The Government received a total of 15 632 requests for information under the Code on Access to Information in the second quarter of 2026, a spokesman for the Constitutional and Mainland Affairs Bureau said today (September 17).
 
     The total number of requests received since the introduction of the Code in March 1995 and up to the end of June 2026 amounted to 327 611. Of these, 19 460 requests were subsequently withdrawn by the requestors and 7 462 requests covered cases in which the bureaux/departments concerned did not hold the requested information or cannot confirm or deny the existence of information. As at June 30, 2026, 1 367 requests were still being processed by bureaux/departments.

     Among the 299 322 requests which covered information held by bureaux/departments and which the bureaux/departments had responded to, 295 561 requests (98.7 per cent) were met, either in full (292 019 requests) or in part (3 542 requests), and 3 761 requests (1.3 per cent) were refused.

     Any member of the public who is dissatisfied with the response of a bureau/department under the Code may request that the matter be reviewed. He or she may also lodge a complaint with The Ombudsman.

     In the second quarter of 2026, The Ombudsman received 14 complaints relating to requests for information. In this quarter, The Ombudsman concluded 14 complaints, among which one was concluded by inquiries, and 13 were assessed and closed. As at June 30, 2026, The Ombudsman's investigation into four complaints was ongoing.

Ends/Thursday, September 17, 2026
Issued at HKT 16:00

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