The Employment (Amendment) (No. 3) Ordinance 2018 (Amendment Ordinance) will commence on January 18 (Friday).

     Under the Amendment Ordinance, for male employees with a child born on or after January 18, 2019, their paternity leave entitlement is increased from three days to five days for each confinement of their spouse/partner if they have been employed under a continuous contract and have notified their employers in accordance with the law.

     "If an employee wishes to take paternity leave, he must give proper notice to his employer. If the employee has already notified his employer of his intention to take paternity leave at least three months before the expected date of delivery of the child, he may take paternity leave immediately after informing his employer of the actual dates of leave. But if the employee fails to give the three months' advance notice to the employer, he must notify the employer of his dates of paternity leave at least five days before taking leave," a spokesperson for the Labour Department said.

     "During the transitional period, for an employee with a child born on or after January 18, 2019, if he has notified his employer of his intention to take paternity leave before the commencement of the Amendment Ordinance (which in this case refers to the first three days of paternity leave), before taking the fourth and fifth day of the newly increased paternity leave, he must give at least five days' advance notice to his employer of the actual dates," the spokesperson added.

     For further information, employers and employees may call 2717 1771 (the hotline is handled by 1823) or approach the branch offices of the Labour Relations Division.

     The Government today (January 11) announced the appointment of four new members and the re-appointment of seven incumbent members to the Women's Commission (WoC) for a term of two years with effect from January 15, 2019.

     The four new members are Ms Mary Huen Wai-yi, Ms Melissa Kaye Pang, Ms Rigam Rai and Mr Walter Tsui Yu-hang.

     Ms Mary Huen Wai-yi is the Chief Executive Officer of Standard Chartered Bank (Hong Kong) Limited. She is also a panel member of the Antiâ€�Money Laundering and Counterâ€�Terrorist Financing Review Tribunal.

     Ms Melissa Kaye Pang is the first female President of the Law Society of Hong Kong. She is also the Chairperson of the Committee on the Promotion of Civic Education.

     Ms Rigam Rai is the first Nepalese lawyer in Hong Kong. She is also a member of the Committee on the Promotion of Racial Harmony.

     Mr Walter Tsui Yu-hang is a founder of CareER, a non-profit-making organisation. He is also a member of the Rehabilitation Advisory Committee.

     The seven re-appointed incumbent members are Professor Cecilia Chan Lai-wan, Ms Susanna Chiu Lai-kuen, Mrs Emily Tim-yi Lam Ho, Dr Kevin Lau Chung-hang, Ms Elaine Lo Yuen-man, Ms Wong Siu-wah and Ms Yvonne Yeung Kin-ha.

     The Secretary for Labour and Welfare, Dr Law Chi-kwong, welcomed the appointments and re-appointments. He said, "Coming from a diverse background, the newly appointed and re-appointed members have rich experience in their professions and community services. I look forward to their giving valuable advice on the work of the WoC."

     Dr Law also thanked the four outgoing members, Ms Aruna Gurung, Ms Juan Leung Chung-yan, Mr Philip Tsai Wing-chung and Ms Rabi Yim Chor-pik, for their active participation in and valuable contribution to the work of the WoC in the past years.

     The WoC was set up on January 15, 2001, as a central mechanism to promote the well-being and interests of women in Hong Kong. It plays a strategic role in advising the Government on policies and initiatives on women's issues.

     Following is the membership list of the WoC with effect from January 15, 2019:

Non-official members
————————
Ms Chan Yuen-han (Chairperson)
Professor Cecilia Chan Lai-wan
Ms Susanna Chiu Lai-kuen
Ms Mary Huen Wai-yi
Professor Shirley Hung Suet-lin
Ms Angelina Kwan
Mrs Emily Tim-yi Lam Ho
Dr Kevin Lau Chung-hang
Ms Melaine Lee Kam-ha
Ms Elaine Lo Yuen-man
Ms Yolanda Ng Yuen-ting
Ms Melissa Kaye Pang
Ms Scarlett Pong Oi-lan
Ms Rigam Rai
Dr Loletta So Kit-ying
Ms Michelle Tang Ming-sum
Miss Sherry Tsai Hiu-wai
Mr Walter Tsui Yu-hang
Ms Wong Siu-wah
Mrs Viola Wong Ho Suk-ying
Ms Yvonne Yeung Kin-ha

Ex-officio members
———————-
Permanent Secretary for Labour and Welfare or representative (Vice-Chairperson)
Secretary for Constitutional and Mainland Affairs or representative
Director of Social Welfare or representative

     The Government Property Agency is inviting separate tenders for five-year tenancies of Shop No. 319 and Shop No. 320 at the Ground Floor, Passenger Clearance Building, 33 Shun Fai Road, Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge Hong Kong Port, Lantau.
     
     The premises should only be used as cafés or restaurants.

     The tender notices were uploaded today (January 11) to the Agency's website: www.gpa.gov.hk. Tender documents are available for collection at the Government Property Agency, 31/F, Revenue Tower, 5 Gloucester Road, Wan Chai, during office hours (8.30am to 5.45pm from Mondays to Fridays). The documents can also be downloaded from the Agency's website.
      
     Interested tenderers who wish to inspect the sites should make prior appointment with the Government Property Agency by calling 2594 7776 on or before January 18 this year.

     Tenderers must submit their tenders by placing them in the Government Logistics Department Tender Box situated on the Ground Floor, North Point Government Offices, 333 Java Road, North Point, before noon on February 4 this year. Late tenders will not be accepted.

     The Government Property Agency is inviting separate tenders for five-year tenancies of Shop No. 319 and Shop No. 320 at the Ground Floor, Passenger Clearance Building, 33 Shun Fai Road, Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge Hong Kong Port, Lantau.
     
     The premises should only be used as cafés or restaurants.

     The tender notices were uploaded today (January 11) to the Agency's website: www.gpa.gov.hk. Tender documents are available for collection at the Government Property Agency, 31/F, Revenue Tower, 5 Gloucester Road, Wan Chai, during office hours (8.30am to 5.45pm from Mondays to Fridays). The documents can also be downloaded from the Agency's website.
      
     Interested tenderers who wish to inspect the sites should make prior appointment with the Government Property Agency by calling 2594 7776 on or before January 18 this year.

     Tenderers must submit their tenders by placing them in the Government Logistics Department Tender Box situated on the Ground Floor, North Point Government Offices, 333 Java Road, North Point, before noon on February 4 this year. Late tenders will not be accepted.

     The National Anthem Bill was published in the Gazette today (January 11). The Bill implements the Law of the People's Republic of China on National Anthem (National Anthem Law) in Hong Kong by local legislation.
 
     On November 4, 2017, the Standing Committee of the 12th National People's Congress adopted the decision to add the National Anthem Law to Annex III to the Basic Law. According to Article 18(2) of the Basic Law, the national laws listed in Annex III to the Basic Law shall be applied locally by way of promulgation or legislation by the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR). It is thus the responsibility of the HKSAR Government to implement the National Anthem Law locally.
 
     Having regard to the common law system practised in Hong Kong, as well as the actual circumstances in Hong Kong, the Government proposes to implement the National Anthem Law in the HKSAR by local legislation. This approach is consistent with the "one country, two systems" principle.
 
     The legislative principle of the Bill is to fully reflect the purpose and intent of the National Anthem Law, which is to preserve the dignity of the national anthem and promote respect for the national anthem; and at the same time to give due regard to the common law system practised in Hong Kong, as well as the actual circumstances in Hong Kong.
 
     The crux of the Bill is two-pronged: to state that the national anthem is the symbol and sign of the People's Republic of China and to lead people to respect the national anthem by directional provisions; and to introduce penalties for people who publicly and intentionally insult the national anthem or misuse the national anthem.
 
     A Government spokesman said, "The Government consulted the Panel on Constitutional Affairs of the Legislative Council (LegCo) in March last year and attended two special meetings of the Panel in April and May last year respectively to listen to the views of individuals and organisations. The Government has also exchanged views and conducted discussions with political parties, representatives from various sectors such as education, and performing arts and culture, as well as legal representatives and academics."
 
     The Government spokesman added that the Bill will be introduced into the LegCo for first reading and second reading on January 23. The Government will fully complement the work of LegCo in scrutinising the Bill to strive for its early passage.