Following is a question by the Hon Chan Hak-kan and a written reply by the Secretary for Health, Professor Lo Chung-mau, in the Legislative Council today (February 25):

Question:

     On regulating alcohol consumption among adolescents, will the Government inform this Council:

(1) given that according to the Business Registration Ordinance (Cap. 310), every person carrying on a business in Hong Kong regardless of the mode of business must register his business within one month of commencement of business, while "business" required to be registered includes any form of trade, commerce, craftsmanship, profession, calling or other activity carried on for the purpose of gain; whether the Government has conducted random inspections to see if stores currently engaging in the sale of alcohol through online shopping and second-hand platforms have completed business registration; if so, of the details of the relevant random inspections;

(2) given that the Tobacco and Alcohol Control Office (TACO) of the Department of Health implemented the Dutiable Commodities (Amendment) Ordinance 2018 (the Ordinance) starting from November 30, 2018 to prohibit any person from selling and supplying intoxicating liquor to persons under the age of 18 in the course of business, of the respective details of the inspections and law enforcement actions (including the strength of the relevant law enforcement officers, the number of inspections conducted and the number of cases in which a fine was imposed) taken by TACO in stores and premises under the Ordinance in each of the past five years;

(3) given that the Ordinance stipulates that regarding the online sale of alcohol, if it is sold or supplied via remote distribution (e.g. in the form of SMS messages, group messages, websites, telephone or mail order), the prescribed notice must be displayed in a reasonably legible manner, or its contents must be read out or played as a sound recording; however, there are views pointing out that the aforesaid measures may not be able to prevent persons under the age of 18 from purchasing alcohol from online shopping platforms; of the respective numbers of law enforcement actions targeting online shopping platforms taken by TACO and numbers of cases in which a fine was imposed in each of the past five years; among such cases, the number of those found to have contravened the requirements of the aforesaid prescribed notice; whether the authorities have conducted decoy operations; if so, the relevant figures;

(4) whether the Government has studied the situation of alcohol abuse among adolescents in Hong Kong since the Ordinance came into operation; if it has studied, whether the number of cases involving alcohol abuse among adolescents has shown a downward trend; what measures the Government has put in place to address the situation of alcohol abuse among adolescents; and

(5) of the current alcohol consumption situation in Hong Kong; whether the Government has assessed if it has achieved the target of "at least 10 per cent relative reduction in the prevalence of binge drinking and harmful use of alcohol among adults and in the prevalence of drinking among youth by 2025" set out in the "Towards 2025: Strategy and Action Plan to Prevent and Control Non-communicable Diseases in Hong Kong"; if it has assessed and the target has been met, whether the Government will set new targets; if it has assessed and the target has not yet been met, whether it has plans to make improvements?

Reply:

President,

     According to the World Health Organization (WHO), harmful use of alcohol is a significant risk factor for more than 200 diseases, injuries and other health conditions. Harmful use of alcohol is associated with the risk of developing a range of health problems such as mental and behavioural disorders (including alcohol dependence), and major non-communicable diseases (NCDs) (e.g. liver cirrhosis and some cancers). In addition to health effects, harmful use of alcohol can place a heavy burden on individuals, families and the society. The WHO recommends that governments of various places should strengthen their responses to reduce alcohol-related harm for prevention and control of NCDs. Reducing alcohol-related harm is an important priority action area in the prevention and control of NCDs locally.

     In response to the Hon Chan Hak-kan's question, the reply after consultation with the Financial Services and the Treasury Bureau and the Department of Health (DH) is as follows:

(1) Every person who carries on a business in Hong Kong, regardless of whether through a brick-and-mortar presence or the internet, is required to apply for business registration under the Business Registration Ordinance (Cap. 310) (BRO). The Inland Revenue Department (IRD) inspects the transactions carried out on the internet from time to time to ascertain the compliance with the BRO requirements. The IRD will examine details of the relevant transactions, including (i) the procurement, promotion, sales, and delivery of goods, (ii) the collection and payment of sales proceeds, and (iii) the purpose, scale, persistence and location of these transactions, to determine whether the relevant transactions constitute the carrying on of a business in Hong Kong.

     Under section 15(1)(c) of the BRO, any person who fails to apply for business registration for a business carried on by them in Hong Kong under the BRO commits an offence, and the maximum penalty is a fine of $5,000 and imprisonment for one year. Where any online activity (including a transaction of alcoholic products) constitutes carrying on a business in Hong Kong but the business has not yet been registered under the BRO, the IRD would remind the relevant person to apply for business registration for the business as soon as possible, and would initiate prosecution if necessary.

(2) Part 5 of the Dutiable Commodities (Liquor) Regulations (Cap. 109B) (the Regulations) prohibits the sale and supply of intoxicating liquor to minors in the course of business. According to the Regulations, a person must not, in the course of business, including face-to-face or remote distribution, sell or supply alcoholic beverages to a minor. The Regulations also require vendors who sell or supply intoxicating liquor through face-to-face distributions to display a prescribed notice complying with the Regulations in a prominent position at the premises in the course of business. Between 2021 and 2025, the Tobacco and Alcohol Control Office (TACO) of the DH conducted more than 78 000 inspections to check retailers' compliance with the legal requirements mentioned above, and carried out investigations and enforcement actions upon receipt of intelligence or complaints. Over the same period, the TACO received 109 complaints regarding the sale or supply of intoxicating liquor to minors in the course of business. No violation was found upon plainclothes inspections and follow-up investigations. As for the requirement to display prescribed notices, the TACO issued 12 summonses to offenders, and nine of which resulted in convictions by the court, with fines ranging from $1,800 to $2,500.

     The number of inspections and the enforcement actions carried out by the TACO at shops and premises in accordance with the Regulations in the past five years is set out at Annex 1.

     The number of posts for frontline law enforcement officers in the approved establishment of the TACO is 125. Since the relevant law enforcement officers work on the alcohol and tobacco control initiatives at the same time, the manpower arrangements cannot be separately delineated.

(3) Any person who sells or supplies liquor to others by remote distribution must display or broadcast a prescribed notice stating that, under the law of Hong Kong, intoxicating liquor must not be sold or supplied to minors in the course of business. In addition, prior to the sale or supply, the seller or supplier must receive an age declaration from the purchaser or recipient. Provided that there are no circumstances giving rise to reasonable suspicion that the declaration is false, such declaration may serve as a defence in the event of prosecution. The TACO conducts online inspections and follows up on cases where non‑compliance with the above requirements are identified. Between 2021 and 2025, the TACO carried out over 2 600 online inspections and issued more than 600 advisory letters, with the vast majority of websites co-operating upon receiving the advisory letters. The number of inspections and enforcement actions carried out by the TACO against online shopping platforms in accordance with the Regulations in the past five years is set out at Annex 2.

     As regards covert enforcement operations (commonly known as "sting operations"), the personnel involved must be relevant appointed law enforcement officers. They are subject to strict rules and regulations, and are also required to undergo training, thereby understanding the legal boundaries and are capable of handling unexpected situations. Given that the offences currently regulated by the Regulations concern acts directed at minors, the use of "sting operations" is considered inappropriate. The DH encourages members of the public to provide information to the TACO, which will then conduct inspections and take enforcement actions upon receiving intelligence or complaints.

(4) and (5) The Government promulgated, in 2018, the Strategy and Action Plan to Prevent and Control Non-communicable Diseases in Hong Kong (SAP), with a focus on NCDs and their common behavioural risk factors (such as harmful use of alcohol, unhealthy diet and physical inactivity), to comprehensively promote a healthy lifestyle. One of the targets of the SAP is at least 10 per cent relative reduction in the prevalence of binge drinking and harmful use of alcohol (viz. harmful drinking/alcohol dependence) among adults and in the prevalence of drinking among youth by 2025. 

     Currently, regular surveys targeting students from upper primary to post-secondary levels are conducted by the Narcotics Division (ND) of the Security Bureau (SB) to collect information on alcohol drinking, smoking and drug use among young people. According to the Survey of Drug Use among Students by the ND of the SB, since the Dutiable Commodities (Amendment) Ordinance 2018 took effect in 2018, the prevalence of drinking among young people shows a downward trend; and the relevant target of the prevalence of drinking among youth as stated in the SAP has been achieved. The relevant statistics are shown in the table below:
 

SAP indicator related to reducing the prevalence of drinking among youth (note 1)	Year 2011/12	Year 2014/15	Year 2017/18	Year 2020/21	Year 2023/24
Ever drinking	56.0%	56.2%	56.7%	47.5%	40.4%
12-month drinking	41.0%	41.3%	42.3%	32.8%	27.9%
30-day drinking	18.4%	20.2%	21.2%	16.7%	14.3%

Note 1：Including primary four to six students, secondary one to six students and post-secondary students
Source：Survey of Drug Use among Students conducted by the ND of the SB

     In addition, the DH conducts a Population Health Survey (PHS) approximately every five years, with the Health Behaviour Survey (HBS) conducted in between to understand the health status and health-related behaviours of the Hong Kong population, including drinking behaviours. According to the HBS 2023 conducted by the DH, the age-standardised prevalence of binge drinking (i.e. drinking at least five cans of beers, five glasses of table wine or five pegs of spirits on a single occasion) at least monthly among adults (aged 18 years or above) increased when compared to the baseline figures of the PHS 2014/15, while remaining at a low level. According to the 2019 worldwide statistics from the WHO, 17 per cent of people aged 15 years or above engaged in heavy episodic drinking or "binge drinking" on one or more occasions in the last month. Comparatively, Hong Kong's statistics on binge drinking is relatively lower. The statistics on binge drinking in Hong Kong are shown in the table below:
 

SAP indicator related to reducing the harmful use of alcohol	PHS 2014/15	PHS 2020-22	HBS 2023
Age-standardised prevalence of binge drinking (note 2) at least monthly among adults (aged 18 years or above)	2.4%	2.2%	2.9%

Note 2：Binge drinking is defined as drinking at least 5 cans of beers, 5 glasses of table wine or 5 pegs of spirits on a single occasion.

     The PHS 2025/26 commenced last September and the findings are expected to be available in late 2026. The Government will use the relevant data to review the targets and outcomes of the SAP.

     Under the SAP, the Government adopts a multi-pronged approach, comprising publicity and education, law enforcement, promotion of alcohol screening, etc, to reduce alcohol-related harm. The relevant initiatives include: 

(i) The DH has launched a publicity and education campaign named "Understanding Alcohol Harm" since 2022 to enhance the public's understanding of the health risks associated with alcohol consumption through various channels. Through a website, the DH disseminates information on alcohol-related harm to the public, and provides online risk assessment of drinking behaviour, personalised health advice, self-help tools, health education resources, etc, to encourage drinkers to change their drinking behaviour for the sake of their health. 

(ii) The DH recommends the Alcohol Screening and Brief Intervention (A-SBI) tool to primary healthcare service providers, including organisation of online training for the staff of the District Health Centres (DHCs) and District Health Centre Expresses (DHC Expresses) to encourage regular use of the A-SBI tool for early identification and management of at-risk drinkers, as well as arranging referral for those with probable alcohol dependence. DHCs and DHC Expresses provide primary healthcare services to citizens, including the Life Course Preventive Care Plan, which is an evidence-based and comprehensive health strategy that emphasises prevention and personalised needs. It provides guidance on the health needs of citizens across different life stages and assists citizens in developing a healthy lifestyle, including early identification and intervention of high-risk drinking behaviours through health risk assessment and providing alcohol abuse prevention advice, with a view to enhancing the overall health of the Hong Kong citizens.

(iii) The DH has also launched the Pilot Alcohol Cessation Counselling Service (Pilot Programme) through subvention to a non-governmental organisation. The Pilot Programme was launched on April 8, 2024, and will last for two years to provide free counselling service for Hong Kong residents identified to have probable alcohol dependence. The service comprises three components, namely initial assessment, evidence-based individual counselling intervention, and subsequent evaluation follow-up.

(iv) Targeting the situation of alcohol use among young people, the DH has been enforcing the Dutiable Commodities (Amendment) Regulation 2018 since 2018 to prevent youth access to alcohol. Apart from this, the DH has also launched the "Young and Alcohol Free" campaign since 2016 to step up efforts to combat underage drinking and protect young people from the harm that alcohol may bring. The activities included the development of health education resources, the launch of Announcements in the Public Interest (APIs) targeting young people, and collaboration with groups and non-governmental organisations serving youth to provide training to trainers, as well as assistance in organising relevant health education activities to further disseminate relevant messages to young people in the community. To echo the launch of the new APIs and posters, the latest round of the promotional campaign was launched in 2025 and was promoted through social media, residential building lobby TV display network, public transport, venues under the DH and other government departments to enhance coverage and reach.

     The DH will continue to reduce alcohol-related harm through various means and will closely monitor local alcohol consumption situation through periodic surveys. 

Ends/Wednesday, February 25, 2026
Issued at HKT 19:17

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