Author Archives: hksar gov

     Following is the transcript of remarks by the Secretary for Food and Health, Professor Sophia Chan, at a media session at the Legislative Council Complex today (February 20):

Reporter: So far have you got enough votes to pass the ban on e-cigarettes? Secondly, can you clarify, under the Greater Bay Area framework, about the patient transfer plan of non-emergency patients? Are you talking about Hong Kong people or Mainland residents?

Secretary for Food and Health: The objective of our ban on e-cigarettes (and other alternative smoking products) is to protect the health of our next generation, our young people. I think these new or alternative smoking products are often packaged as less harmful and also attractive to young people. So in order to continue our hard work on tobacco control and reducing our smoking prevalence, especially protecting our young people’s health from not being jeopardised, in the last Policy Address, the Chief Executive has announced the banning of e-cigarettes and alternative smoking products altogether including import, manufacture, distribution, promotion and sale. Of course, we have tried our best to explain our policy to all legislators and political parties. We try our best to explain and answer questions. On one hand, we have staunch supporters. On the other hand, there are legislators who hold different opinions. We will continue to try our best to let the legislators and different political parties understand. This is really the wish of not only the Government, but also the general public, the medical and health profession, the education sector, parents as well as young people.

     Regarding your question about the Greater Bay Area, the focus is on Hong Kong people who live in the Greater Bay Area. The suggested transfer measure is for Hong Kong people. Throughout the year, those Hong Kong people who live in the Greater Bay Area have expressed a need for having better and facilitated transportation (of non-emergency Hong Kong patients). It is just to explore how this could be taken forward.

(Please also refer to the Chinese portion of the transcript.) read more

     The 11th meeting of the International Advisory Board (IAB) on Hong Kong Chinese Materia Medica Standards (HKCMMS) was held in Hong Kong from February 18 to February 20 and was attended by over 70 overseas, Mainland and local experts. At the meeting, the IAB reviewed the research work of the current phase for 31 Chinese Materia Medica (CMM) and concluded a pilot study on eight Chinese medicine decoction pieces. The future research direction of the HKCMMS project was also discussed.
 
     Addressing the meeting, the Director of Health, Dr Constance Chan, said, “With the publication of the ninth volume of the HKCMMS, we have already published a total of 299 CMM reference standards, which are well recognised in the field of Chinese medicine testing and certification. While we continue to further our work on the standard setting for CMM, we will introduce advance testing methods to improve the quality control of CMM and strive to be on par with international standards.”
 
     The IAB was established in early 2002 to give advice on the principles, methodologies and analytical methods for the development of the HKCMMS. It comprises renowned experts from the Mainland, Australia, Austria, Canada, Germany, Japan, Thailand, the United Kingdom and the United States, in addition to local experts.
 
     Dr Chan said the project of setting standards for CMM relies heavily on the participation of the scientific community, and the Government is most grateful to the eight research partners, namely the City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong Baptist University, the Chinese University of Hong Kong, the Hong Kong Polytechnic University, the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, the University of Hong Kong, the National Institutes for Food and Drug Control of the People’s Republic of China and Taiwan’s China Medical University, for rallying behind the project and making efforts to meet various challenges in setting standards. In addition, the Government Laboratory is continuing to conduct inter-laboratory verification studies, which adds to the project’s scientific rigour and robustness.
 
     “We are also indebted to the National Medical Products Administration, the National Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine, and the Chinese Pharmacopoeia Commission for their invaluable advice and continuous support for the development of the HKCMMS,” Dr Chan added.
 
     Previous publications of the HKCMMS can be accessed at www.cmd.gov.hk/html/eng/GCMTI/hkcmms/volumes.html.

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     A taxpayer was convicted today (February 20) at the Kwun Tong Magistrates’ Courts on three charges in relation to omitting rental income and incorrectly claiming deductions of home loan interest when filing returns for property tax and salaries tax. He was fined $3,000 ($1,000 for each charge) plus a further fine of $8,537, equivalent to 10 per cent of the tax undercharged.
 
     The defendant, aged 36, pleaded guilty to three counts of, without reasonable excuse, giving incorrect information in the tax returns in relation to letting property and deduction for home loan interest affecting his own liability to tax for the years of assessment 2011-12 to 2013-14, contrary to section 80(2)(c) of the Inland Revenue Ordinance (Cap. 112) (IRO). 

     The court heard that at the relevant times, the defendant owned two properties in Kowloon (Property 1 and Property 2). In his tax returns for the years of assessment 2011-12 and 2012-13, the defendant claimed deductions of home loan interest in respect of Property 1. In his tax return for the year of assessment 2013-14, the defendant claimed deduction of home loan interest in respect of Property 2.

     An investigation by the Inland Revenue Department (IRD) revealed that Property 1 had been let out since June 1, 2010. The defendant omitted to report rental income of $543,128 from Property 1 in his tax returns for the years of assessment 2011-12 to 2013-14, and made incorrect claims for deduction of home loan interest in the total amount of $33,600 in respect of Property 1 for the years of assessment 2011-12 and 2012-13. Property 2 was under construction when the defendant signed an agreement to purchase it in December 2012 and was assigned to the defendant on October 31, 2014. The defendant also made an incorrect claim for deduction of home loan interest in the amount of $85,200 in respect of Property 2 for the year of assessment 2013-14. The total amount of tax undercharged for the three years of assessment is $85,369.

     A spokesman for the IRD reminded taxpayers that any person who, without reasonable excuse, gives any incorrect information in relation to any matter or thing affecting his own liability (or the liability of any other person) to tax, commits an offence under the IRO. Upon conviction, the maximum penalty for each charge is a fine of $10,000 plus a further fine of three times the amount of tax undercharged. read more

     Following is a question by the Hon Hui Chi-fung and a written reply by the Secretary for Security, Mr John Lee, in the Legislative Council today (February 20):
 
Question:
 
     Under the Immigration Arrangements for Non-local Graduates (IANG), non-local students who enter Hong Kong for the purpose of education with a student visa/entry permit may, upon completion of their study and obtaining an undergraduate degree or a higher qualification in Hong Kong, apply for staying in/returning to Hong Kong for work for a period of 12 months. Persons permitted to stay in Hong Kong under IANG may apply for an extension of stay if they have secured local employment upon expiry of their limit of stay. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
 
(1) of the number of applications submitted in the past three years for renewal of student visas by persons who had been staying in Hong Kong on student visa for a continuous period of seven years and, among such applications, the number and percentage of those approved, with a breakdown by whether or not the applicants were Mainland residents;
 
(2) of the number of applications submitted last year under IANG and, among such applications, the number and percentage of those approved, with a breakdown by whether or not the applicants were Mainland residents;
 
(3) of the number of applications submitted in the past three years for verification of the permanent resident status by persons who had been allowed to stay/return and work in Hong Kong under IANG and, among such applications, the number and percentage of those approved, with a breakdown by whether or not the applicants were Mainland residents; and
 
(4) whether the Immigration Department, when vetting and approving the aforesaid applications for extension of stay in the past three years, took measures to check the authenticity of the employment contracts as well as the background and financial information on the companies that had employed them, which were submitted by the applicants; if so, of the details?

Reply:
 
President,
 
     The reply to Hon Hui’s question is as follows:
 
(1) According to prevailing policies, applications for extension of stay for a visa/entry permit to enter or remain in Hong Kong for study will be considered only when the applicants continue to meet the respective eligibility criteria. All applications for extension of stay, if approved, will normally be granted on a yearly basis or in accordance with the duration of their studies, as appropriate.
 
     The statistics on the number of applications for extension of stay for remaining in Hong Kong for study received and approved in respect of Mainland and non-Mainland students which were processed by the Immigration Department (ImmD) in the past three years are tabulated as follows:
 

Year	Mainland students		Non-Mainland students
	Number of applications received	Number of applications approved	Number of applications received	Number of applications approved
2016	3 882	3 757	287 (September to December) (Note 1)	293 (September to December) (Note 2)
2017	3 600	3 564	1 242	1 135
2018	3 883	3 751	1 283	1 260

Note 1: ImmD did not maintain the breakdown statistics before September 2016.
Note 2: The cases approved in a year may not be the applications received in the same year. Therefore, ImmD does not compute the percentage by comparing the applications approved with the applications received.
 
     ImmD does not maintain statistics on applications for entry for study received and approved for extension of stay by persons who have stayed in Hong Kong for seven years continuously for study or other relevant breakdown statistics.
 
(2) The statistics on the number of applications received and approved under the “Immigration Arrangements for Non-local Graduates” (IANG) in 2018 are tabulated as follows:

	Number of applications received	Number of applications approved
Mainland residents	9 297	9 206
Non-Mainland residents	957	944
Total	10 254	10 150

Note: The cases approved in a year may not be the applications received in the same year. Therefore, ImmD does not compute the percentage by comparing the applications approved with the applications received.
 
(3) The statistics on persons approved for admission to Hong Kong under IANG who acquired the right of abode in the past three years are tabulated as follows:

Year	Number of applications approved
2016	1 979
2017	2 172
2018	2 455

Note: The breakdown is maintained in accordance with applicants’ status in Hong Kong at the time of application for the right of abode. The cases approved in a year may not be the applications received in the same year. Therefore, ImmD does not compute the percentage by comparing the applications approved with the applications received. The existing system does not maintain figures categorised by the applicant’s place of origin and thus is unable to provide breakdown statistics on whether the applicant is a Mainland resident or not. ImmD does not maintain other statistics mentioned in the question.
 
(4) ImmD has always assessed applications for visas or entry permits and for extension of stay according to the law and established policies. ImmD has always been concerned about criminals obtaining visas or entry permits to Hong Kong by illegal means and has conducted follow-up investigations into suspicious cases and has taken enforcement actions accordingly.
 
     ImmD conducts spot checks from time to time, including verifying the mode of operation, financial status and information of employees, etc. of the employing company on the spot, so as to verify the information declared by the applicant or his employing company in the application for visa or entry permit and for extension of stay.  
 
     It is an offence for any persons or companies, including the applicants, intermediaries or employing companies, to furnish false information or make false representation to ImmD in their applications for visas or entry permits. Upon conviction by the court, offenders are liable to a maximum fine of $150,000 and imprisonment for 14 years. In addition, it is also an offence to make, possess or use false instruments. Upon conviction by the court, offenders are liable to a maximum penalty of 14 years’ imprisonment. Apart from rejecting such applications, ImmD will also initiate criminal investigations into the cases concerned. Should any person be found to have obtained his visa or entry permit to Hong Kong by illegal means, the visa or entry permit so obtained will become null and void according to the law, and the person concerned will be subject to removal to his place of origin. Even if the person has ordinarily resided in Hong Kong for a continuous period of seven years or more and obtained the right of abode in Hong Kong, his right of abode in Hong Kong will be declared invalid according to the law, and he will be subject to removal to his place of origin. read more

     Two women and a man were fined from $6,000 to $30,000 at the Kowloon City Magistrates’ Courts today (February 20) for contravening the Hotel and Guesthouse Accommodation Ordinance.

     The courts heard that in April and June last year, officers of the Office of the Licensing Authority (OLA), the Home Affairs Department, inspected three suspected unlicensed guesthouses on To Kwa Wan Road, Woosung Street and Shanghai Street in Kowloon. During the inspections, the OLA officers posed as lodgers and successfully rented rooms in these guesthouses on a daily basis.
      
     According to the OLA’s records, these guesthouses did not possess licences under the Ordinance on the days of inspection. The man and the women responsible for operating and managing the premises were charged with contravening section 5(1) of the Ordinance.
      
     A department spokesman stressed that operating or managing an unlicensed guesthouse is a criminal offence and will lead to a criminal record. Upon conviction, the offender is liable to a maximum fine of $200,000 and two years’ imprisonment.
           
     The spokesman appealed to anyone with information about suspected unlicensed guesthouses to report it to the OLA through the hotline (Tel: 2881 7498), by email (hadlaenq@had.gov.hk), by fax (2504 5805) using the report form downloaded from the OLA website (www.hadla.gov.hk), or through the mobile application “Hong Kong Licensed Hotels and Guesthouses”. read more