A company was fined $3,000 at the Eastern Magistrates' Courts today (January 22) for contravening the Clubs (Safety of Premises) Ordinance.
      
     The courts heard that in June last year, officers from the Office of the Licensing Authority (OLA) of the Home Affairs Department conducted an inspection at a club on Peel Street in Central which had been operating with a certificate of compliance (CoC).
      
     OLA officers posed as customers and patronised the club for food without being asked to show their membership status or being invited to join the club as members. Condition 19 of the CoC was breached.
      
     The company, being the CoC holder of the club, was charged with contravening section 21(2) of the Ordinance.
      
     A spokesman for the department reminded all CoC holders to comply with the conditions as stipulated therein. Enforcement action will continue to be taken against illegal club operations.

     A man was fined $8,000 at the Eastern Magistrates' Courts today (January 22) for contravening the Hotel and Guesthouse Accommodation Ordinance.
      
     The court heard that in July last year, officers of the Office of the Licensing Authority (OLA), the Home Affairs Department, inspected a licensed guesthouse on Paterson Street in Causeway Bay. During the inspection, the OLA officers posed as lodgers and successfully rented a room in an unlicensed guesthouse in the same building on a daily basis.
      
     The man responsible for managing the premises was charged with contravening section 21(3)(b) of the Ordinance for managing a guesthouse in a premises other than the one indicated in the licence.
      
     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".

     Hong Kong Customs today (January 22) alerted members of the public to potential scalding hazards posed by three models of hot water bottles.

     Customs earlier conducted a test-buy operation on hot water bottles from the local market for safety testing. During the tests, it was found that the seams of three models of hot water bottles could break and pose a risk of scalding, violating the relevant safety standards.

     Customs officers today seized a total of 27 hot water bottles from two chain stores. Prohibition notices were served on the retailers and the suppliers concerned, prohibiting the continued sale of the relevant hot water bottles.

     Customs advises members of the public to check hot water bottles carefully before use and to stop using them immediately if there is any sign of damage.

     Customs is committed to the protection of consumer interests and regularly conducts spot checks and safety tests on consumer goods to ensure that they are reasonably safe for use by consumers.

     Under the Consumer Goods Safety Ordinance, it is an offence to supply, manufacture or import into Hong Kong consumer goods unless the goods comply with the general safety requirements for consumer goods. The maximum penalty upon conviction is a fine of $100,000 and imprisonment for one year on first conviction, and $500,000 and imprisonment for two years on subsequent conviction.

     Members of the public with information relating to unsafe consumer goods may make a report via Customs' 24-hour hotline 2545 6182 or its dedicated crime-reporting email account (crimereport@customs.gov.hk).

      

     The Development Bureau (DEVB) launched today (January 22) a market sounding exercise (MSE) to obtain market feedback on the viability of developing the Urban Park site at the Hung Hom harbourfront under a partnership approach between the public and private sectors, as well as optimal uses for the site. The MSE is supported by the Harbourfront Commission (HC).

     A spokesman for the DEVB said, "We have been adopting the partnership approach in harbourfront enhancement wherever appropriate. One hugely successful example is the Central Harbourfront Event Space. In support of the HC's vision for a more vibrant and attractive harbourfront, subject to the MSE feedback, we are keen to try out the partnership approach involving tripartite collaboration among the Government, the private sector and the community for the Urban Park site, as an alternative to the conventional design-build-operate approach by the Government."

     The spokesman pointed out that as illustrated by overseas examples, the partnership approach, if appropriately engaged, can deliver highly desirable results for harbourfront development. The approach allows both the public and private sectors to do their best. The Government would define service requirements and monitor compliance with reference to stakeholders' views, thereby ensuring that the key social objective of public enjoyment of the harbourfront would continue to be achieved. The private sector, known for its creativity, would meanwhile provide innovative designs and responsive solutions, as well as flexible management modes, making the harbourfront more fun and enjoyable for all.

     Located next to the Hung Hom Ferry Pier, featuring magnificent harbour views and surrounded by residential, office, hotel and retail developments, the Urban Park site is a prime harbourfront location planned for a wide range of active and/or passive leisure and recreational uses. With a total area of 2.2 hectares, it is sufficiently large to be developed into a destination space with diverse and innovative activities for all to play, relax and enjoy. A location plan of the site is in the Annex.

     The spokesman said, "The Urban Park site is integrated with the 4-kilometre-long waterfront promenade that allows visitors to stroll along the harbourfront from Hung Hom to Tsim Sha Tsui with harbourfront facilities and attractions including the Avenue of Stars, the Hong Kong Museum of Art, the Hong Kong Space Museum and the Hong Kong Cultural Centre on the way. The site is also well served by public transport facilities, and water transportation will be further improved with the re-opening of the Hung Hom-Central ferry route and provision of water taxi services in the near future."

     The objectives of the MSE are three-fold: to collect innovative ideas on possible uses of the site including how income received through certain activities would strike a balance between public enjoyment and financial viability; to ascertain the level of market interest towards developing the site under the partnership approach; and to obtain suggestions on key features of the partnership approach in terms of contract duration, the financing and revenue sharing arrangement and more.

     "To stimulate as many ideas as possible in the exercise, different private sector bodies including commercial entities, community groups, social enterprises, community-based trusts, special purpose companies and other different kinds of non-governmental organisations are welcome to submit their proposals," the spokesman added.

     The responses received will help the DEVB decide on the overall development concept for the Urban Park and the viability of the partnership approach, as well as the key contractual terms and conditions required for a publicly acceptable and financially viable model.

     The spokesman said, "We are aiming to derive a partnership approach that can provide highly anticipated facilities that can draw people to the harbourfront and enhance their experience while delivering a reasonable financial return to induce and sustain private sector participation."

     At the moment, the DEVB has the following initial ideas for the project:

(a) The project should adopt a place-making approach to create a sense of place and a quality harbourfront for public enjoyment, bringing people to the harbourfront and catering for their diverse interests. Proposed attractions should complement rather than overlap with uses already available in the neighbourhood;

(b) The project should minimise visual and noise impacts and other adverse impacts on the surrounding residential development;

(c) While retaining ownership of the site, the Government may grant a right to use the site for a reasonably long period that can render the project financially viable;

(d) The operator will be responsible for designing, developing, managing and maintaining the site;

(e) The project is expected to be self-sustainable on an ongoing basis with the possibility of sharing revenue with the Government based on a predetermined arrangement;

(f) It is Government's intention to set up a continual monitoring system with some form of public participation to ensure that the site is developed and managed in the public interest; and
 
(g) Key performance indicators for monitoring and maintaining high performance could be introduced.

     The DEVB will hold a briefing for interested parties on February 14. Interested parties should submit written responses to the DEVB on or before March 21. The MSE is not a pre-qualification exercise for the subsequent competitive bidding for the project. The ideas and suggestions received through the MSE may be used by the Government, in the original form or in a modified form as may be considered appropriate by the Government, in formulating the way forward for the subsequent tender exercise.

     Details of the briefing and the MSE are available on the websites of the DEVB (www.devb.gov.hk/en/issues_in_focus/mse_hung_hom_urban_park_development/index.html) and the HC (www.hfc.org.hk). For enquiries, please contact the DEVB's Harbour Office through email at harbouroffice@devb.gov.hk.

     While inviting market feedback through the MSE, the DEVB also welcomes views from the general public on the potential uses of the site submitted through the aforementioned DEVB website and the HC website on or before March 21. The views will be taken into account in finalising the overall development concept of the site.

     The Secretary for the Civil Service, Mr Joshua Law, today (January 22) presented certificates to students of the Shine Skills Centre of the Vocational Training Council who participated in a government internship scheme in recognition of their performance and efforts. Mr Law also encouraged them to unleash their potential at workplaces after graduation.

     Meeting with students of the Shine Skills Centre who have completed the internship, Mr Law said, "The students' attendance, conduct and performance have been very satisfactory during the internship period. The positive work attitude and dedication in learning of student interns have been highly praised by colleagues and mentors of participating departments.

     "It was the third year that the Civil Service Bureau (CSB) arranged placements in government departments for students of the Shine Skills Centre. The Shine Skills Centre (Kwun Tong) and the Civil Service College will become neighbours after the completion of the Kwun Tong comprehensive development project. This goes further to show how closely knit we have become."

     The CSB launched the internship scheme for students with disabilities in 2016 and doubled the number of placements from an average of 50 a year in the past two years to 100, so as to allow more young persons with disabilities to gain work experience in the Government, thereby strengthening their competitiveness before entering the workforce.

     With the expansion of the internship scheme, students of the Shine Skills Centre were also given opportunities to take up more diversified jobs, including event co-ordination and support, simple auditing tasks and topical searches.

     A total of 33 students, who were assigned to 21 government bureaux and departments for an eight-week internship in late 2018, received certificates today.

     Miss Helen Tang was an intern who assisted in checking and inputting traffic data at the Police. She said that with the guidance of her mentor and colleagues, she was soon able to discharge her duties independently, which has boosted her confidence. She added that the department's barrier-free access facilities helped her adapt to the working environment within a short period of time. She said she was grateful that the internship better equipped her to join the labour market in the future, and gave her an opportunity to learn to communicate and get along with others.

     Another intern, Mr Ken Poon, was attached to the CSB where he assisted in clerical work. Being a student of a design and desktop publishing programme at the Shine Skills Centre, he was also given an opportunity to design a Christmas card, on which he could apply what he had learnt in the Shine Skills Centre. He said that this precious internship experience enabled him to better understand his interest and career path.

     Many mentors praised the interns for their positive and responsible work attitude, as well as their initiative to learn new knowledge from their daily work.