DoJ Launches Stakeholder Consultation on Review of Arbitration Ordinance to Enhance Hong Kong's Legislative Framework for Arbitration

DoJ launches stakeholder consultation on review of Arbitration Ordinance to enhance Hong Kong's legislative framework for arbitration

The Department of Justice (DoJ) announced today (September 28) the launch of a one-month stakeholder consultation on the proposed legislative amendments to the Arbitration Ordinance (Cap. 609) (AO). This consultation is a policy initiative under the First Five-Year Plan for Economic and Social Development of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (2026-2030), as well as one of the indicators for specified tasks in the 2026 Policy Address announced by the Chief Executive on September 16. The DoJ has taken swift action to implement the relevant initiative, demonstrating its determination to drive policy implementation efficiently. This consultation is also part of the DoJ's ongoing efforts to enhance Hong Kong's arbitration legislative framework and consolidate its position as a premier international arbitration hub.

A spokesman for the DoJ said, "The proposed legislative amendments mark a significant step forward in ensuring that Hong Kong's arbitration framework stays at the forefront of international development. Guided by the core principles of enhancing speed, convenience and finality, protecting confidentiality, making arbitration more readily available to resolve various types of disputes, ensuring fairness and justice, and respecting party autonomy, the reform aims to bolster Hong Kong's competitiveness as a leading international arbitration centre. Ultimately, these enhancements will attract more businesses to choose Hong Kong as their seat of arbitration and enable them to benefit from our enhanced arbitration legislative framework that keeps pace with the times, and our internationally recognised arbitration services."

In October 2025, the DoJ established the Working Group on Arbitration Law Reform (Working Group), chaired by the Secretary for Justice, Mr Paul Lam, SC, with the Deputy Secretary for Justice, Dr Cheung Kwok-kwan, as the Vice-Chairman. Comprising experts from the legal and dispute resolution services sectors, the Working Group was tasked with reviewing and making recommendations to amend the AO to ensure Hong Kong's arbitration regime remains up-to-date, efficient, and aligns with international best practices. Following a comprehensive review by the Working Group, the DoJ is commencing a stakeholder consultation today on the recommendations of the Working Group and the draft amendment bill.

Based on the recommendations proposed by the Working Group in respect of 25 issues, the DoJ has formulated a range of legislative amendment proposals to the AO, categorised into the following four key areas: (i) speed and convenience; (ii) confidentiality; (iii) scope; and (iv) fairness and justice. For details of the recommendations made by the Working Group on the 25 issues, please refer to the Annex.

To ensure that a balanced and representative range of views is collected, the consultation paper will be issued to relevant stakeholders, including legal professional bodies, arbitral institutions, dispute resolution and law-related bodies, arbitration practitioners and legal professionals, Government advisory bodies and departments, statutory bodies, academics, chambers of commerce, trade associations, banks and wealth management associations, and other commercial end-users of arbitration services. The consultation period will run until October 27.

After considering the views of the stakeholders, the DoJ targets to introduce the amendment bill into the Legislative Council in early 2027, striving to complete the legislative amendments for AO within 2027.

The Department of Justice, Photo source: reference image

FEHD steps up inspections of school lunch box suppliers to ensure food safety on campus

To enhance food safety and hygiene awareness among schools and licensed food factories supplying school lunch boxes, and to tie in with the new school year, the Centre for Food Safety (CFS) and the Environmental Hygiene Branch of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD) have stepped up inspections of licensed food factories supplying school lunch boxes in various districts of Hong Kong and collected food samples for testing.

A spokesman for the FEHD said today (September 28), "Since July, the FEHD has inspected 46 licensed food factories supplying school lunch boxes, and reminded operators of the proper way of handling school lunch boxes. As at late September, the CFS has collected 92 lunch box samples from those licensed food factories for microbiological examinations. All samples tested satisfactory."

Regarding education and publicity, to safeguard food safety on campuses, the CFS has arranged a series of online and physical seminars for schools and lunch box suppliers between July and late September, highlighting food safety hazards such as choking and food allergies, and emphasising the need for vigilance among teaching staff and food handlers in schools, as well as reminding lunch box suppliers to adhere to good hygiene practices when preparing food. At the same time, schools are also reminded to order lunch boxes from suppliers that hold a valid Food Factory Licence issued by the FEHD and are endorsed to provide lunch boxes. Lunch box suppliers are also reminded to establish a food safety plan based on the Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) system to lower the risks of food contamination.

The CFS has published "A Practical Guide for Ensuring Food Safety in Schools and Childcare Facilities" to which schools and childcare facilities can refer when choosing lunch box suppliers and ensuring food safety on campus. Lunch box caterers can make use of the guideline "Developing a School Food Safety Plan Based on HACCP system (for School Lunch Box Caterers)" to learn more about how to enhance the safety of lunch box production. For further details, please visit the"Safe Food at School" thematic webpage.

The Centre for Food Safety of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department has arranged a series of online and physical seminars for schools and lunch box suppliers between July and late September, highlighting food safety hazards such as choking and food allergies, and emphasising the need for vigilance among teaching staff and food handlers in schools, as well as reminding lunch box suppliers to adhere to good hygiene practices when preparing food. Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

To enhance food safety and hygiene awareness among schools and licensed food factories supplying school lunch boxes, and to tie in with the new school year, the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department has inspected 46 licensed food factories supplying school lunch boxes since July, and has reminded operators of the proper way of handling school lunch boxes. Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases