The effective exchange rate index for the Hong Kong dollar on Monday, April 1, 2019 is 103.3 (down 0.1 against last Saturday's index).
The effective exchange rate index for the Hong Kong dollar on Saturday, March 30, 2019 was 103.4 (same as last Friday's index).
The Environmental Protection Department (EPD) today (April 1) announced the appointments to the Steering Committee of the Pilot Green Transport Fund for a new two-year term starting today.
Chaired by the President of the Open University of Hong Kong, Professor Wong Yuk-shan, the new-term Steering Committee comprises representatives elected by transport sectors, as well as experts and academics in green innovative transport technologies, and representatives of relevant government departments.
The EPD thanked the outgoing Chairman, former President of the Hong Kong Polytechnic University Professor Timothy Tong Wai-cheung, and the outgoing members, Mr Chan Sam-choi, Dr Jackson Ho Yee-tak and Mr Ling Chi-keung, for their great dedication to the Steering Committee in the past. The department was also deeply grateful for the invaluable advice from all members of the last term to the Government on the approval of funding support for testing green innovative transport technologies.
The Steering Committee's membership list in the new term is as follows:
Chairman
Professor Wong Yuk-Shan *
Members
Dr Lawrence Chan Wan-ching
Professor Christopher Chao Yu-hang
Dr Lawrence Cheung Chi-chong
Mr Benny Chu Kwok-ki
Mr Andy Chung Wai-leung *
Mr Kent Lam Wing-keung *
Professor Dennis Leung Yiu-cheong
Professor Man Hau-chung *
Mr Ng Kwan-sing
Mr So Sai-hung *
Mr Tam Wai-to *
Mr Matthew Wong Leung-pak
Representative of the Electrical and Mechanical Services Department
Representative of the EPD
Representative of the Innovation and Technology Commission
Representative of the Transport Department
* New members
Secretary
Principal Environmental Protection Officer (Mobile Source Group), EPD
The Fund was set up in March 2011 to encourage transport sectors to test green innovative and low-carbon transport technologies. The Steering Committee is to advise the Government on the approval of funding for relevant applications.
For more information on the Fund, please visit the EPD website (www.epd.gov.hk/epd/english/environmentinhk/air/prob_solutions/pilot_green_transport_fund.html) or call the enquiry hotline on 2824 0022.
​The Government introduced today (April 1) a logo for charitable fund-raising activities which must be used or shown at all government-approved charitable fund-raising activities for easy identification by the public. A QR code enabling the public to check information about the relevant charitable fund-raising activities will also be placed next to the logo.
The logo must be used at charitable fund-raising activities approved by different government departments which include:
(1) For flag days and general charitable fund-raising activities approved by the Social Welfare Department (SWD) starting from April 1, 2019, the logo must be printed on Public Subscription Permits. For flag days, the logo must be affixed on flag-selling bags. For general charitable fund-raising activities, the logo must be printed on fund-raisers' badges and tags affixed on the donation collection tools;
(2) For charitable lottery events with licence applications made and approved on or after April 1, 2019, by the Home Affairs Department (HAD), the logo must be printed on lottery licences and lottery tickets; and
(3) For applications of charitable organisations for temporary hawker licences received and approved on or after April 1, 2019, by the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department for fund-raising activities involving the sale of goods in public places, licensees are required to display the logo at the stalls during charitable fund-raising activities.
Apart from calling the dedicated hotline (Tel: 3142 2678) and checking against the information of government-approved charitable fund-raising activities on the fund-raising activities page of GovHK, members of the public can also identify and ascertain whether a fund-raising activity has been approved by the Government by viewing the logo and the QR code.
Following the recommendations made in the Report of the Law Reform Commission, Report No. 68 of the Director of Audit and Report No. 68 of the Public Accounts Committee of the Legislative Council on improving the monitoring of charitable fund-raising activities, apart from introducing the logo, the Government has implemented a series of administrative measures since August 1, 2018, including uploading all audited accounts submitted by organisations which obtained approval to hold charitable fund-raising activities from the SWD or charitable lottery events from the HAD to the fund-raising activities page of GovHK; setting up a dedicated hotline for handling enquiries or complaints in relation to charitable fund-raising activities held by organisations in public places; and issuing the Good Practice Guide on Charitable Fund-raising and providing a one-stop service for charitable fund-raising activities organised on government land in order to enhance the transparency of charitable fund-raising activities, safeguard the interests of donors and facilitate the conduct of fund-raising activities.
For more information on the approved charitable fund-raising activities, please visit the fund-raising activities page of GovHK (www.gov.hk/en/theme/fundraising/welcome).
​The Education Bureau today (April 1) announced the appointment of members to the Advisory Committee on Gifted Education (ACGE).
The incumbent Chairman, Dr Pang Yiu-kai, and eight members of the ACGE, namely Professor Cheng Shuk-han, Dr John Tan Kang, Sister Anita Kwok Ming-ying, Ms Sonia Cheng Chi-man, Dr Allen Fung Yuk-lun, Ms Carrie Leung Ka-lai, Ms Cecilia Lee Sau-wai and Dr Lam Hiu-fung, have been re-appointed. Their appointments will take effect on April 1, 2019, for a term of two years.
"With the participation of these ACGE members, I am confident that the Gifted Education Fund will continue to provide effective support to the development of gifted education in Hong Kong and enable more gifted students to unleash their potential, enrich the talent pool and enhance the competitiveness of Hong Kong," the Acting Secretary for Education, Dr Choi Yuk-lin, said.
The ACGE was set up in April 2017 to advise the Secretary for Education on the use and management of the Gifted Education Fund, long-term development of gifted education in Hong Kong and measures and initiatives for promoting gifted education.
The full list of membership of the ACGE with effect from April 1, 2019, is as follows:
Chairman
————
Dr Pang Yiu-kai
Non-official members
————————–
Professor Cheng Shuk-han
Dr John Tan Kang
Sister Anita Kwok Ming-ying
Ms Sonia Cheng Chi-man
Dr Allen Fung Yuk-lun
Ms Carrie Leung Ka-lai
Ms Cecilia Lee Sau-wai
Dr Lam Hiu-fung
Ex-officio members
————————
Permanent Secretary for Education
Deputy Secretary for Education (5)
Chairman, Board of Directors of the Hong Kong Academy for Gifted Education
Chairperson, Committee on Gifted Education of the Curriculum Development Council
TNT Express Worldwide (HK) Limited was intercepted illegally transhipping goods containing asbestos through Hong Kong to Sierra Leone from Malaysia. The company was convicted and fined a total of $4,000 at Eastern Magistrates' Courts today (April 1) for contravening the Air Pollution Control Ordinance (APCO). This is the first conviction since the amendment to the relevant ordinance came into effect.
A spokesman for the Environmental Protection Department (EPD) said that a notification was received from the Hong Kong Customs and Excise Department in September last year of an interception of goods suspected of containing asbestos materials at the Asia Airfreight Terminal at Hong Kong International Airport. After investigation, EPD staff confirmed that the goods, with nine rolls of rope lagging containing asbestos weighing about 45 kilograms, were being transhipped by an international shipping company, TNT Express Worldwide (HK) Limited, through Hong Kong to Sierra Leone from Malaysia. The EPD prosecuted the company, which was responsible for transhipping the goods, under the APCO after gathering evidence.
The EPD spokesman reminded international shipping companies that the government has completely banned the import, transhipment, supply and use of all forms of asbestos so as to protect public health since the implementation of the Air Pollution Control (Amendment) Ordinance 2014 in April 2014. Anyone that imports or tranships asbestos or asbestos-containing materials without an exemption commits an offence and will be liable to a maximum fine of $200,000 and six months' imprisonment.