The Lands Department has issued the following demand notes for Government rents in respect of properties subject to the Government Leases Ordinance (Chapter 40) and certain other properties:

(1) in excess of $100 per annum for the half year ending June 24, 2019; and

(2) not exceeding $100 per annum to be paid only once every five years for the five years ending June 24, 2019.

     Payers can settle Government rent through various electronic means including autopay, bank automated teller machines (ATMs), e-Cheque/e-Cashier's Order, payment by phone service (PPS), and bill payment services provided by banks and PPS on the Internet. Payment may also be made in person and in cash at designated convenience stores. For details, please visit the Treasury's website at www.try.gov.hk.

     Payment may be made by sending a crossed cheque to PO Box No. 28000, Gloucester Road Post Office, Hong Kong, or in person at any post office. Please ensure sufficient mailing time and postage for successful delivery. Underpaid mail will be rejected. For locations of post offices and their opening hours, please call Hongkong Post's enquiry hotline on 2921 2222 or visit Hongkong Post's website at www.hongkongpost.hk.

     Government rent payers who have not received their demand notes should enquire at the Government Rent and Premium Unit of the Lands Department at 1/F, North Point Government Offices, 333 Java Road, North Point, Hong Kong. Enquiries can also be made at 2231 3033.

     Purchasers of properties are strongly advised to instruct their solicitors to ensure that Government rent has been paid to date at the time of purchase. Enquiries on outstanding accounts can be made at 2231 3033 or by email to landsd@landsd.gov.hk. An enquiry fee is payable for each property if a written confirmation of accounts position is needed.

     The Centre for Food Safety (CFS) of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department today (May 31) released the findings of its food safety report for last month. The results of about 11 700 food samples tested were satisfactory except for 11 samples which were announced earlier. The overall satisfactory rate was 99.9 per cent.
 
     A CFS spokesman said about 1 100 food samples were collected for microbiological tests, some 2 500 samples were taken for chemical tests and the remaining 8 100 (including about 7 600 taken from food imported from Japan) were collected to test radiation levels.
 
     The microbiological tests covered pathogens and hygienic indicators, while the chemical tests included pesticides, preservatives, metallic contaminants, colouring matters, veterinary drug residues and others.
 
     The samples comprised about 2 800 samples of vegetables and fruit and their products; 600 samples of cereals, grains and their products; 700 samples of meat and poultry and their products; 500 samples of milk, milk products and frozen confections; 1 700 samples of aquatic and related products; and 5 400 samples of other food commodities (including beverages, bakery products and snacks).
 
     The 11 unsatisfactory samples comprised two vegetable samples detected with pesticide residue exceeding the legal limit and one vegetable sample detected with cadmium exceeding the legal limit; three fresh beef samples found to contain sulphur dioxide; two grass carp samples found to contain traces of malachite green; a popsicle sample detected with coliform bacteria exceeding the legal limit; a honey sample found to contain a trace amount of antibiotic; and a sample of rice with pig knuckle and BBQ pork found to contain Salmonella.
 
     The CFS has taken follow-up action on the unsatisfactory samples, including informing the vendors concerned of the test results, instructing them to stop selling the affected food items and tracing the sources of the food items in question.
 
     Since the Pesticide Residues in Food Regulation (Cap 132CM) came into effect on August 1, 2014, as of April 30 this year, the CFS has taken over 173 900 food samples at the import, wholesale and retail levels for testing for pesticide residues. The overall unsatisfactory rate is less than 0.2 per cent.
 
     The spokesman added that excessive pesticide residues in food may arise from the trade not observing Good Agricultural Practice, e.g. using excessive pesticides and/or not allowing sufficient time for pesticides to decompose before harvesting. The maximum residue limits (MRLs) of pesticide residues in food set in the Regulation are not safety indicators. They are the maximum concentrations of pesticide residues to be permitted in a food commodity under Good Agricultural Practice when applying pesticides. In this connection, consumption of food with pesticide residues higher than the MRLs will not necessarily lead to any adverse health effects.
 
     The spokesman reminded the food trade to ensure that food for sale is fit for human consumption and meets legal requirements. Consumers should patronise reliable shops when buying food and maintain a balanced diet to minimise food risks.

Attention TV/radio announcers:

Please broadcast the following as soon as possible:

     Here is an item of interest to swimmers.

     The Leisure and Cultural Services Department announced today (May 31) that due to inclement weather, the red flag has been hoisted at Clear Water Bay First Beach in Sai Kung District. Beach-goers are advised not to swim at the beach.

     Following is the transcript of remarks by the Secretary for Justice, Ms Teresa Cheng, SC, and the Secretary for Security, Mr John Lee, at a media session after attending the Legislative Council (LegCo) Panel on Security's special meeting today (May 31):

Reporter: Secretary for Justice, ExCo (Executive Council) rules make sure that you have to declare your interest for your spouse too. Are you unaware of that ExCo rule? Is your failure to declare the flats negligence, ignorance or simply deliberate omission? The second question to the Secretary for Security. Has the Government set the deadline for the LegCo to pass the bill on June 27? And why is the Government insisting not to write these extra safeguards into the law itself, and only make an administrative decision every time? Is this extradition made especially to cater for the Mainland legal system?

Secretary for Justice: I will answer the first question. I do not own the properties or have any beneficial interest in relation to those properties, and therefore the question of declaration of those interests doesn't arise.

Reporter: But it is also for your spouse, you also have to declare according to ExCo rules.

Secretary for Justice: I repeat, the properties that are under discussion at the moment, I do not own them, nor do I have any beneficial interest in them, and therefore the question of declaration does not arise.

Secretary for Security: I want to explain the policy intent of the bill and I wish if people really have time, I really sincerely hope that they go into the bill to look at what the bill is trying to do. Basically there are two things: to remove the geographical restrictions, so that we can deal with case-by-case arrangements with any jurisdictions around the world. That is the first policy intent. The second policy intent is to allow in case-by-case arrangements, the process to be started by a certificate issued by the Chief Executive, which is what other common law jurisdictions have been practising. The whole regime and the whole process of examining surrender matters by both the Government and the court remain the same otherwise. That means in the 22 years that the courts have been examining such cases. It will be doing such examination in exactly the same way, the same format, and the same system as it has happened in these 22 years. I believe that it is an effective system because it is not just gate-keeping by the Government, we actually have a case in court which is eventually thrown out where the defendant or the suspect was immediately released. We have been seeing all these cases to be operating smoothly.

     The second thing about the bill itself, as I have explained, the policy intent is to make minimum change to the whole system. And if you look at the drafting of the bill, you can see there is a provision which says in the case-by-case arrangements, we can put in provisions in the arrangement agreement itself, which then can put extra restrictions on the actual handing over of the surrendered person. That will be a document tendered to the court for examination, so it has effect for court to examine.

(Please also refer to the Chinese portion of the transcript.)

Attention TV/radio announcers:

Please broadcast the following as soon as possible and repeat it at regular intervals:

     Here is an item of interest to swimmers.

     The Leisure and Cultural Services Department has announced that the lifesaving services at Trio Beach in Sai Kung District and Butterfly Beach in Tuen Mun District resumed today (May 31). The lifesaving services at the beaches were suspended earlier due to an insufficient number of lifeguards on duty.