The following is issued on behalf of the Legislative Council Secretariat:
 
     The Chairman of the Legislative Council (LegCo) Public Accounts Committee (PAC), Mr Abraham Shek, and the Deputy Chairman of PAC, Mr Kenneth Leung, will attend the Commonwealth Association of Public Accounts Committees Asia Workshop (Workshop) in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia tomorrow (August 1).
 
     The three-day (August 1 to 3) Workshop is jointly organised by the United Kingdom Branch of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association and the Parliament of Malaysia. It aims to enable public accounts committees to fulfill their remit, and will focus on how the committees can effectively scrutinize the value for money of public spending as well as strengthen regional collaboration.

     The participation of the two members in the Workshop is nominated by PAC.

Attention TV and radio duty announcers:
 
Please broadcast the following appeal from the Office of the Communications Authority immediately and repeat it at suitable intervals:

     In view of the inclement weather, members of the public may be eager to contact relatives and friends by phone or through social media or instant messaging via broadband services. This can cause serious congestion in the telecommunications networks. If your phone calls cannot get through instantly or you experience very slow broadband services, please try again later to avoid further burden on the networks. Please stay alert to TV and radio broadcasts for the latest news and information about weather conditions.

The following is issued on behalf of the Hospital Authority:

     The Hospital Authority announces that as the Tropical Cyclone Warning Signal No. 8 will be issued at or before 2pm, its general out-patient clinics, specialist clinics including physiotherapy and occupational therapy, and psychiatric day hospitals will be closed this afternoon (July 31) while the Accident & Emergency services at public hospitals will remain normal. Outpatients are advised to make a new appointment after the cancellation of the Tropical Cyclone Warning Signal No. 8.
 

     ​Invest Hong Kong (InvestHK) held an investment promotion seminar in Kunming, Yunnan Province, today (July 31) to update local enterprises on Hong Kong's unique business environment and financing advantages, encouraging them to expand their business globally via Hong Kong.
             
     The seminar, entitled "Capitalising on Hong Kong's business advantages to seize Belt and Road opportunities – Hong Kong as a financing and overseas expansion platform for Yunnan enterprises", was jointly organised by InvestHK, the Yunnan Development and Reform Commission, and the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in Guangdong of the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. It was co-organised by the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office, the People's Government of Yunnan Province, the Department of Commerce of Yunnan Province, and the Financial Regulation and Supervision Bureau of Yunnan Province. The Associate Director-General of Investment Promotion, Mr Vincent Tang, and the Deputy Director-General, Office of Leading Group for the Belt and Road Initiative of Yunnan, Yunnan Development and Reform Commission, Mr Wang Jianxin, delivered welcome remarks at the event.
             
     Mr Tang said, "Hong Kong has been an important economic and trade partner as well as a key conduit for foreign investment in Yunnan province over many years. Yunnan province has the unique advantage of being a hub that reaches out to Southeast Asia under the Belt and Road Initiative. Hong Kong also plays an important role in this initiative. Yunnan companies can leverage Hong Kong's international financial platform and professional services to structure and finance projects and merger and acquisition deals. Hong Kong has a well-developed and mature financial infrastructure, free flow of capital, diverse finance channels and a sophisticated stock and securities market. The city is the world largest offshore renminbi centre as well as the leading asset management hub in Asia. Yunnan companies can make use of the diversified professional services to access the very best accounting and tax, legal, marketing advice and much more, expanding their business along the Belt and Road development."
     
     The Head of Investment Promotion Unit of InvestHK in Southern China, Miss Winifred Ho, further elaborated on Hong Kong's advantages and how Mainland enterprises can capitalise on the city's business services to "go global". Assistant Vice President of Mainland Development, Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing Limited, Mr Edward Li, introduced the latest developments of the Hong Kong securities market and the opportunities on financing and listing in the city. Partner, Tax & China Business Advisory Services, PricewaterhouseCoopers Ltd, Mr Victor Lee, and Deputy Chief Executive and Head of Commercial Banking, Hang Seng Bank (China) Limited, Mr Kelvin Au, talked about Hong Kong's tax environment and taxation on financing and listing. They also explained how to make use of the city's financial advantages and financing platform for Yunnan companies to expand overseas.
             
About InvestHK
         
     InvestHK is the department of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government responsible for attracting foreign direct investment and supporting overseas and Mainland businesses to set up or expand in Hong Kong. It provides free advice and customised services for overseas and Mainland companies enrolled as its clients. For more information, please visit www.investhk.gov.hk.
                         
     For an event photo, please visit www.flickr.com/photos/investhk/albums/72157709954993776.

  

   As Typhoon Warning Signal No. 8 (T8) will soon be in force, the Labour Department (LD) today (July 31) reminded employers to make work arrangements for staff during and after typhoons and rainstorms. 
 
     An LD spokesman said, "In drawing up and implementing the work arrangements, employers should give prime consideration to employees’ safety and the feasibility for employees to travel to and from their workplaces. Employers should also give consideration as much as possible to the situations faced by individual employees, such as their place of residence and the road and traffic conditions in the vicinity, and adopt a sympathetic and flexible approach with due regard to their actual difficulties and needs.
 
     "Under special situations, if it is necessary for employees to report for duty under adverse weather conditions, employers should work out arrangements for their transportation, safety, meal and rest place, etc. If public transport services are suspended or limited when T8 or above is in force, employers should provide safe transport services for employees travelling to and from workplaces, or grant them an extra travelling allowance."
 
     The spokesman also reminded employers to observe the statutory liabilities and requirements under the Employment Ordinance, the Occupational Safety and Health Ordinance, the Factories and Industrial Undertakings Ordinance, the Employees' Compensation Ordinance and the Minimum Wage Ordinance.
 
     The LD has recently revised the "Code of Practice in Times of Typhoons and Rainstorms", which provides a reference for employers and employees on the work and resumption of work arrangements in the event of the Government issuing the new post-super typhoon announcement on "extreme conditions", as well as the major principles, the framework, the reference guidelines and information on relevant legislation for reference in drawing up the work arrangements under adverse weather conditions. The booklet can be obtained from branch offices of the Labour Relations Division or downloaded from the department's webpage (www.labour.gov.hk/eng/public/wcp/Rainstorm.pdf).