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

     A luncheon between the Legislative Council (LegCo) Members and the Consuls-General (CGs) as well as Honorary Consuls (HCs) in Hong Kong was held today (May 27) in the LegCo Complex, which provided an opportunity for them to exchange views on the work of LegCo and issues of mutual concern.

     The President of LegCo, Mr Andrew Leung, conducted a briefing for the attending CGs and HCs on the work of LegCo before the luncheon hosted by him.

     The luncheon was attended by Mr Tommy Cheung, Mr Jeffrey Lam, Ms Starry Lee, Dr Priscilla Leung, Mrs Regina Ip, Mr Paul Tse, Mr Charles Mok, Mr Dennis Kwok, Dr Fernando Cheung, Dr Helena Wong, Mr Ip Kin-yuen, Mr Jimmy Ng, Dr Junius Ho, Mr Lam Cheuk-ting, Mr Shiu Ka-fai, Mr Jeremy Tam, Mr Au Nok-hin, Mr Vincent Cheng, Mr Tony Tse and Ms Chan Hoi-yan. Twenty-four CGs or their representatives and eight HCs attended the briefing and luncheon.

    

The following is issued on behalf of the Hospital Authority:

     The spokesperson of Kwai Chung Hospital made the following announcement today (May 27):
 
     Four patients (aged 24 to 68) in a female psychiatric ward have presented with skin infection since May 10. Appropriate viral tests were arranged for the patients and their test results were positive for Streptococcus Pyogenes (Group A). All four patients are being treated and they are in stable condition.
 
     Admission to the ward has been suspended and restricted visiting has been imposed. Infection control measures have already been stepped up according to established guidelines. All other patients in the ward are under close surveillance.
 
     The cases have been reported to the Hospital Authority Head Office and the Centre for Health Protection for necessary follow-up.

     The 25th Considerate Contractors Site Award Scheme Award Presentation Ceremony, which was one of the major events of Construction Safety Week 2019, was held today (May 27). Jointly organised by the Development Bureau and the Construction Industry Council, the Considerate Contractors Site Award Scheme aims to raise awareness of safety in construction sites and promote good practices in site safety, health and environmental aspects by commending construction contractors, site supervising teams, front-line supervisors and workers with outstanding safety performance.
                                                       
      Speaking at the ceremony, the Under Secretary for Development, Mr Liu Chun-san, encouraged industry stakeholders to adopt more innovation and technology in construction sites. He said he believed that automation and industrialisation measures such as modular integrated construction could enhance quality control and raise safety performance substantially. He added that with the surge of the construction volume in the future, maintaining a low accident rate with continuous improvement would help enhance the industry with a progressive, professional image and attract more new blood to join the construction industry.
 
      Also officiating at the ceremony, the Chairman of the Construction Industry Council, Mr Chan Ka-kui, said that in order to further enhance site safety, the first ever year-long Site Safety Gathering campaign had been launched in the Construction Safety Week. He called on the awardees to continue promoting safety in construction sites and set examples for fellow practitioners. He also reminded workers to be vigilant when working at height and appealed them to continue to boost construction safety together.
 
      Forty-seven sites received awards under the Scheme this year, and among them, 26 came from the public works stream and 21 from the non-public works stream. The list of awardees of the Scheme is available at the Construction Safety Week website (www.safetyweek.hk/web/subpage.php?mid=153).

        

The following is issued on behalf of the Legislative Council Secretariat:
 
     The Legislative Council (LegCo) Panel on Security will hold a special meeting this Friday (May 31) at 8.45am in Conference Room 3 of the LegCo Complex to discuss the proposed Member's Bill entitled "Offences against the Person (Amendment) (Extra-territoriality) Bill 2019" and issues relating to the Fugitive Offenders and Mutual Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters Legislation (Amendment) Bill 2019.
 
     Meanwhile, the LegCo Subcommittee on Arbitration (Appointment of Arbitrators and Mediators and Decision on Number of Arbitrators) (Amendment) Rules 2019 will hold its first meeting this Friday at 2pm in Conference Room 3 of the LegCo Complex. During the meeting, members of the Subcommittee will elect a Chairman.
 
     In addition, the first meeting of the LegCo Subcommittee on Declaration of Increase in Pensions Notice 2019 and Widows and Orphans Pension (Increase) Notice 2019 originally scheduled for tomorrow (May 28) at 2pm has been cancelled.

     The Secretary for Innovation and Technology, Mr Nicholas W Yang, visited Wan Chai District today (May 27) to gain a deeper understanding of the implementation of STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) initiatives at a secondary school and technology applications at an elderly home. He also met with District Council members.
 
     The Chairman of the Wan Chai District Council (WCDC), Mr Stephen Ng, and the District Officer (Wan Chai), Mr Rick Chan, joined Mr Yang for the district visit. Mr Yang first went to SKH Tang Shiu Kin Secondary School to learn more about the school's work and achievements in promoting STEM education. He was also shown some of the students' creations, which they had made using their scientific knowledge and skills to create products. While chatting with students who had taken part in rocket car competitions, Mr Yang encouraged them to seize opportunities in STEM-related activities or competitions to gain more exposure and widen their horizons.
 
     Mr Yang said that under the proposed IT Innovation Lab in Secondary Schools initiative, each publicly funded secondary school would be provided with a maximum funding of $1 million in the coming three school years for facility upgrades and organisation of more IT-related extra-curricular activities. The initiative aims to help students grasp the latest technologies and lay a solid foundation in digital technology in schools. The Office of the Government Chief Information Officer will set up a one-stop support centre to provide professional support to the schools.
 
     The visit was followed by a tour of the Buddhist Li Ka Shing Care and Attention Home for the Elderly. Mr Yang said that technology applications and innovation help enhance the quality of life of the elderly in both the community and institutional settings. He said he was pleased to note that the elderly home had made good use of the Innovation and Technology Fund for Application in Elderly and Rehabilitation Care for the wider adoption of innovative care solutions. Set up by the Government last year, the fund promotes the application of technology products and solutions to improve the quality of life of service users as well as reduce the burden and pressure on care staff and carers.
 
     Before concluding the visit, Mr Yang held a tea gathering with members of the WCDC and exchanged views on innovation and technology issues of mutual concern.