Written Reply to Parliamentary Question on Smoking Corners at Coffee Shops by Ms Grace Fu, Minister for Sustainability and the Environment

4 October 2022

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Written Reply to Parliamentary Question on Smoking Corners at Coffee Shops by Ms Grace Fu, Minister for Sustainability and the Environment

Mr Louis Ng Kok Kwang: To ask the Minister for Sustainability and the Environment (a) for each year in the past five years, how many and what percentage of coffee shops do not have a smoking corner; and (b) what steps will the Ministry take to further reduce the number of smoking corners at coffee shops.

Answer:

1 The National Environment Agency (NEA) stopped accepting applications for new smoking corners in retail food establishments, including coffeeshops, since June 2017. At that time, there were about 1000 smoking corners, including at coffeeshops. As of September 2022, the number of smoking corners has decreased to about 600. Currently, about 60% of coffeeshops do not have smoking corners.

2 Existing smoking corners in retail food establishments, such as coffeeshops, will be phased out when the licences of the establishments are terminated or cancelled. This will result in a further decrease in the number of smoking corners in coffeeshops and other retail food establishments over time.