Secretary for Environment and Ecology Tse Chin-wan said muzzles and diapers would not be required to be clad on dogs once their owners were allowed to bring them into designated restaurants as early as the middle of this year.

The SAR administration is planning to allow up to 1,000 eateries to add a dog-admission endorsement to their existing food business licence in the first phase of its easing of a ban on such entries.

Tse was responding to a question at a Legislative Council panel meeting by lawmaker Christine Fong on whether his bureau would make diapers and muzzles mandatory to reduce the likelihood of disputes arising.

He said a requirement that dogs had to be put on a leash no longer than 1.5 metres took into account safety considerations as well as the pets' activity needs.

"It depends on the dog's health condition when it comes to diapers. Some dogs may need it, but generally speaking we do not think there is a need to make it mandatory," Tse said.

"It may cause discomfort to dogs that do not need diapers, so we will leave it for dog owners to decide depending on their pet's situation.

"As for muzzles, we think having the dogs on leashes balances their need for an area to move in with overall safety in the current phase.

"We will look into the situation when the policy is implemented to determine whether stricter requirements are needed."

Tse also stressed that dog owners were accountable for their pet's behaviour no matter where they were, while restaurants had to bear responsibility for hygiene conditions inside their premises.

Lawmaker Judy Chan asked if the government would consider setting a quota for the number of restaurants within a district that would be able to get the permit as a way to ensure fairness.

In response, Food and Environmental Hygiene Department director Donald Ng said there would be a drawing of lots to allocate permits if applications exceeded the number of permits to be given out and that districts with more restaurants hoping to welcome dogs would eventually receive more permits under the mechanism.