this year’s address will include the new pet-friendly measure, pending further consultation with the food and beverage sector.
Currently, Hong Kong’s Food Business Regulation prohibits dogs from entering food premises, except for guide dogs and police dogs. The rule has been in place since 1994 – offenders could face fines of up to HK$10,000 and jail for up to three months.
In February of last year, authorities hinted that they were considering a relaxation of the rules. At the time, Secretary for Environment and Ecology Tse Chin-wan said the government would need to “strike a balance on the need to safeguard public health and hygiene.”
Between 2020 and 2024, the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department had carried out 17 prosecutions related to dogs in restaurants, according to a government reply to lawmaker Benson Luk in April.
Increasing non-local university intakes
Separately, local media reported last Friday that Lee would also increase the quota for non-local undergraduate students at public universities to a maximum of 50 per cent in the upcoming Policy Address.
In 2023, Lee doubled the quota for non-local university intake from 20 per cent to 40 per cent, in a move aimed at bolstering Hong Kong’s status as an international higher educational hub.
Other potential policies to be unveiled on Wednesday also include a scheme that would allow public housing tenants to purchase their flats at a substantial discount to market prices, according to Ming Pao.
