Author Archives: hksar gov

     Following is a question by the Hon Kenneth Leung and a written reply by the Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury, Mr James Lau, in the Legislative Council today (May 29):
 
Question:
 
     Quite a number of the persons-in-charge of accounting firms have relayed to me that in recent years, they have continuously encountered difficulties in recruiting accounting professionals. In respect of the manpower situation of the accounting profession, will the Government inform this Council:
 
(1) whether it knows the respective numbers of (i) graduates of post-secondary programmes in accounting and finance-related disciplines offered by the various tertiary institutions, and (ii) persons who obtained professional qualifications in accountancy through other routes, in each of the past five years in Hong Kong;
 
(2) whether it knows the number of private organisations providing accounting, auditing, book-keeping or tax consulting services in Hong Kong, and the number of accounting professionals they hired, in each of the past five years;
 
(3) whether it conducted, in the past five years, any comprehensive study on the future development as well as the manpower demand and supply situation of the accounting profession; if so, of the outcome; if not, the reasons for that; and
 
(4) whether it has plans, in the coming year, to gain an understanding from the various stakeholders of the accounting profession (including the persons-in-charge of accounting firms, the Hong Kong Institute of Certified Public Accountants and other professional bodies in the sector) about the current manpower demand and supply situation of the profession, so as to plan for the medium and long term human resources of the accounting profession, as well as promote the profession’s healthy development in the long run; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?
 
Reply:
 
President,
 
(1) According to the information provided by the Hong Kong Institute of Certified Public Accountants (HKICPA), the number of persons who obtained professional qualifications in accountancy in Hong Kong through bachelors’ degrees in accounting and finance-related disciplines offered by tertiary institutions, as well as other routes, in the past five years are set out in Table 1 of the Annex.
 
(2) According to the “Quarterly Survey of Employment and Vacancies” of the Census and Statistics Department (C&SD), the number of establishments engaged in accounting, auditing, bookkeeping or tax consultancy services of the private sector in Hong Kong and their total number of persons engaged in the past five years are set out in Table 2 of the Annex.
 
(3) and (4) The Government conducts manpower projection from time to time to project the broad trends of Hong Kong’s manpower supply and requirements of our economy at the macro level for the medium term. Amongst others, manpower requirements are projected for various economic sectors which include “accounting, auditing and bookkeeping services”. In addition, the Vocational Training Council conducts manpower surveys for the accountancy sector regularly. These exercises provide valuable information for the tertiary institutions in planning programmes on accountancy.
 
     In addition to making reference to various sources of information, the Government has all along maintained close liaison with the accounting sector to discuss various initiatives relevant to the development of the accounting profession. As for the manpower development of the accounting sector, the HKICPA has set up an Advisory Panel to study the manpower situation of the accounting sector since 2015. Annual surveys have been conducted with the HKICPA members and students covering different aspects to understand the dynamics of the accounting profession such as the employment prospects, trend in employment change, work-life balance, earning power, training and development, etc. The HKICPA has also conducted in-depth employer interviews with accounting firms in 2018 on issues relating to their recruitment plans, difficulties in recruitment and retaining staff, and attractiveness of the accounting profession, etc.
 
     High-quality professional accounting services are an integral part of Hong Kong’s status as an international financial centre. The Government will continue to maintain close liaison with the HKICPA and other relevant stakeholders, with a view to facilitating the healthy development of the accounting sector in the long run. read more

The following is issued on behalf of the Hong Kong Monetary Authority:        The Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) wishes to alert members of the public to a press release issued by Credit Suisse AG on fraudulent website, which… read more

     Following is a question by the Dr Hon Elizabeth Quat and a written reply by the Secretary for Food and Health, Professor Sophia Chan, in the Legislative Council today (May 29):
 
Question:
 
     It has been reported that recently, some private healthcare institutions administered to their clients a type of human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccines which were unregistered in Hong Kong and suspected to be parallelly imported. Some people who were administered such vaccines said that they had developed symptoms such as rash. There are comments that this incident may affect public health and tarnish Hong Kong’s reputation. Regarding the administration of HPV vaccines, will the Government inform this Council:
 
(1) of the current procedure for handling reports of private healthcare institutions administering to their clients parallel-imported vaccines;
 
(2) of the number and names of the healthcare institutions involved in the incident; whether it knows the number of people who were administered such vaccines and the total amount of money they paid;
 
(3) whether the Department of Health (DH) has conducted laboratory tests on the vaccines concerned; if so, of the outcome; if not, the reasons for that; of the expected dates for completion of the investigation and announcement of the outcome;
 
(4) of the measures in place to assist those who were administered such vaccines;
 
(5) whether, following the occurrence of the incident, it has stepped up inspections of healthcare institutions to combat the administration of vaccines unregistered in Hong Kong; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that;
 
(6) whether it will request the pharmaceutical company which is the sole manufacturer of the type of HPV vaccines concerned to publish a list of healthcare institutions to which it has supplied the vaccines; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that;
 
(7) of the measures in place to prevent similar incidents from occurring in future;
 
(8) given that starting from the next two school years respectively, DH will send its staff to schools to administer, free of charge, the first dose of HPV vaccines to Primary Five female students and the second dose of the vaccines to Primary Six female students, how DH ensures that there will be an adequate stock of HPV vaccines for use; and
 
(9) whether it will, by drawing reference from the practices in overseas countries, launch a catch-up HPV vaccination programme to administer HPV vaccines to women aged 26 or below who have passed the optimal ages for, but have never been administered, such vaccination; if so, of the details and timetable; if not, the reasons for that?
 
Reply:
 
President,
 
     Under the Pharmacy and Poisons Ordinance (Cap. 138), pharmaceutical products must meet the requirements of safety, efficacy and quality as stipulated in the Ordinance, and must be registered with the Pharmacy and Poisons Board of Hong Kong before they can be sold or distributed in Hong Kong. Having consulted the Department of Health (DH) and relevant law enforcement departments, I provide a reply to the question raised by Dr the Hon Elizabeth Quat as follows:
 
(1) to (3) Upon receiving complaints about pharmaceutical products, the DH will take follow-up actions in accordance with the Ordinance. The DH will conduct joint operations with other law enforcement departments if needed, and the investigations may involve conducting laboratory tests on pharmaceutical products. The DH and other law enforcement departments will, on the advice of the Department of Justice, institute prosecution when there is sufficient evidence. If a major public health incident is involved, the DH will announce the details in a timely manner.
 
     From January 1 to May 22, 2019, the Drug Office of the DH received a total of about 450 complaints regarding human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccines, involving about 30 service providers. Most of the complaints are related to suspected supply of unregistered HPV vaccines by private healthcare institutions. As the investigations are still in progress, the DH is not able to give further information on the cases at this stage.
 
(4) The DH has reminded the public not to buy or use pharmaceutical products of unknown composition or from doubtful sources through various channels, such as webpages, promotional videos and leaflets. Registered pharmaceutical products should be labelled in accordance with statutory and registration requirements, including carrying a Hong Kong registration number on the package in the format of “HK-XXXXX”. The DH will continue to step up public education and publicity in this regard.
 
     Members of the public may also use the “Search Drug Database” on the website of the Drug Office of the DH by entering the particulars of a pharmaceutical product, such as its English product name or Hong Kong registration number, to confirm if the product has been registered in Hong Kong and obtain further information about the product. Should members of the public have any doubt about the product, they may seek assistance from the Drug Office of the DH. Anyone feeling unwell or having any enquiries after receiving a vaccine should consult registered healthcare professionals.
 
(5) to (7) According to the Ordinance, illegal possession or sale of unregistered pharmaceutical products is a criminal offence. Upon conviction, the offender is liable to a maximum penalty of a fine of $100,000 and two years’ imprisonment for each offence. Although the pharmaceutical products involved in the suspected cases may be manufactured overseas by pharmaceutical companies according to relevant requirements, they are unregistered pharmaceutical products as they are neither imported by registration holders nor registered in Hong Kong under the Ordinance. Apart from prosecuting the offenders, the DH may also refer the cases concerned to the Medical Council of Hong Kong for follow-up if any registered doctors are involved.
 
     The DH has established a mechanism to monitor the sale of pharmaceutical products in the market, and will collect information through various channels. In light of the recent incidents of suspected supply of unregistered HPV vaccines, the DH has proactively followed up the cases and stepped up inspections. In general, when suspected illegal sale or possession of unregistered pharmaceutical products is detected, the DH will immediately carry out investigations and conduct joint operations with other law enforcement departments where necessary, and any irregularities so found will be dealt with in accordance with the laws. The DH and other law enforcement departments will continue to strengthen inspections and law enforcement actions to safeguard public health.
 
     In addition, the DH will continue to step up public education and publicity, and maintain close liaison with the pharmaceutical company concerned on its supply of 9-valent HPV vaccines to Hong Kong. Members of the public may contact the pharmaceutical company for enquiries about the supply of vaccines.
 
(8) As regards the arrangements for cervical cancer vaccination under the Hong Kong Childhood Immunisation Programme (HKCIP) in 2019-20, the DH has earlier on procured the required vaccines from suppliers on a contract basis in accordance with the established procedures. The procurement procedures are expected to be completed shortly to ensure an adequate supply of cervical cancer vaccine for the HKCIP.
 
(9) According to a position paper on cervical cancer vaccines issued by the World Health Organization (WHO) in 2017, the WHO recommended that young women aged nine to 14 years prior to becoming sexually active be included in the primary target group for cervical cancer vaccination for the prevention of cervical cancer.
 
     The Scientific Committee on AIDS and STI and the Scientific Committee on Vaccine Preventable Diseases under the Centre for Health Protection of the DH have kept in close view the scientific evidence on the use of HPV vaccines to prevent cervical cancer. The School of Public Health of the University of Hong Kong completed a cost-benefit study on HPV vaccination for young women last year. The findings revealed that the provision of HPV vaccination for all young women aged 12 is cost-effective in the prevention of cervical cancer.
 
     In July last year, after reviewing the relevant scientific evidence, both of the above Scientific Committees recommended that HPV vaccination be included in the HKCIP as one of the public health strategies for cervical cancer prevention. Regarding the suggestion of providing HPV vaccination for women of other age groups not covered by the HKCIP, there is currently no sufficient local scientific evidence supporting its cost-effectiveness. The Scientific Committees will continue to closely monitor the latest and relevant scientific evidence and revisit the suggestion when necessary.
 
     Besides, the Government encourages the public to get appropriate vaccination to enhance their immunity. In October 2016, the Community Care Fund launched a three-year Cervical Cancer Vaccination Pilot Scheme (Pilot Scheme) to provide free or subsidised HPV vaccination to eligible young women aged between nine and 18 of low-income families. As at the end of April 2019, the Pilot Scheme has provided HPV vaccination to 22 430 eligible young women. read more

     Following is a question by the Hon Wilson Or and a written reply by the Secretary for Transport and Housing, Mr Frank Chan Fan, in the Legislative Council today (May 29):

Question:

     Some residents of public rental housing (PRH) estates have complained that it has often been the case that the repair/replacement of recreational facilities (e.g. slides, health walkers and table tennis tables) in the estates has yet to be completed long after they were out of order or damaged, and individual facilities have been out of use for periods of time spanning years. Regarding the repair and maintenance of recreational facilities in PRH estates, will the Government inform this Council:

(1) of the current arrangements for the repair and maintenance of recreational facilities; the number of contractors to which the Housing Department has currently outsourced such work;

(2) of (i) the number and percentage of recreational facilities that were out of use because they were out of order or had been damaged, and (ii) the average time taken for repairing/replacing such facilities, in each of the past three financial years; and

(3) whether it has set any target completion time or performance pledge in respect of the repair/replacement work for recreational facilities that are out of order or damaged; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?

Reply:

President,

     My consolidated reply to Hon Wilson Or’s question is as follows:

     Under the concept of “communal play areas”, the Hong Kong Housing Authority (HA) provides recreational facilities in its Public Rental Housing (PRH) estates to provide a comfortable, healthy and safe living environment for PRH residents of different age groups.

     The installation and repair works of the play/fitness equipment in PRH estates are conducted by agents in the HA’s Play/Fitness Equipment Agents Reference List (Reference List). At present, there are five qualified agents in the Reference List. The HA requires the agents to provide safety certificates and warranty periods for the facilities installed by them to ensure that they satisfy the international safety standards. In order to avoid affecting the existing safety certificates of the play/fitness equipment, the HA adopts “repairing by original agents” strategy in which repair works are done by the original agents to ensure that the equipment can meet the safety standard of the original design, safeguarding the safety of the residents. Apart from regular inspection of the play/fitness equipment, the HA also engages independent safety consultant to carry out inspections every two years and submit reports and recommendations to the HA to ensure proper maintenance and repair of the play/fitness equipment.

     The HA has been closely monitoring the performance of all play/fitness equipment agents. In the past three years (i.e. 2016, 2017 and 2018), there were 418, 446 and 500 works conducted to repair the play/fitness equipments respectively. The average time required for the repair works were 34, 24 and 36 days respectively. In case the defective situation of the above-mentioned equipment may affect the safety of the users, the HA would fence off those play/fitness equipment before commencing the repair work. Since the HA does not keep statistics on temporary suspension of equipment, we are not able to provide the percentage of suspension due to defects.

     Separately, when some of the old types of equipment are seriously damaged and beyond repair, the HA will replace them, and invite agents in the Reference List to submit initial designs. The HA will conduct the tendering exercise after consulting the residents through the Estate Management Advisory Committees. The HA will also request the awarded agents to complete the works as soon as possible. As it takes time to go through the stages of design, consultation, tendering and installation, the time required to install new equipment is longer than that of normal repair work of existing equipment.

     There are many different types of play/fitness equipment and their scale vary, the scope of repair works and the required spare parts are also different. Therefore, the HA is not able to establish a pledge time for the repair works of the play/fitness equipment. However, once the repair proposals have been confirmed by the agents, the HA will require the agents to put up notices to clearly indicate the scope of the repair works, the expected completion date and contact number for enquiries. Most of the repair works could be completed before the expected completion date. read more

     Following is a question by the Hon Jimmy Ng and a written reply by the Secretary for Education, Mr Kevin Yeung, in the Legislative Council today (May 29):

Question:

     The findings of a study conducted last year by the Equal Opportunities Commission revealed that, among the university students surveyed, 15.6 per cent (i.e. 2 259 persons) indicated that they had been sexually harassed on campus, and among them, 4.4 per cent (i.e. 98 persons) indicated that the perpetrators were tutors, lecturers or professors. In addition, among the university students who had been sexually harassed on campus, off campus by fellow students or teaching staff, or online, only 2.5 per cent (i.e. 84 persons) said that they had lodged complaints with the university to which they belonged. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:

(1) whether it will request the various universities to (i) examine the mechanism for handling sexual harassment complaints, and (ii) review and improve the policy on prevention of sexual harassment; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that;

(2) whether it will request the various universities to establish a committee to be headed by a Pro-Vice-Chancellor/Vice-President dedicated to taking forward the university’s policy and initiatives on gender equality and prevention of sexual harassment on campus; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that;

(3) given that only a small number of university students who had been sexually harassed had lodged complaints with the university to which they belonged, whether the Government will request the various universities to set up an online complaint and reporting platform which guarantees information confidentiality and anonymity for students who have been sexually harassed to lodge complaints and for witnesses to provide information, with a view to encouraging victims to make reports and protecting them from being discriminated against; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that;

(4) whether it will allocate additional resources to the various universities to enable them to step up efforts in spreading to university students via social media the message that they should be alert to sexual harassment; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; and

(5) whether it will request the various universities to provide training to all newly recruited teaching staff on prevention of sexual harassment; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?

Reply:

President,

     All universities in Hong Kong are independent and autonomous bodies. According to Section 39(2) of the Sex Discrimination Ordinance (Cap 480), it is unlawful for a person who is a member of the staff of an educational establishment to sexually harass a person who is seeking to be, or who is, a student of the establishment. As an employer, an educational establishment must take “reasonably practicable steps” to prevent its employees from committing an act of sexual harassment. As such, universities are obliged to take reasonable and practical measures to prevent sexual harassment on campus, including laying down the relevant policy in writing and setting up a mechanism to handle complaints about sexual harassment.

     The Government noted that all universities have put in place policies on the prevention and handling of sexual harassment, as well as complaint mechanisms and procedures, to ensure that every case is dealt with a serious and impartial manner. Besides, these policies and mechanisms are subject to timely review. According to universities’ policies, a member, employee or student of the university shall not sexually harass any other members, employees or students of the university or any other persons who have dealings with the university. The universities will definitely not condone or tolerate any form of sexual harassment and are committed to eliminating and preventing sexual harassment. Disciplinary actions will be taken against those who are found to have committed sexual harassment as and when necessary.

     All universities have open policies on the prevention of sexual harassment and mechanisms for handling related complaints. They also provide support for those who are concerned about sexual harassment, have worries about being sexually harassed or have lodged sexual harassment complaints, and offer advice on the mechanisms and ways of handling allegations or complaints of sexual harassment. No one should circumvent such policies and mechanisms or prevent any persons involved from exercising their rights to complain, or else they may be deemed to have abused office and breached the code of practice for staff, and hence liable for disciplinary actions. Similarly, staff of the committees and secretariats responsible for handling sexual harassment complaints should follow the established procedures and deal with every case properly in accordance with the mechanism on confidentiality, with a view to ensuring confidentiality of the process and protecting the privacy of all parties concerned. Otherwise, they may also be considered to have neglected their duties and subject to disciplinary actions. As for potential sexual harassment cases that are not brought about by formal written complaints but come to the knowledge of the universities nevertheless, the universities will take appropriate follow-up actions with due regard to the wishes of the alleged victims, including initiating complaint and investigation procedures and providing support and assistance to them. Depending on the nature and evidence of the case, the university will also consider whether to follow up on individual anonymous complaints. Besides, apart from complaining to the institutions, alleged victims of sexual harassment may lodge a complaint direct with the Equal Opportunities Commission (EOC) or bring civil proceedings in court. The internal complaint mechanisms of the institutions will in no way affect the alleged victims’ rights to complain or litigate outside the institutions. For cases involving criminal offences, they will be referred to the police by the institutions concerned for further investigation.

     The management of the universities will handle sexual harassment complaints carefully in deference to the established policies of the universities and the principles of fairness and impartiality. At present, the universities regularly arrange for their heads, deans, management, staff and students to attend training courses, seminars and talks on how to prevent and handle sexual harassment, and invite the training officers of the EOC to deliver talks on campus. The general education programmes offered by the universities have included modules or elements of sex education in general. Taking into account the actual circumstances on their campuses, the universities have also widely promoted their policies and measures for the prevention of sexual harassment through effective channels (including social media) by launching regular publicity and education activities on campus.

     Following the release of the report “Break the Silence: Territory-wide Study on Sexual Harassment of University Students in Hong Kong” in January 2019, the EOC respectively met with the Chairman of the University Grants Committee (UGC), the Convenor of the Heads of Universities Committee (HUCOM) and Presidents and/or Vice-Presidents of individual universities to discuss possible measures for addressing sexual harassment in universities. Responses from the management of the universities were positive. The HUCOM is proactively exploring the follow-up actions to be taken, including proposals on commissioning the EOC to conduct a follow-up survey in three to five years’ time and produce training materials for the universities, as well as creating the post of equal opportunities officer in university. The UGC will actively consider providing the funding required having regard to the outcomes of the discussions between the HUCOM and the EOC and the proposals raised. Besides, some universities indicated that they would require all new students to attend a compulsory general education course on sexual harassment or explore mandatory online training for all staff.

     The Education Bureau will continue to support the work of the EOC, and follow up with the UGC and the HUCOM on the progress achieved by universities in the continuous enhancement of their policies on the prevention and handling of sexual harassment and the complaint mechanisms. read more