Q2 Crimes of online financial fraud
MR CHAN CHUN-YING (in Cantonese):
President, as for inter-agency cooperation in fraud prevention, it is mentioned in the main reply that presently, the Cyber Security Centre of the Police conducts regular meetings with HKMA, HKAB and the banking sector. Moreover, ADCC and the Fraud and Money Laundering Intelligence Taskforce have been established to join hands in combating security incidents involving banks. However, as stated in the main question, there have been many different forms of fraud cases involving securities and insurance recently, but the current fraud prevention efforts made by SFC and IA mainly focus on conducting studies to step up regulation and guidance for the sector, as well as enhance public education. Will the Bureau consider proposing to the Cyber Security Centre to hold regular meetings with SFC, IA, the relevant securities and insurance associations as well as industry representatives to explore fraud prevention measures?
SECRETARY FOR FINANCIAL SERVICES AND THE TREASURY (in Cantonese):
Thank you, Mr CHAN and the President. Concerning this issue, as Mr CHAN has just said, the regulatory authorities have from time to time maintained close liaison with people from all walks of life, including the sector, various industries and organizations, in order to gain a better understanding of the prevailing crime trend, and at the same time educate members of the public in a better and more comprehensive manner. There are several aspects to the problem. On the one hand, we will issue guidelines to the organizations being monitored; and on the other hand, we will enhance public awareness and vigilance. Therefore, we have been working with the Police and the organizations being monitored to gain an understanding of the market trend and explore more effective ways to educate the public. The Investor and Financial Education Council under SFC that I mentioned earlier will continue to disseminate different information, and the Enforcement Reporter introduced by me just now also provides this kind of information. We will continue our work in this area to maximize the effectiveness of the whole package of efforts to prevent or minimize fraud.
Q4 Encouraging the youth to develop careers on the Mainland
MR CHAN CHUN-YING (in Cantonese):
Deputy President, while the SAR Government attaches so much importance to promoting and supporting the development of young people in the Greater Bay Area, it has indicated in the main reply that it has not maintained statistics on the number of Hong Kong young people studying in the Greater Bay Area. Will the Administration consider, in future, compiling and maintaining statistics on the number of Hong Kong young people who have relocated to municipalities of the Greater Bay Area to start their own businesses and seek employment, and keeping in contact with them through the HKSAR Government’s Economic and Trade Office in Guangdong to understand their needs so as to provide them with support and assistance as appropriate, instead of simply encouraging them to move to unfamiliar places and become self-reliant under various schemes?
SECRETARY FOR CONSTITUTIONAL AND MAINLAND AFFAIRS (in Cantonese):
Deputy President, I would like to thank Mr CHAN Chun-ying for his supplementary question. While we have not maintained the relevant statistics requested in Mr LIAO’s question, the SAR Government attaches great importance to the development of Hong Kong people in the Greater Bay Area. We have been collecting information to compile data for relevant surveys. For example, the Census and Statistics Department conducted a Thematic Household Survey in 2019 focusing on Hong Kong residents’ understanding of the Greater Bay Area and their willingness to go there for development. We will continue with these efforts. In the future, we will continue to conduct studies to identify if there are any policy needs; meanwhile, we will also conduct different surveys, having regard to our work and research needs, and seek more information from relevant Mainland authorities to facilitate the formulation of relevant policies in Hong Kong.