The Government announced today (March 29) the re-appointment of Professor Daniel Shek Tan-lei as the Chairman of the Family Council, as well as the appointment and re-appointment of non-official members to the Council for a term of two years with effect from April 1, 2019.
 
     The Home Affairs Bureau thanked the outgoing members, Mrs Patricia Chu Yeung Pak-yu, Professor Lam Tai-hing, Mr Lee Luen-fai, Dr Gordon Tsui Luen-on and Miss Gabriella Wong Siu-ling, for their contributions and dedication to the work of the Council during their term of service.
 
     The membership list of the Council for the new term is as follows:
 
Chairman
———–
Professor Daniel Shek Tan-lei
 
Ex-officio members
———————-
Dr Lam Ching-choi, Chairperson of the Elderly Commission
Ms Chan Yuen-han, Chairperson of the Women's Commission
Mr Lau Ming-wai, Vice-Chairperson of the Youth Development Commission
 
Non-official members (re-appointments)
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Ms May Chan Suk-mei
Ms Sonia Cheng Chi-man
Ms Cheung Lai-chu
Dr Lam Chi-yan
Mr Dominic Lee Tsz-king
Professor Alvin Leung Seung-ming
Mrs Cecilia Wong Ng Kit-wah
Mr Clement Woo Kin-man
Ms Emily Yip Lai-wa
Ms Amarantha Yip Yun-wan
 
Non-official members (new appointments)
———————————————–
Ms Lavender Cheung Wang-yim
Mr Eugene Fong Yick-jin
Professor Albert Lee
Ms Cindy Pun Siu-fung
Dr Margaret Wong Fung-yee
 
Official members
——————-
Secretary for Home Affairs or his representative
Secretary for Labour and Welfare or his representative
Secretary for Education or his representative
Head of the Policy Innovation and Co-ordination Office or his representative
 
     Since its establishment in 2007, the Council has served as a cross-sector and cross-bureau platform for examining family-related policies and promoting a culture of loving families in the community. Membership of the Council comprises official members, non-official members from various backgrounds, as well as the Chairpersons of the Elderly Commission and the Women's Commission, and the Vice-Chairperson of the Youth Development Commission as ex-officio members.

     The Government today (March 29) announced that the Chief Executive has re-appointed Ms Winnie Tam Wan-chi as the chairperson of the Communications Authority (CA) for a term of two years from April 1, 2019, to March 31, 2021.
      
     The Chief Executive has also appointed two new members, Professor Vincent Lau Kin-nang and Mr Simon Wong Kwong-yeung, to the CA, and re-appointed the Permanent Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development (Communications and Creative Industries) as the Vice-chairperson, and Mr Stephen Hung Wan-shun, Mrs Yvonne Law Shing Mo-han and Mr Benjamin Tang Kwok-bun as members, all for a term of two years from April 1, 2019, to March 31, 2021.
      
     Commenting on the appointments, the Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development, Mr Edward Yau, said, "I am pleased that Ms Tam has been re-appointed as the chairperson of the CA. With her rich experience and professional background, I am confident that she will continue to lead the CA to rise to the challenges ahead in the broadcasting and telecommunications sectors."
      
     Mr Yau welcomed the two new members to the CA, who come from the academic and research and development sectors respectively, saying that their rich experience and areas of expertise will be valuable to the CA's work. He also thanked outgoing members Mr Thomas Lo Sui-sing and Professor Xu Yan for their contributions to the CA.
      
     Brief profiles of the newly-appointed non-official members are as follows:
 
Professor Vincent Lau
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     Professor Vincent Lau is the Chair Professor of the Department of Electronic and Computer Engineering of the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology. He is currently a member of the Telecommunications Regulatory Affairs Advisory Committee which advises the Director-General of Communications on all economic and technical regulatory issues related to the development of telecommunications in Hong Kong.
 
Mr Simon Wong
——————
     Mr Simon Wong is the Chief Executive Officer of the Logistics and Supply Chain MultiTech R&D Centre. He is currently a member of the Assessment Panel of the Innovation and Technology Fund for Better Living, the Enterprise Support Assessment Panel and the Hong Kong Logistics Development Council.
      
     Membership of the CA from April 1, 2019 will be as follows:
 
Chairperson
—————
Ms Winnie Tam Wan-chi
 
Vice-chairperson
——————-
Permanent Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development (Communications and Creative Industries)
 
Non-official members
————————
Ms Karen Chan Ka-yin
Mr Stephen Hung Wan-shun
Professor Vincent Lau Kin-nang
Mrs Yvonne Law Shing Mo-han
Mr Hubert Ng Ching-wah
Dr Anthony William Seeto Yiu-wai
Mr Benjamin Tang Kwok-bun
Mr Simon Wong Kwong-yeung
Professor Ray Yep Kin-man
 
Official member
——————
Director-General of Communications

     Following is a reminder of the press releases on statistical data to be issued between April and July 2019. The schedule for issuing press releases on statistical data in 2019 was provided to the media in September 2018. No change has been made to the original schedule.
 

The schedule for regular press releases in the other months of 2019 can be downloaded at the website of the Census and Statistics Department (www.censtatd.gov.hk/press_release/index.jsp).

     Firing practice will take place at two military sites, namely the San Wai/Tai Ling Firing Range and the Tsing Shan Firing Range, next month (April).
      
     Red flags or red lamps will be hoisted at the firing areas before and during firing practice. For their safety, people are advised not to enter the firing area.
      
     Following are the dates and times for the firing practice sessions in April 2019:
      
San Wai/Tai Ling Firing Range
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Tsing Shan Firing Range
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The following is issued on behalf of the Hong Kong Housing Authority: 
 
     The Hong Kong Housing Authority (HA) will pass on the rates concession for the four quarters of 2019-20, as set out in the Budget Speech of the Financial Secretary in February, to its domestic and non-domestic tenants starting from April 2019.
 
     "Following approval by the Subsidised Housing Committee of the HA, the apportioned amount of rates concession will be transferred to domestic tenants on a monthly basis over a 12-month period from April 2019 to March 2020 by offsetting an equivalent amount in the rent payable by them, subject to a ceiling of $1,500 per quarter for each rateable property," a spokesman for the HA said today (March 29). For tenancies that do not cover the entire month, the transfer of the rates concession will be made on a pro-rata basis.
 
     "The rates concession passing-on arrangement will apply to all domestic lettings including interim housing licensees and Comprehensive Social Security Assistance recipients," the spokesman said.
 
     "Similarly, the Commercial Properties Committee of the HA approved that the rates concession for the financial year of 2019-20 for the HA's non-domestic properties (excluding car parks) will also be passed on to the non-domestic tenants or licensees on a 'no loss, no gain' principle. Their monthly rates from April 2019 to March 2020 will be waived subject to the capping limit of $1,500 per quarter for each rateable property," the spokesman said.
 
     For the HA's 12 single-operator markets, viz Ching Long, Hung Fuk, Kwai Chung, Lei Muk Shue, Mun Tung, On Tai, Ping Yan, Shek Mun, Shui Chuen O, Tin Yan, Yan Tin and Ying Tung, the operators will also pass on the rates concession to their licensees in full.
 
     "Given the small amount of rates concession to individual car park users and the significant administrative costs involved for its distribution to these users, the Commercial Properties Committee of the HA endorsed the exclusion of car parks from this exercise in line with all the previous rates concession exercises. The rates concession for car parks received by the HA would be invested in enhancing the HA's car park facilities, such as the installation of electric vehicle charging facilities in suitable sites, replacement of energy-efficient lighting to promote environmental protection and upgrading of security systems," the spokesman said.
 
     The maximum total amount of rates concession to be passed on to domestic and non-domestic tenants/licensees by the HA is estimated to be about $2,595 million and $39.2 million respectively. They will be individually notified of the arrangements.