The effective exchange rate index for the Hong Kong dollar on Thursday, January 10, 2019 is 103.6 (down 0.6 against yesterday's index).

     All ordinary day schools, special schools and education organisations are invited to nominate candidates for the 13th election of the Council on Professional Conduct in Education (CPC).

     "Each day school may nominate one serving regular registered teacher, including the school head, to stand for election," a spokesman for the Education Bureau said today (January 10).

     "Teachers may also run for election as independent candidates if they have the support of 60 serving teachers teaching in the same type of school.

     "Local teacher education universities and school sponsoring bodies, as well as school councils, associations of school principals and associations of teachers which have been approved to join the Hong Kong Teachers' Centre as organisation-members on or before December 31, 2018 are also invited to make nominations," the spokesman added.

     The CPC has a total of 28 seats under four categories – the teacher-nominated category (13), the organisation-nominated category (8), the parent representative-nominated category (3) and the Permanent Secretary for Education-nominated category (4). Candidates elected to the CPC will serve a two-year term from May 1, 2019 to April 30, 2021.

     Nominations should reach the bureau by noon on February 22, and voting for the teacher-nominated category will be held on April 10. The bureau calls on teachers, schools and education organisations to support and participate in the forthcoming election campaign.

     The CPC is a non-statutory body set up in April, 1994, following the recommendation of the Education Commission in its Report No. 5. Its terms of reference are:

* To advise the Government on measures to promote professional conduct in education;
* To draft operational criteria defining the conduct expected of an educator and to gain widespread acceptance of these criteria among all sectors of the education community through consultation; and
* To advise the Permanent Secretary for Education on cases of disputes or alleged professional misconduct involving educators.

     Enquiries about the election can be made by telephone on 2780 8432, by email to cpcoffice@edb.gov.hk or in writing to Room 702, 7/F, Kowloon Government Offices, 405 Nathan Road, Kowloon.    

     Hong Kong Customs yesterday (January 9) seized about 300 000 suspected illicit cigarettes with an estimated market value of about $800,000 and a duty potential of about $600,000 at Man Kam To Control Point.

     Customs officers intercepted an incoming truck declared as carrying assorted goods at Man Kam To Control Point yesterday. After inspection, Customs officers found the batch of suspected illicit cigarettes in 16 carton boxes mix-loaded with other goods on board the truck.

     The 62-year-old male driver was arrested and the truck was detained. Investigation is ongoing.

     Smuggling is a serious offence. Under the Import and Export Ordinance, any person found guilty of importing or exporting unmanifested cargo is liable to a maximum fine of $2 million and imprisonment for seven years.

     Members of the public may report any suspected illicit cigarette activities to Customs' 24-hour hotline 2545 6182 or its dedicated crime-reporting email account (crimereport@customs.gov.hk).

  

The following is issued on behalf of the Legislative Council Secretariat:

     The Legislative Council (LegCo) Public Accounts Committee (PAC) will hold a public hearing on "Centre for Food Safety: Import control of foods" (Chapter 2) of the Director of Audit's Report No.71 at 9am tomorrow (January 11) in Conference Room 2 of the LegCo Complex.

     Seven witnesses have been invited to appear before the above hearing to respond to points raised in the Report and answer questions asked by PAC members.

     The programme for the public hearing is as follows:

Date: January 11 (Friday)
Time: 9am
Venue: Conference Room 2

Subject: Centre for Food Safety: Import control of foods (Chapter 2 of the Director of Audit's Report No.71)

Witnesses:

Dr Chui Tak-yi
Acting Secretary for Food and Health

Mr Eugene Fung
Deputy Secretary for Food and Health (Food)2

Miss Vivian Lau
Director of Food and Environmental Hygiene

Dr Ho Yuk-yin
Controller, Centre for Food Safety
Food and Environmental Hygiene Department

Dr Christine Wong
Assistant Director (Risk Management)
Food and Environmental Hygiene Department

Ms Louise Ho
Assistant Commissioner (Boundary and Ports)
Customs and Excise Department

Ms Sandra Tam
Head of Land Boundary Command
Customs and Excise Department

     PAC is chaired by Mr Abraham Shek, and its Deputy Chairman is Mr Kenneth Leung. Other members include Mr Paul Tse, Mr Steven Ho, Mr Lam Cheuk-ting, Mr Shiu Ka-fai and Ms Tanya Chan.

     The Electrical and Mechanical Services Department (EMSD) today (January 10) announced that the department collected 10 liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) samples from auto-LPG filling stations and LPG terminals on a random basis in December 2018 for laboratory tests. The results showed that the LPG quality of all these samples complied with auto-LPG specifications.

     The detailed test results are available on the EMSD's website (www.emsd.gov.hk/en/rl/lpg_sample_analysis_simple). Enquiries can also be made to the EMSD's hotline on 2333 3762.

     â€‹In addition, the EMSD has been vetting independent third-party test reports submitted by LPG supply companies for each shipment to ensure that the quality of imported LPG complies with the specified requirements.