Following is a question by the Hon Hui Chi-fung and a written reply by the Secretary for Transport and Housing, Mr Frank Chan Fan, in the Legislative Council today (April 17):
     
Question:

     The requirements for the registration of pure electric vehicles and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (new energy vehicles) include that the applicants must prove that the vehicles concerned are fully compliant with the emission standards specified in the relevant regulations. Some vehicle owners have relayed that in the course of importing certain models of new energy vehicles, they were unable to (i) obtain documents issued by the vehicle manufacturers concerned as proof of emission compliance, nor (ii) find an approved test laboratory in Hong Kong to conduct exhaust emission tests, rendering the vehicles concerned unable to be registered. Regarding vehicle registration and licensing, will the Government inform this Council:
 
(1) of the respective numbers of enquiries and requests for assistance about the aforesaid situation received by the Government in each of the past five years;
 
(2) whether it will examine (i) lowering the exhaust emission standards with which new energy vehicles are required to comply and (ii) exempting applicants from producing documentary proof issued by vehicle manufacturers; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that;
 
(3) of the number of vehicles in each of the past five years that the Commissioner for Transport (the Commissioner) refused to register on the grounds that the vehicles' exhaust emission performance had failed to comply with the specified emission standards, with a breakdown by the type of energy (such as pure electric and hybrid) used by such vehicles;

(4) of the number of vehicles in each of the past five years that the Commissioner refused, by invoking section 24(1)(c) of the Road Traffic Ordinance (Cap. 374), to register on the grounds that the vehicles were not roadworthy, with a breakdown by (i) the class to which such vehicles belonged and (ii) the type of energy used by them;
 
(5) given that section 24(2) of Cap. 374 provides that "the Commissioner may refuse to register a motor vehicle in the class specified in the application for its registration if he considers that by reason of its design or construction or otherwise the vehicle is not suitable for registration in that class", of the number of vehicles in each of the past five years that the Commissioner refused, by invoking the section, to register in the relevant class, with a breakdown by (i) the class to which such vehicles belonged and (ii) the type of energy used by them;
 
(6) of the respective numbers of vehicles in each of the past five years that the Commissioner (i) refused to license and (ii) cancelled the licence, by invoking section 25(1) of Cap. 374, with a breakdown by (a) the brand of such vehicles, (b) the class to which they belonged and (c) the type of energy used by them;
 
(7) of the number of electric mobility devices in each of the past five years that the Commissioner refused to register, with a breakdown by the type (e.g. mini-motor cycles, electric bicycles, electric scooters and electric unicycles) to which such devices belonged; and
 
(8) of the respective numbers of (i) brand new and (ii) used private vehicles (including new energy vehicles) imported in each of the past five years?
 
Reply:
 
President,
 
     Having consulted the Environmental Protection Department (EPD), we would like to furnish a consolidated reply to the various parts of the Hon Hui Chi-fung's question as follows:
 
(1) From 2014 to end March 2019, EPD received 34 applications for exhaust emission approval of plug-in hybrid vehicles (including 30 vehicle type approval applications and 4 individual/parallel import applications). EPD granted emission compliance certificates to all these applications. One of the applicants had expressed that no recognised testing laboratories could be found in Hong Kong to conduct exhaust emission test, but finally obtained the supporting document from the relevant vehicle manufacturer.
 
(2) Pure electric vehicles (PEVs) do not have tailpipe emissions. Hence, the exhaust emission standards as stipulated in the Air Pollution Control (Vehicle Design Standards) (Emission) Regulations (Cap. 311J) are not applicable to PEVs. No application from PEVs is required to be submitted to EPD regarding the vehicle exhaust emission standards.
 
     All vehicles imported for use on roads in Hong Kong, which are equipped with internal combustion engines (including Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicles (PHEVs)), have to comply with the vehicle exhaust emission standards as stipulated in the Air Pollution Control (Vehicle Design Standards) (Emission) Regulations (Cap. 311J). For air quality consideration, the Government considers that it would not be appropriate to relax the exhaust emission standards, with which new energy vehicles need to comply.
      
     In vetting applications for exhaust emission approval for newly registered vehicles, EPD has all along followed the international established practice and requires the applicant to provide an emission testing report issued by an independent and recognised third-party testing organisation (local or outside Hong Kong alike) after testing, a certificate issued by an official regulatory body of other jurisdictions after testing or a certificate issued in respect of an individual vehicle by its manufacturer (only applicable to individual/parallel import application) to prove that the relevant vehicle's emissions comply with the statutory exhaust emission standards in Hong Kong. The supporting document issued by a vehicle manufacturer is merely one of the options available.
 
(3) According to the prevailing procedures for vehicle registration, when applying for first registration with the Transport Department (TD), all vehicles should have been granted EPD's approval for compliance with the emission standards stipulated in the Air Pollution Control (Vehicle Design Standards) (Emission) Regulations and Noise Control (Motor Vehicles) Regulations or for exemption from complying with the relevant emission regulations. TD therefore has not refused any registration of vehicles due to non-compliance with the aforementioned regulations.
 
(4) and (5) Prior to vehicle registration, applications should be made to TD for vehicle type approval or parallel import pre-registration inspection so as to ensure that the design and constructions of vehicles comply with the requirements as stipulated in the Road Traffic Ordinance (Cap. 374) and its subsidiary regulations. In the past five calendar years, TD did not reject any applications for type approval or parallel import pre-registration inspection for reasons of being "not roadworthy" or that "the vehicle is not suitable for registration in that class". According to the prevailing procedures for vehicle registration, all vehicles should have passed the vehicle type approval or parallel import pre-registration inspection before applying for first registration with TD. TD therefore has not refused any registration of vehicles due to non-compliance with the aforementioned requirements.
 
(6) In the past five calendar years, the numbers of vehicles in respect of which TD refused to issue vehicle licences or cancelled vehicle licences pursuant to section 25(1) of the Road Traffic Ordinance (Cap. 374) are tabulated below with breakdown by reasons. The breakdown of the reasons by brand, class and fuel type of vehicles is detailed at Annexes 1 to 3.
 

  
(7) Electric mobility devices are all mechanically propelled and thus belong to "motor vehicles". From the road safety perspective and from the smooth traffic angle, electric mobility devices would not be registered and licensed under the Road Traffic Ordinance (Cap. 374) by TD. Nevertheless, in view of the rapid technological advancement of electric mobility devices, the Consultancy Study on Enhancing Walkability in Hong Kong commissioned by TD will look into the latest development of relevant technology, the usage of electric mobility devices in Hong Kong, and the suitability of their use in Hong Kong for short-distance commuting, etc. TD will also study the regulation of electric mobility devices in other jurisdictions, and make assessments on the implications of the use of these devices in Hong Kong on road safety, accessibility and road users, the relevant legal requirements, as well as management and implementation issues, etc. The consultancy study is expected to be completed in mid-2020. The Government will take into consideration the results of the study to review whether there is a need to introduce regulatory measures for electric mobility devices.
 
(8) TD does not maintain statistics in relation to imported new private cars and used private cars but could provide figures with regard to the numbers of first registered private cars with breakdown by first registration vehicle status and fuel type in the past five calendar years. Relevant information is tabulated as follows:
 

 
Note 1: TD has not further classified the cases by refusal to issue vehicle licences and cancellation of vehicle licences. There were some cases in which the vehicles failed to comply with more than one requirement, resulting in the vehicle licences not issued or be cancelled.
 
Note 2: The numbers of hybrid private cars have been incorporated into the table above in accordance with their respective fuel type.
 
Note 3: "Imported used vehicles" includes only used vehicles imported by registered distributors or importers for use in Hong Kong.
 
Note 4: "Others" includes non-brand new vehicles imported by registered owners into Hong Kong for self-use and vehicles sold through Government auctions.

     The Chief Secretary for Administration, Mr Matthew Cheung Kin-chung, and the Secretary for Food and Health, Professor Sophia Chan, encourage government employees to donate blood to save lives.
 
     They visited a Hong Kong Red Cross brand new blood donation vehicle this morning (April 17) to show the Government's full support for blood donation and appeal for support from members of the public.

     The Hong Kong Red Cross Blood Transfusion Service (BTS) has also set up a temporary blood donation station within the Central Government Offices from this Monday (April 15) until tomorrow (April 18) to facilitate blood donation by government employees.
 
     The vehicle donated by the Lions Clubs to the BTS is parked temporarily at the East Wing Forecourt of the Central Government Offices during the period to facilitate members of the public to give blood.
 
     Mr Cheung said, "The entire process of donating whole blood only takes about 30 minutes, but a single donation each time can help three patients. Since there is no substitute for blood and the shelf life of blood is limited, the BTS needs donors to donate on a continuous basis in order to provide blood supply for transfusions for needy patients, such as patients with chronic diseases or those in need of surgery because of illness or accident."
 
     The BTS needs a daily turnout of 1 100 donors to ensure that sufficient supplies of safe blood are available for clinical transfusions in all hospitals over the territory.
 
     He said, "The total attending number of donors only accounted for 2.7% of the population within the blood donation age bracket in 2018.  In view of the aging population, we wish to appeal to more people to become regular donors.  We also welcome corporations and community groups to host more blood drives, so as to widely disseminate the importance of blood donation and help make blood donation a lifelong habit among members of the community."
 
     The new blood donation vehicle will visit housing estates, schools, community centres and parks in various districts in the coming months to attract members of the public to support blood donation.
 
     For details of the donor centres and mobile blood donation services, please visit the BTS' website (www.ha.org.hk/rcbts) or call 2710 1234. Members of the public can also make online appointments for blood donation. 

     â€‹Hong Kong Customs yesterday (April 16) seized 373 suspected smuggled mobile phones with an estimated market value of about $660,000 at the Man Kam To Control Point.

     Customs officers intercepted and searched an outgoing lorry at the control point yesterday evening and found the batch of mobile phones in a false compartment underneath the vehicle.

     The 48-year-old male driver was arrested.  

     Investigation is ongoing. 

     Smuggling is a serious offence. Under the Import and Export Ordinance, any person found guilty of importing or exporting unmanifested cargo is liable to a maximum fine of $2 million and imprisonment for seven years.

     Members of the public may report any suspected smuggling activities to Customs' 24-hour hotline 2545 6182 or its dedicated crime-reporting email account (crimereport@customs.gov.hk).

    

     Following is a question by the Hon Mrs Regina Ip and a written reply by the Secretary for Food and Health, Professor Sophia Chan, in the Legislative Council today (April 17):
 
Question:
 
     Regarding the statistics on the services of public hospitals, will the Government inform this Council if it knows:
 
(1) the respective numbers of (i) inpatient discharges or deaths, (ii) day inpatient discharges or deaths and (iii) specialist outpatient attendances, in each of the past five years, with a tabulated breakdown by (a) clinical department, (b) gender of the patients and (c) the age group to which the patients belonged;
 
(2) the respective numbers and percentages of those people who had settled in Hong Kong for less than seven years among the patients counted in the statistics in (1); if the Hospital Authority (HA) is unable to provide such information, the reasons for that, and whether HA will start collecting such information; and
 
(3) the respective numbers and percentages of those people who were non-eligible persons among the patients counted in the statistics in (1)?
 
Reply:
 
President,
 
     My reply to the various parts of the question raised by the Hon Mrs Regina Ip is as follows:
 
     The public healthcare services provided by the Hospital Authority (HA) are charged according to patients' status as eligible persons (EPs) or non-eligible persons (NEPs). EPs include (a) holders of Hong Kong Identity Card issued under the Registration of Persons Ordinance (Cap. 177); (b) children who are Hong Kong residents and under 11 years of age; and (c) other persons approved by the Chief Executive of the HA. Persons who are not in the above categories are classified as NEPs. The HA does not maintain statistics on patients' years of residence in Hong Kong and has no plan to collect such data from patients.
 
     The table at Annex 1 sets out the number of inpatient discharges and deaths by major specialties in the HA, as well as the respective percentage share in respect of patients aged 65 or above, female patients, male patients and NEPs, from 2014-15 to 2018-19 (up to December 31, 2018). 
 
     The table at Annex 2 sets out the number of day inpatient discharges and deaths by major specialties in the HA, as well as the respective percentage share in respect of patients aged 65 or above, female patients, male patients and NEPs, from 2014-15 to 2018-19 (up to December 31, 2018).
 
     The table at Annex 3 sets out the number of specialist outpatient (clinical) attendances by major specialties in the HA, as well as the respective percentage in respect of patients aged 65 or above, female patients, male patients and NEPs, from 2014-15 to 2018-19 (up to December 31, 2018).

     Following is a question by Dr the Hon Pierre Chan and a written reply by the Secretary for Food and Health, Professor Sophia Chan, in the Legislative Council today (April 17):
 
Question:
 
     Under the Hong Kong Childhood Immunisation Programme (HKCIP), children from birth to Primary Six should receive vaccines and boosters for 11 infectious diseases. Regarding vaccination for children, will the Government inform this Council:
 
(1) as some private doctors administer to children vaccines that are not included in HKCIP, such as influenza vaccine, Haemophilus influenzae type b vaccine, hepatitis A vaccine, Japanese encephalitis vaccine, rotavirus vaccine and some combined vaccines which contain a combination of various vaccine components, whether the Government will consider including some of those vaccines in HKCIP; if so, of the vaccines to be included and the implementation details; if not, the reasons for that;
 
(2) of the respective numbers of doses of vaccines administered in each of the past five years under HKCIP to (i) newborn babies by public hospitals, (ii) newborn babies by private hospitals, (iii) pre-school children by the Maternal and Child Health Centres of the Department of Health (DH), and (iv) primary school children at schools by DH's outreaching School Immunisation Team, with a tabulated breakdown by the infectious disease concerned;
 
(3) of the respective vaccination coverage rates among (i) pre-school children and (ii) primary school children in each of the past five years;
 
(4) of the number of children in each of the past five years who received free seasonal influenza vaccination under the Government Vaccination Programme; and
 
(5) of the numbers of doses of vaccines (i) procured for HKCIP, (ii) discarded due to expiry or damage and (iii) kept in stock, in each of the past five years by DH and the Hospital Authority respectively?
 
Reply:
 
President,
 
(1)    The Centre for Health Protection (CHP) of the Department of Health (DH) has kept abreast of the latest position of the World Health Organization on immunisation and vaccination, the scientific evidence of new vaccines, the latest global and local epidemiology of vaccine preventable diseases, and the advice and practical experience of other health authorities across the world. The Scientific Committee on Vaccine Preventable Diseases (SCVPD) under the CHP holds regular meetings and gives science-based advice and recommendations to the CHP regarding the types of vaccines to be incorporated into the Hong Kong Childhood Immunisation Programme (HKCIP) from the public health perspective in a timely manner. Generally speaking, incorporation of a new vaccine into the HKCIP is based on scientific evidence with a number of public health considerations taken into account, including the overall disease burden on society, the efficacy and safety of the vaccine, the availability of other effective preventive measures, and the cost-effectiveness and public acceptance of the vaccine. Apart from considering the incorporation of a new vaccine into the HKCIP, the SCVPD also makes recommendations from time to time regarding the use of various vaccines in Hong Kong such as hepatitis A vaccine (see Note 1), Japanese encephalitis vaccine (see Note 2) and meningococcal vaccine (see Note 3).
 
     The nature of seasonal influenza vaccine is different from that of the vaccines used in the HKCIP.  The vaccines currently recommended under the HKCIP are mostly vaccines that are administered with a specified number of doses. In general, children will have long term immunity and no annual vaccinations are required after they have received the different types of vaccines and boosters recommended at different ages. However, re-vaccination against influenza is necessary annually since the composition of influenza vaccines vary every year.  The SCVPD has recommended that all persons aged six months or above, except those with known contraindications, should receive influenza vaccine for personal protection and that the vaccination should not be limited to children.  Therefore, the Government has been providing free and subsidised seasonal influenza vaccination for eligible higher risk groups under the Government Vaccination Programme and the Vaccination Subsidy Scheme respectively.
 
     The SCVPD will continue to review and develop from time to time public health strategies for vaccine preventable diseases in the light of changing epidemiology and the development of vaccines.
 
[Note 1: The SCVPD recommends the following persons to receive hepatitis A vaccination: persons travelling to endemic areas of hepatitis A; persons with clotting factors disorders receiving plasma-derived replacement clotting factors; persons with chronic liver diseases; and men who have sex with men.
 
Note 2: According to the SCVPD and the Scientific Committee on Vector-borne Diseases, Japanese encephalitis vaccination is recommended for persons travelling to endemic areas of Japanese encephalitis, in particular rural areas, for one month or more, and those staying for less than one month but planning to have outdoor or night activities in rural areas most of the time during the transmission season of the disease.  In view of the low overall incidence rate of local cases of Japanese encephalitis in Hong Kong, wider use of the vaccine may result in the protective benefits being far outweighed by the risk of serious side effects caused by the vaccine.  The Committees have therefore concluded that incorporation of the vaccine into the HKCIP is not recommended.
 
Note 3: The SCVPD recommends the following persons to consider receiving meningococcal vaccination: according to the risk assessment and local epidemic situation, persons going to stay in the sub-Saharan Africa during the dry season; persons going to endemic areas of meningococcal infection announced by the local health authorities; and persons going to Mecca, Saudi Arabia during the Hajj annual pilgrimage.]
 
(2)    Under the HKCIP, Bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG) vaccine and the first dose of hepatitis B (Hep B) vaccine are first given to newborn babies in hospitals.  Pre-school children from birth to five years old receive different types of vaccines and boosters at recommended ages of vaccination at the DH's Maternal and Child Health Centres (MCHCs). As for primary school children, vaccination is provided at schools by the DH’s outreach School Immunisation Teams (SIT).  Apart from the DH's free vaccination, parents may also arrange for their children to receive vaccination in private healthcare facilities or clinics at their own expense. The numbers of doses of various vaccines administered at MCHCs and public and private hospitals, and by the SIT in the past five years are at Annexes 1, 2 and 3 respectively.
 
(3)    Starting from 2001, the DH has conducted territory-wide immunisation coverage surveys on a regular basis to monitor the immunisation coverage rates of pre-school children in Hong Kong (i.e. the percentage of children having received vaccination at recommended ages under the HKCIP) through checking the immunisation records (or vaccination cards) of a sample of children.  According to the survey results, the overall immunisation coverage rates of various vaccines under the HKCIP has been maintained at a very high level of over 95% (details at Annex 4).  In addition, primary school students' immunisation records are also checked by the SIT when it provides vaccination at their schools every year.  The figures show that the immunisation coverage rates of primary one and primary six students have maintained at above 97% (details at Annex 5).
 
(4)    The number of children aged between six months and under 12 who received free or subsidised seasonal influenza vaccination in the past five years are at Annex 6.
 
(5)    Before ordering vaccines for the HKCIP, the Government will estimate the required quantity on the basis of the number of births for the year and the coverage rates in the past. The Government will then procure the estimated quantity of vaccines through tender in accordance with the established requirements and procedures. A flexibility clause will normally be included in the conditions of the tender to ensure that after the signing of the contract, the quantities ordered can be appropriately adjusted or the contract period can be extended if necessary, so as to minimise the number of vaccines to be discarded or expired vaccines.  Vaccine suppliers are required to supply sufficient quantities of vaccines for the HKCIP according to the terms of contract.
 
     At present, the Government procures for the HKCIP on a contract basis the following eight single or combined vaccines for children, namely (1) BCG vaccine; (2) Hep B vaccine; (3) varicella vaccine; (4) diphtheria, tetanus, acellular pertussis and inactivated poliovirus vaccine (DTaP-IPV vaccine); (5) diphtheria, tetanus, acellular pertussis (reduced dose) and inactivated poliovirus vaccine (dTap-IPV vaccine); (6) 13-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV13); (7) measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine; and (8) measles, mumps, rubella and varicella (MMRV) vaccine. As the HKCIP is an ongoing programme, contracts are signed for different vaccines and the contract periods vary accordingly. Suppliers are normally required under the contracts concerned to provide vaccines for a period of two to three years.  Details of the contracts signed with vaccine suppliers that are still valid are at Annex 7.