Author Archives: hksar gov

     Following is the opening remarks (English translation) by the Secretary for the Environment, Mr Wong Kam-sing, at the special meeting of the Legislative Council (LegCo) Finance Committee today (April 9):
 
Chairman,

     The Financial Secretary’s Budget Speech highlighted two new initiatives on our side, namely allocating another $1 billion for departments to install renewable energy (RE) facilities, and providing more charging facilities for electric vehicles. $120 million will be allocated to provide over 1 000 additional public chargers at government car parks. I would like to brief Members on other work priorities of the Environment Bureau in the coming financial year.

     On mitigating climate change, the Government has earlier earmarked $900 million to implement energy saving projects in government buildings and made good progress. We are confident that the target to reduce electricity consumption of government buildings by 5 per cent within five years could be reached in this year. Moreover, $1 billion earmarked for installing RE facilities at government venues in the last two financial years is already benefitting leisure and cultural services facilities, government offices, government schools and sewerage treatment works. The additional $1 billion this year will allow us to do more green projects.

     Pursuant to the requirement of the Paris Agreement, we need to draw up, by 2020, a long-term decarbonisation strategy for the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region up to 2050. We have invited the Council for Sustainable Development to conduct a public engagement exercise shortly for this purpose and to engage the public on how to transition towards a low-carbon society.

     On improvement of air quality, we are making preparations for phasing out Euro IV diesel commercial vehicles, and planning the trial of retrofitting Euro IV and V franchised buses with enhanced selective catalytic reduction devices to reduce emissions. Having completed the review of Air Quality Objectives (AQOs) last December, we will launch a three-month public consultation this year. If it is decided to tighten the AQOs, we will submit an Amendment Bill to the Legislative Council (LegCo) for implementing the new AQOs as soon as possible.

     Implementation of Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) charging is at the centre of our waste reduction strategy. The relevant Bill is being scrutinised at LegCo. This year, we are providing additional funding of around $300 million to $400 million to enhance support for the work related to waste reduction and recycling. Upon implementation of MSW charging in the future, annual funding will increase to about $800 million to $1 billion, which is commensurate with the amount of the estimated gross revenue to be generated from MSW charging, thereby achieving the effect of “dedicated fund for dedicated use”. We are preparing to roll out a pilot scheme in three districts this year to provide free collection service for non-commercial and non-industrial waste plastic. We also plan to introduce a pilot scheme later this year to collect food waste.

     On the producer responsibility schemes (PRS), the one for waste electrical and electronic equipment is being implemented progressively. Moreover, we will submit the draft subsidiary legislation regarding the PRS for glass beverage containers to LegCo this year for scrutiny, in order to pursue its full implementation. Our next step is to take forward the PRS for plastic beverage containers. The relevant pilot scheme for reverse vending machines will be implemented in the second half of this year.

     On marine refuse, apart from our continuous effort in co-ordinating and stepping up cleaning, monitoring and patrolling work through our inter-departmental working group, we will also strengthen collaboration with our counterparts in Guangdong Province on marine environmental management. We will also enhance communication with the public and provide support to shoreline cleanup actions organised by different organisations.

     Regarding water quality, to continually strengthen our sewerage infrastructural facilities and tackle near-shore pollution problems, we plan to seek funding approval from LegCo this year for 15 sewerage projects of some $29 billion in total for upgrading or constructing sewage treatment works, sewers, village sewerage systems and dry weather flow interceptors.

     On countryside and nature conservation, since the establishment of the Countryside Conservation Office (CCO) in July last year, we have been actively co-ordinating relevant government departments and stakeholders. The CCO will launch a Countryside Conservation Funding Scheme in the second half of this year to support interactions and collaboration between non-government organisations and villagers for implementing conservation and revitalisation projects. In addition, we will consult the soon-to-be-established Advisory Committee on Countryside Conservation on the proposed minor improvement works in Lai Chi Wo and Sha Lo Tung.

     All in all, I look forward to strengthening both our interaction and collaboration with LegCo Members and all sectors of the community, as well as our joint efforts in innovation, so that together we can continue to contribute to the sustainable development of Hong Kong and the world. Thank you, Chairman. read more

     The Education Bureau held the Forty Years of Reform and Opening-up Project Learning Award Scheme to enhance primary and secondary school students’ understanding of the development of our country’s reform and opening up through project learning, and to let them explore Hong Kong’s role in the process of reform and opening up and the ways for Hong Kong to grasp the opportunities ahead.
 
     Speaking at the award presentation ceremony and project exhibition of the award scheme today (April 9), the Secretary for Education, Mr Kevin Yeung, said that the award scheme received an overwhelming response with the participation of more than 230 teams, including students from sister schools and non-Chinese speaking students, from a total of 115 primary and secondary schools.

     He commended the outstanding performance of the students in their projects, which covered various aspects, from the economy, people’s livelihood, education, diplomacy and cultural heritage conservation to innovation and technology, demonstrating comprehensively the extraordinary achievements of the Mainland and Hong Kong in the past 40 years during the country’s reform and opening up. While the topics were diverse, the approaches and presentations of the projects were also ingenious.
 
     He said he believed that through their participation in the award scheme, the students have enriched their knowledge of the country’s reform in recent years. He expressed the hope that young people can grasp the new opportunities of the Belt and Road Initiative and the development of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, not only to participate in fostering the further development of the Mainland and the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region but also to share the benefits of the country’s achievements.

     There were three entry levels for the award scheme, namely primary, junior secondary and senior secondary, and each participating team set its own topic according to the theme of the respective level. Each team collected information through various means and then produced a study report after conducting compilation and analysis.
 
     In addition to a commemorative trophy and book vouchers given to each winning team, the champion, first runner-up and merit award teams from 14 schools with around 80 students and teachers are also invited by the Education Bureau to visit Beijing and Shanghai to participate in the Mainland exchange programme related to the theme of the award scheme with a view to further enhancing their understanding of the country’s development.
 
     The list of winners has been uploaded to the Education Bureau’s website (www.edb.gov.hk/en/curriculum-development/kla/pshe/reform_and_opening-up_40years/index.html).

        

     The Labour Department (LD) is highly concerned about the work accident that happened at a warehouse in Yuen Long this morning (April 9), in which a male worker was crushed to death inside a container by machine components being stowed in the container by a forklift truck. The LD is saddened by the death of the worker in the accident and expresses its deepest sympathy to the victim’s family.
 
     The LD’s spokesman said, “We commenced immediate on-site investigation as soon as we were notified of the accident and issued suspension notices to the proprietor of the premises and the employer involved to suspend the related loading and unloading work. The LD will only revoke the suspension notices when we are satisfied that measures to abate the relevant risk have been taken.”
 
     The spokesman added, “We will complete investigation as soon as possible to identify the cause of the accident, ascertain the liability of the duty holders and recommend improvement measures. We will take actions pursuant to the law if there is any violation of the work safety legislation.”
 
     The general duty provisions of the Factories and Industrial Undertakings Ordinance require employers to provide safe working environments, safe plant and safe systems of work for their employees. Those who contravene the above provisions are liable to a fine of $500,000 and imprisonment for six months.
 
     In regard to today’s accident, the LD will issue a Work Safety Alert through its website and email, giving a brief account of the accident concerned to duty holders, workers’ unions, professional bodies of safety practitioners and others, and reminding the industry of the importance of following safety precautionary measures to prevent recurrence of similar accidents.
 
     The LD will also remind the employer concerned of the liability for employees’ compensation under the Employees’ Compensation Ordinance, assist family members of the deceased to claim employees’ compensation and closely follow up on the case. For those with financial difficulties, the LD will assist them to apply for appropriate emergency funds. Subject to the needs and wishes of family members of the deceased, the LD will also liaise with the Social Welfare Department for financial or other assistance.
 
     For the sake of securing the safety and health of employees at work, the LD appeals to employers to provide plant and systems of work that are safe and without risks to health. Employees should co-operate with their employers, adopt all safety measures and use personal protective equipment provided properly to avoid endangering their own work safety and that of other workers.
  read more

The following is issued on behalf of the Hospital Authority:      The spokesperson for Siu Lam Hospital made the following announcement today (April 9):        Four patients (aged 20 to 55) and a staff … read more

     The Director of Social Welfare, Ms Carol Yip, today (April 9) visited a private residential care home for the elderly (RCHE) and a private residential care home for persons with disabilities (RCHD) in To Kwa Wan and Kwai Chung respectively to see the implementation of the recently launched Visiting Medical Practitioner Service (VMPS) and the pilot schemes of professional outreach teams for residential care homes. She also listened to residents’ feedback on these services.

     To continuously enhance the service quality of RCHEs and RCHDs, the Social Welfare Department (SWD) has not only strengthened the visiting medical practitioner service for subvented RCHEs and RCHDs through provision of additional subvention, but also started to provide the VMPS through non-governmental organisations to residents of all private and self-financing RCHEs and RCHDs since last October. The measure aims to promote proactive response to seasonal influenza and other episodic illnesses, improve the general health of residents and reduce their reliance on the public healthcare system. The measure, involving an additional annual expenditure of about $238 million, is expected to benefit about 80 000 residents of RCHEs and RCHDs.

     In addition, the SWD launched a four-year Pilot Scheme on Multi-disciplinary Outreaching Support Teams for the Elderly (MOSTE) in mid-February 2019. Under the district-based MOSTE, social workers, physiotherapists, occupational therapists and speech therapists provide free outreach support services for residents of private RCHEs. It also provides speech therapy service for elderly persons at contract RCHEs (including the Day Care Units attached to contract RCHEs) and self-financing RCHEs/nursing homes with swallowing difficulties or speech impairment. It is expected that about 45 000 residents of private RCHEs could benefit from the pilot scheme, which will incur an additional annual expenditure of about $219 million.

     Since this March, the SWD has also implemented the Pilot Scheme on Professional Outreaching Teams for Private Residential Care Homes for Persons with Disabilities, under which social workers, physiotherapists, occupational therapists, speech therapists, registered nurses (psychiatric), clinical psychologists and more provide free multi-disciplinary outreach services to support the social and rehabilitation needs of about 4 000 residents of private RCHDs, as well as their family members/carers and the home staff. An additional annual expenditure of about $60 million is incurred.

     During the visits, the persons-in-charge of the two homes briefed Ms Yip on the utilisation of the above-mentioned outreach services. They said that these on-site services provide support to the residents in different dimensions. Apart from enhancing the prevention work of communicable diseases, the VMPS saves the residents who feel unwell from queuing for services in a hospital or clinic and helps provide timely medical treatment at the early stage of an illness. The pilot schemes on outreach teams provide professional assessment and training for residents in various aspects including muscular, speech and swallowing abilities, thereby improving their health and quality of life.

     Ms Yip also chatted with residents during her visits and listened to their feedback on the new initiatives. Residents and their family members expressed gratitude to the visiting doctors and therapists for their concern and support. They also showed appreciation for the new outreach services which directly enhance the care services of the homes for residents. In addition, the service operators of the outreach teams have connected different organisations (including district elderly community centres and schools) in the community and mobilised volunteers to provide services at care homes, bringing happiness and vitality to the care homes. The service operators also noted that it is meaningful to provide on-site services to elderly people and persons with disabilities genuinely in need of concern, and their staff (including experienced therapists) are pleased to provide services which suit residents’ rehabilitation needs.