Secretary of Home and Youth Affairs Alice Mak said on Saturday that the government will provide extra mediation training for district councillors. Under the initiative to foster harmonious neighbourhood relations announced in the latest Policy Address, the Home Affairs Department will introduce a three-tier mechanism to resolve building-management disputes next year. The first tier will see district council members intervening early when a building-management dispute arises to resolve the issue through negotiation. Only if it remains unresolved will professional mediators step in under the second tier, with the case only reaching the courts as a last resort. Speaking on Commercial Radio, Mak gave an example of how the new approach would work. “In the past if a district councillor received a complaint from, say, a Mrs Lee, they would refer that to the property management office for follow-up action,” she said. “Now, we are asking them to take it one step further. "Not only should they refer the complaint to the management office, but they should also ask the management office to set up a meeting between the two sides. “District councillors can serve as mediators. Of course, if we want district councillors to take on more responsibilities, it is essential that we provide them with the proper training.” District councillors, she said, would continue to provide follow-up assistance even if the dispute escalates to the second or third tier. Mak said she sees no immediate need to introduce mandatory measures to resolve building-management disputes, saying society must first reach a consensus and that introducing penalties requires further study. Edited by Robert Kemp

Secretary for Environment and Ecology Tse Chin-wan on Saturday said he was confident he could meet all four binding targets set by Hong Kong’s first five-year plan for areas covered by his department. These include reducing carbon intensity, increasing the share of zero-carbon energy used to generate power, and improving air and surface water quality. Speaking on Commercial Radio, Tse said environmental targets made up most of the blueprint's binding goals because they are crucial to the SAR’s future development. He said concrete plans are already in place to promote the green transition. On meeting the target of increasing the share of zero-carbon energy in the fuel mix used to generate electricity from the current 25 percent to 30 percent by 2030, and further boosting that figure to 60 percent to 70 percent by 2035, Tse said opting for a greater share of energy from wind and solar sources would help protect the city from potential energy crises and ensure supply stability. One plan is to build a large-scale facility at Tseung Kwan O, where zero-carbon energy can be transmitted from the mainland on a large scale. “We have begun discussions with some enterprises to explore [the possibility of them supplying] cheap zero-carbon energy," Tse said. "A working group has been set up in this regard, and we are quite confident in our expectations that the share of zero-carbon energy can be increased to 60 to 70 percent by 2035.” Authorities are also aiming to achieve "zero landfill" by 2035, with Tse noting that the debate sparked by the waste-charging scheme, shelved in 2024, raised awareness of the urgency of waste reduction. Hong Kong has been working to meet the goal in various ways, including boosting recycling. Tse said the Green@Community mobile app, which offers points and coupons, now has 1.2 million users. He said not everyone submits recyclables just for the rewards. “Some people were encouraged to do so because of the rewards, but others have understood the reason why we have to reduce waste and taken the initiative to do so," he said. "So our upcoming strategy is to enhance its convenience, make use of the 24-hour smart recycling bins and machines. When it’s more convenient, I believe more people will be willing to recycle." Edited by Robert Kemp