REO demonstrates electronic counting system for functional constituency elections of Legislative Council General Election
The Registration and Electoral Office (REO) today (October 13) hosted a briefing and demonstration session for Legislative Council (LegCo) Members on the operation of the electronic counting system to be adopted in the functional constituencies (FCs) in the Legislative Council General Election (LCGE) this year.
The Election Committee subsector by-elections held on September 7 this year were conducted smoothly, and the operation of the new electronic counting system was overall completed in an orderly and efficient manner. The Electoral Affairs Commission (EAC) will introduce the electronic counting system for the first time for the FCs in the 2025 LCGE scheduled for December 7, with the aim of ensuring that the election will be conducted openly, honestly and fairly, while at the same time applying technology to enhance counting efficiency for a more accurate and smoother counting process.
Representatives from the REO briefed the LegCo Members on the counting process and the electronic counting system for the FCs, followed by a demonstration on the operation of the high-speed scanner, which included scanning of ballot papers and consolidation of counting results of individual FCs. The LegCo Members also received a presentation by REO representatives on the various stringent tests and audits conducted for the operation of the electronic counting system, including independent tests by third parties, computer audit, as well as stress tests and red team security tests arranged by the Digital Policy Office for large-scale information technology systems.
After the demonstration, the LegCo Members engaged in constructive exchanges with the REO representatives on the practical operation of the electronic counting system. They discussed details of counting arrangements and ways to ensure that the counting process will be conducted in an efficient and orderly manner.
The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government and the EAC will keep enhancing the election processes and arrangements in a stable and progressive manner as in the past. The REO has been successively arranging a series of drills and training sessions to familiarise electoral staff with the workflow of electronic counting. Efforts are also being made to strengthen the co-ordination and response capabilities among staff taking different responsibilities for making detailed and comprehensive preparations for the LCGE and ensuring a smooth counting process.
REO demonstrates electronic counting system for functional constituency elections of Legislative Council General Election Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases
REO demonstrates electronic counting system for functional constituency elections of Legislative Council General Election Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases
FSD and BD conduct joint inspection and enforcement operation against industrial buildings
In response to earlier media reports on fire safety issues in certain industrial buildings, the Fire Services Department (FSD) and the Buildings Department (BD) are highly concerned about the situation and conducted a joint inspection and enforcement operation targeting industrial buildings from December 29 to 31, 2025, with a view to ensuring public safety.
An industrial building in Kwun Tong, Photo by Bastille Post
The FSD and the BD inspected a total of nine industrial buildings located in various districts in Kowloon and the New Territories during the joint operation. The fire personnel identified a total of 261 irregularities related to various fire hazards, such as obstruction or locking of means of escape, defective or wedged-open smoke stop doors, as well as fire service installations or equipment (FSIs) that were defective or not in efficient working order. The FSD took immediate enforcement action against the persons concerned.
An industrial building in Kwun Tong, Photo by Bastille Post
Among the cases related to obstruction of means of escape, the FSD instituted three prosecutions and issued 22 Fire Hazard Abatement Notices (FHANs), requiring the persons concerned to abate the fire hazards within a specified period. Should they fail to comply with the requirements of the FHANs within the period, the FSD will institute resolute prosecution. In addition, inspections revealed that some buildings had defective smoke stop doors and FSIs. The FSD will issue FHANs to the persons concerned and continue to take follow-up action.
The Buildings Department (BD), Photo source: reference image
The BD identified 13 subdivided flats suspected of being used illegally for domestic purposes. Further investigations are now under way, and letters have been sent to the relevant owners and occupiers asking them to contact the BD as soon as possible to arrange an inspection of their flats. Otherwise, the BD will consider applying for a court warrant to enter the premises for inspection. If it is confirmed that the flats in question have been used for illegal domestic purposes, the BD will take enforcement action in accordance with the Buildings Ordinance, including ordering the cessation of illegal domestic use and rectify the dangerous situations. The BD also identified in the operation that there was dilapidation in the exit staircases of one of the industrial buildings, but no obvious danger to the overall building structure was noted. The BD has issued a repair order to the owners' corporation for conducting the necessary repair work.
The Fire Services Department (FSD), Photo source: reference image
Apart from inspection and enforcement, the FSD also carried out fire prevention education and publicity at the same time during the operation to enhance fire safety awareness among owners and occupiers of industrial buildings, thereby mitigating fire risk from the source. The BD has also long been promoting building safety and the proper use of buildings through various channels, including distributing themed posters to management offices of industrial buildings for displaying in prominent places to serve as a reminder to owners and occupiers that industrial buildings must not be used illegally for domestic purposes.
