The Bills Committee on Northern Metropolis Development Bill completed its review in October after 12 meetings and roughly 30 hours of scrutiny. A committee member was reported to have privately expressed frustration with the time taken, particularly debate over a proposal to include investment and tax incentives in the main bill. The debate contributed to the committee missing its expected September finish. Its chair, Priscilla Leung Mei-fun, said the time was justified by the bill’s scale and complexity.
Leung said the Northern Metropolis covers one-third of Hong Kong and that the bill involves 17 existing laws. She also cited supporting material including drafts of five pieces of subsidiary legislation, a technical memorandum and a notice. She said careful examination mattered because legislative wording carries legal consequences, and that she had urged members to scrutinise it closely to prevent a repeat of the seat-belt bylaw error.
Leung said about one-third of the review time went on government responses, with the remaining time shared among 15 committee members.
Leung said the scrutiny also prompted changes: the government proposed more than 20 amendments in response to members’ views. After members repeatedly called for a schedule of corporate bodies to be submitted to the Legislative Council for perusal, the government included the proposal.
The timetable was also affected when meetings made way for work on the five-year plan and the Policy Address, Leung said. The committee held extra meetings in October to make up the lost time.
The bill is scheduled to resume its second reading on 11 November 2026.