Author Archives: hksar gov

     The Task Force on Land Supply submitted today (December 31) its report to the Chief Executive, Mrs Carrie Lam, offering recommendations on the overall land supply strategy and prioritisation of land supply options. This morning, Mrs Lam met with the Chairman of the Task Force, Mr Stanley Wong, and the Vice-chairman, Dr Greg Wong, expressing gratitude on behalf of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government to the Task Force for its dedicated efforts over the past year or so. She said that the Government would study the recommendations in detail and consider the way forward to increase land supply.
 
     “The five-month public engagement exercise of the Task Force was conducted under an all-embracing, cross-sectoral and multi-channel approach, collecting as many as 100 000 views from different stakeholders, groups and members of the public. Task Force members worked tirelessly to reach out to the general public and various sectors of society. They have not only enhanced public awareness of the facts and constraints relating to land supply, but also effectively facilitated discussion and making of hard choices on different land supply options in the community,” Mrs Lam said.
 
     Mrs Lam noted that society in general recognises the dire situation of land shortage and feels strongly about the need to tackle the situation without delay while preparing for rainy days. “The Task Force has pointed out that Hong Kong’s additional land demand would be far more than 1 200 hectares as estimated by the Government earlier. Coupled with the public recognition of the need to build up a land reserve and strong aspirations for a better living environment, we should adopt a multi-pronged approach in boosting land supply significantly,” she said.
 
     “Housing is an important livelihood issue as well as the top priority of the current-term Government. New housing initiatives promulgated by the Government in 2018 include raising the public housing ratio, building a housing ladder for people in different income brackets, revising the pricing mechanism of subsidised sale flats by severing the linkage between selling prices and market prices, and re-allocating private housing sites for public housing. As long as there is sufficient land supply, we have the confidence and determination to resolve the housing problem that has been plaguing our citizens for a long period of time, with a view to rekindling the hope of society,” she added.
 
     Mrs Lam said that the next step of the Government is to pull together the efforts of relevant bureaux and departments, with a view to finding and creating land at full steam. “I hope that members of society can all join hands and render support to initiatives which are conducive to the continuous development of Hong Kong, thereby creating more favourable conditions for the city’s housing, livelihood and long-term advancement,” she said.  
 
Note: The Task Force’s report has been uploaded to its website at www.landforhongkong.hk and the website of the Development Bureau (www.devb.gov.hk) for public viewing. read more

     The Home Affairs Bureau (HAB) announced today (December 31) the re-appointment of three incumbent members and appointment of three new members to the Youth Square Management Advisory Committee (MAC) for a two-year ter… read more

     The Hong Kong Space Museum’s new 3D Omnimax show, “The Story of Earth 3D”, will be launched tomorrow (January 1). Using stunning and complex visualisations based on the latest scientific modelling, the film takes the audience back in time to the origins of our planet to explore an extraordinary chain of events.
 
     How did our planet Earth form and evolve? In “The Story of Earth 3D”, the audience will find out how the planet was born from star explosions and sculpted by violent collisions in space, and understand the origins of Earth and how it made life not only possible but sustainable. A team of geologists travels around the globe in the film to show the audience clues that help piece together the story of Earth.
    
     The 40-minute show will be screened until June 30 at the museum’s Stanley Ho Space Theatre. It will be screened daily at 2.40pm and 6.10pm. An additional show at 11.10am will be available on Sundays and public holidays.
 
     Tickets priced at $24 (front stalls) and $32 (stalls) are available at the Hong Kong Space Museum Box Office and URBTIX (www.urbtix.hk). The museum is closed on Tuesdays (except public holidays), and the first two days of the Chinese New Year. It is closed at 5pm on Chinese New Year’s Eve.
 
     The Hong Kong Space Museum is located at 10 Salisbury Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon. For further information, please call 2721 0226 or visit the website at hk.space.museum.

            

     The Transport Department (TD) and the Committee on Taxi Service Quality (CTSQ) rolled out today (December 31) the fourth and fifth units of the online training course to enhance the service quality of in-service taxi drivers. The units are introduction to the relationship between taxi owners/management agents and drivers, and knowledge about wheelchair-accessible facilities in taxis.
 
     The training course is composed of five units of short videos. The first three units, namely communication skills and building relationships with passengers; handling customer conflicts; and basic customer service skills, were rolled out in November.
 
     All the units are now available at the webpages of the TD and the CTSQ, as well as the TD’s YouTube channel. In-service taxi drivers can at any time view the videos and download them free of charge.
 
     To encourage taxi drivers’ active participation in the training course, taxi drivers who have completed the training course may opt to attend a written test arranged by the TD free of charge. They will be presented with a certificate of recognition by the TD and the CTSQ if they have passed the test as a token of encouragement. The TD and the CTSQ will announce the enrolment details at their websites in January 2019. read more

     The effective exchange rate index for the Hong Kong dollar on Monday, December 31, 2018 is 104.8 (down 0.1 against last Saturday’s index).

     The effective exchange rate index for the Hong Kong dollar on Saturday, December 29, 2018 was 104.9 (up 0.2 against last Friday’s index). read more