Journalists may need judicial review to access land records under new rules

Hong Kong journalists will have to rely on judicial review if the government refuses to provide land records in future, with authorities pledging to simplify applications and deliver records in as little as one to two working days.

Officials made the pledge on Tuesday as lawmakers raised concerns over possible restrictions on media access during the first meeting of a Legislative Council subcommittee examining eight pieces of subsidiary legislation for the proposed land record search arrangement and other operations under a new title registration system.

Legal advisers to the Legislative Council also asked whether the government would consult the public on the criteria for assessing applications made on public-interest grounds.