The following is issued on behalf of the Legislative Council Secretariat:

     Members of the Legislative Council (LegCo) held separate meetings today (June 28) with members of the Islands District Council (DC) and the Wan Chai DC respectively at the LegCo Complex to discuss and exchange views on matters of mutual interest.
 
     During the meeting with the Islands DC, LegCo Members discussed and exchanged views with DC members on improving transport facilities in South Lantau; how to strengthen the assessment and management of hazardous trees in the Islands District; the provision of transport facilities in Cheung Kwai Estate and remote areas of Sai Wan; nuisance caused by cattle on Lautau Island; school net covering Peng Chau; and impact of the Lantau Tomorrow Vision on outlying islands.  The meeting was convened by Mr Holden Chow and attended by Ms Starry Lee, Mr Yiu Si-wing, Mr Ma Fung-kwok, Mr Leung Che-cheung, Ms Alice Mak, Dr Lo Wai-kwok, Mr Lau Kwok-fan and Dr Cheng Chung-tai.
 
     As for the meeting with the Wan Chai DC, LegCo Members discussed and exchanged views with DC members on the handling of the problem of street sleepers; introduction of legislation to regulate light pollution; review of the regulatory regime for signboards and law enforcement actions against unauthorised signboards; land use planning for a site at Caroline Hill Road; and review of the consultation procedure and methods for planning applications.  The meeting was convened by Mr Cheung Kwok-kwan and attended by Mr Wong Ting-kwong, Ms Starry Lee, Mr Paul Tse, Mr Kwok Wai-keung, Mr Poon Siu-ping, Dr Lo Wai-kwok, Mr Lau Kwok-fan, Mr Kwong Chun-yu and Mr Au Nok-hin.

            

     An associate of the licensee of an employment agency (EA) was convicted at Eastern Magistrates' Courts today (June 28) for overcharging a foreign domestic helper (FDH) and fined $8,000. 
      
     From October 2018 to January 2019, the Employment Agencies Administration (EAA) of the Labour Department (LD) received complaints from nine FDHs against Philip-Indonesian Helpers Employment Limited, located in North Point, for charging them excessive commission. As investigation showed there was sufficient evidence that the EA concerned had overcharged them, the LD decided to prosecute both the licensee for overcharging the nine FDHs and an associate of the licensee for the same offence involving one of the FDHs. Philip-Indonesian Helpers Employment Limited, the licensee of the EA, was earlier convicted at the Eastern Magistrates’ Courts for overcharging the nine FDHs and was fined a total of $84,000. The Court also ordered the EA to refund the overcharged placement fee, totalling $60,297, to the FDHs concerned. Today, the associate of the licensee was also convicted of overcharging one of the FDHs.
      
     According to the law, a licensee or an associate of a licensee in respect of an EA, or a person purporting to act as such a licensee or associate, is not allowed to collect from a job seeker any fees or charges other than the prescribed commission, which is an amount not exceeding 10 per cent of the first month's salary of the job seeker upon successful placement.
      
     The LD reminds EAs to operate in full compliance with the law and the Code of Practice for Employment Agencies at all times. Failure to do so may lead to prosecution and/or revocation of licence. The Employment (Amendment) Ordinance 2018, effective since February 9, 2018, has raised the maximum penalty for overcharging job seekers to a fine of $350,000 and imprisonment for three years. 
       
     For complaints about unlicensed operation or overcharging by EAs, please call the EAA of the LD at 2115 3667, or visit its office at Unit 906, 9/F, One Mong Kok Road Commercial Centre, 1 Mong Kok Road, Kowloon.

     Following is the welcome speech by the Secretary for Food and Health, Professor Sophia Chan, at the Cocktail Reception of the College of Nursing Hong Kong (CNHK) today (June 28) in Singapore:
 
​Distinguished guests, friends and colleagues, ladies and gentlemen,
 
​     Good evening.
 
​     Thanks to the CNHK for inviting me to attend this Cocktail Reception. I wish to express my warm welcome to every one of you here. 
 
​     The overarching theme for this year's International Council of Nurses Congress is "Beyond Healthcare to Health". It will take a closer look at the causes of ill health, prevention and public health, and highlight the critical and leading roles that nurses play in addressing challenges including innovations in health and new models of nursing care.
 
​     Hong Kong enjoys a safe and sound public healthcare environment with accessible and quality healthcare services. Our healthcare system consistently fares well by international standards and is recognised for its credibility and efficiency. We all agree that a major part of such success, if not all, is due to the dedication and professionalism of our healthcare professionals. Nurses, being the backbone of our healthcare system and the integral part of the healthcare team, obviously deserve to claim much credit.
 
Nurses in Hong Kong
 
​     Hong Kong nurses, comprising registered nurses and enrolled nurses, constitute more than half of the healthcare workforce in Hong Kong. As at March 31, 2019, there were about 56 800 nurses, comprising 42 500 registered nurses and 14 300 enrolled nurses, or alternatively interpreted as 52 300 general nurses and 4 500 psychiatric nurses and 11 nurses of other streams.
 
Nurse Training
 
​     Nursing education in Hong Kong used to be provided by hospital-based nursing schools in earlier years, when nursing training followed an apprenticeship system under which students learned while working full-time in the wards, supplemented by structured classroom study. It was in the early 1990s that universities started to offer undergraduate degree and higher diploma nursing programmes.
 
​     Today, there is a strong and vibrant self-financing sector dedicated to nurse training, in addition to nursing programmes offered by publicly funded institutions. All in all, there are some 3 400 nursing training places offered each year in Hong Kong amongst which over 50 per cent are at master or bachelor degree levels.
 
​     The Hong Kong Government attaches great importance to the training of healthcare professionals, including nurses. Nurturing talents has always been of paramount importance to the sustainability of our healthcare system. We shall continue to increase healthcare training places and capacity by upgrading and increasing healthcare training facilities of relevant universities.
 
Professional Development
 
​     The Hong Kong Government places professional development of the nursing sector on a high agenda. We have published the report of the first territory-wide Strategic Review on Healthcare Manpower Planning and Professional Development in June 2017. We have invited the regulatory bodies, including the Nursing Council of Hong Kong, to submit proposals to the Government on how to take forward the recommendations in the Report, including mandatory continuing professional education.
 
Nursing Specialisation
 
​     In today's fast evolving healthcare arena, the role of nurses would need to be expanded and nursing specialisation is a necessary development. Currently, there are different avenues for advanced nursing practice or specialty training and these avenues and initiatives could complement each other in facilitating the development of nursing specialisation in Hong Kong. The Government thus has invited the Nursing Council of Hong Kong, the regulatory body of the profession, to implement a voluntary registration scheme for the development of nursing specialisation in order to pave the way for setting up an appropriate statutory registration system in Hong Kong.
 
Non-communicable Diseases
 
​     I note that health promotion and disease prevention are also important sub-themes of the Congress. The Hong Kong Government is striving to achieve the targets set in "Towards 2025: Strategy and Action Plan to Prevent and Control Non-communicable Diseases in Hong Kong" to reduce the burden posed by non-communicable diseases through promoting healthy diet and physical activities and reducing alcohol and tobacco-related harms, as well as strengthening the healthcare system. We will continue to encourage government bureaux and departments to lead by example.
 
​     It remains for me to thank CNHK for hosting this reception and giving me this valuable opportunity to meet all of you. And my warmest congratulations to ICN in putting together this prestigious event.
 
​     I trust that these five days of peer learning and knowledge exchange will be rewarding and constructive for all of you. Thank you.

  

     The Government announced today (June 28) the quarterly land sale programme for the second quarter of 2019-20, i.e. July to September 2019.

     "In the second quarter of 2019-20, the Government will sell by tender two residential sites, one each in Kai Tak and Tuen Mun. The total estimated flat yield is about 1 350 units," the Secretary for Development, Mr Michael Wong, said.

     Mr Wong said that the successful bidder of the Kai Tak residential site (i.e. Kai Tak Area 4A Site 2) will be required to construct specified welfare facilities to provide elderly, child and rehabilitation services.

     In this quarter, the MTR Corporation Limited also plans to tender Package 4 of the Wong Chuk Hang Station project, which can provide about 800 flats.  

     "Including supply from private development and redevelopment projects, the private housing land supply in the second quarter of 2019-20 is estimated to have a capacity to produce about 2 480 flats in total," Mr Wong said. 

     Mr Wong then reviewed the private housing land supply situation in the first half of 2019-20. The private housing land supply in the first quarter of 2019-20 has a capacity to provide about 2 940 flats in total. Together with the supply in the second quarter, the total private housing land supply in the first half of 2019-20 is estimated to produce about 5 420 flats.

     "On commercial land supply, in the second quarter of 2019-20, the Government will put up for sale one commercial site atop the Hong Kong West Kowloon Station of the Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong Express Rail Link. With a capacity to provide a total of about 294 000 square metres of gross floor area, this site is the largest commercial site to be put up for sale by the Government in recent years. Besides, the Government will also re-tender the commercial/hotel site, i.e. Kai Tak Area 4C Site 4," Mr Wong said. 

     Together with a commercial/hotel site at Shing Kai Road in Kai Tak of the first quarter to be tendered today, a total of three commercial sites will be put up for sale by the Government in the first half of 2019-20, capable of providing about 406 200 square metres of gross floor area in total.

     Mr Wong said that the Government would continue to increase land supply through a multi-pronged approach to meet the community's needs for housing and socio-economic development.

     The list of the sites to be tendered in July to September 2019 is attached. The actual tender timetable will be drawn up taking into account the progress of necessary preparatory work. The Lands Department will separately announce the detailed land sale arrangements before individual sites are tendered.

The following is issued on behalf of the Hong Kong Monetary Authority:

     The Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) announced today (June 28) that the total assets of the Exchange Fund amounted to HK$4,083.3 billion as at May 31 2019, HK$162.2 billion lower than that at the end of April 2019. Foreign currency assets decreased by HK$84.2 billion and Hong Kong dollar assets decreased by HK$78.0 billion.
      
     The decline in foreign currency assets was mainly due to a decrease in unsettled purchases of securities and the redemption of Certificates of Indebtedness. The decline in Hong Kong dollar assets was mainly due to a decrease in Exchange Fund Bills and Notes issued but not yet settled and the fall in market value of Hong Kong equities.
      
     The Currency Board Account shows that the Monetary Base at the end of May 2019 was HK$1,623.6 billion, decreased by HK$6.3 billion, or 0.4%, from the end of April 2019. The decline was mainly due to a decrease in the outstanding amount of Certificates of Indebtedness.
      
     The amount of Backing Assets decreased by HK$1.6 billion, or 0.1%, to HK$1,807.0 billion. The decrease was mainly attributable to the redemption of Certificates of Indebtedness, which was partly offset by interest from investments and revaluation gains. The backing ratio increased from 110.95% at the end of April 2019 to 111.29% at the end of May 2019.
 
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     At present, four press releases relating to the Exchange Fund's data are issued by the HKMA each month. Three of these releases are issued to disseminate monetary data in accordance with the International Monetary Fund's Special Data Dissemination Standard (SDDS). The fourth press release, on the Exchange Fund's Abridged Balance Sheet and Currency Board Account, is made in accordance with the HKMA's policy of maintaining a high level of transparency. For the month of June 2019, the scheduled dates for issuing the press releases are as follows: