Author Archives: hksar gov

     ​With regard to the New Year’s Eve countdown celebrations to be held by the Hong Kong Tourism Board on December 31, the Marine Department (MD) will implement marine traffic control and strengthen the inspection of spectator vessels on the event day to ensure that safety requirements are met.
     
     Closed Areas will be established in two stages on the event day in the waters where barges for the fireworks display will be anchored. All vessels will be prohibited from entering these designated areas. The Closed Area in the waters off the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre in Wan Chai will be established from 1pm on the event day to about 5am on the following day (January 1), while the Closed Area in the waters off the Hong Kong Cultural Centre in Tsim Sha Tsui will be established from 11pm to about 1am on the following day. A Restricted Area will be established in the Central Harbour from 11pm to about 1am on the following day. Other than authorised vessels, no vessels will be allowed to enter. Scheduled ferry vessels with permission may continue services until 11.40pm.
     
     For landside crowd control, all public landing steps within the Restricted Area will be progressively closed temporarily starting from 10pm on the event day to about 1am on the following day. Buffer Zones at Kowloon Public Pier, Kwun Tong Public Pier and Central Piers 9 and 10 will be established immediately after the event for safe and orderly disembarkation of passengers.
         
     In addition, to ensure vessels disperse in an orderly manner, the Eastern and Western Cordon Lines of the Restricted Area will be lifted in stages after the event. The Western Cordon Line will be lifted first at about 1am on January 1. Spectator vessels behind the Western Cordon Line and those wishing to move to the east must follow the instructions of officers from the MD and the Police at the scene. The Eastern Cordon Line will be lifted later depending on traffic conditions in Victoria Harbour. It is anticipated that the Restricted Area will be lifted by about 1.15am.
         
     Officers from the MD and the Police will also maintain order at major landing facilities after the event. In order to ensure the smooth and safe disembarkation of passengers, coxswains and crew members should remind passengers to pack their personal belongings early before the vessels arrive alongside the landing steps, as well as assist passengers to disembark. Coxswains and passengers should follow the guidance of the MD and the Police at the scene.
         
     The MD and the Marine Police will also strengthen law enforcement, especially on speeding and overloading. Coxswains and persons-in-charge of vessels should check again and reconfirm that the operating licence, the certificate of survey and the third party risk insurance are valid before setting sail.
         
     Officers from the MD will strengthen the inspection of spectator vessels. Requirements include providing sufficient life-saving appliances on board, ensuring that children wear a lifejacket at all times and that coxswains keep a passenger and crew list on board.
         
     If any vessel fails to meet these requirements, inspecting officers will issue directions at the scene and request the person-in-charge of the vessel to take remedial action. If the person-in-charge of the vessel refuses to comply with the directions, the department will take the necessary follow-up action, such as prohibiting the vessel from departing or considering prosecution.
         
     MD Notice No. 196 of 2018 on the marine traffic control and safety measures has been issued and is available for viewing on the MD’s website (www.mardep.gov.hk). read more

Overall wage and payroll statistics        According to the figures released today (December 28) by the Census and Statistics Department (C&SD), the average wage rate for all the selected industry sections surveyed, as measure… read more

     A wide range of industry groups in Hong Kong are engaged in intellectual property (IP) intermediary services and IP trading/management activities, according to the results of a survey released today (December 28) by the In… read more

     The Government received a total of 1 846 requests for information under the Code on Access to Information in the second quarter of 2018, a spokesman for the Constitutional and Mainland Affairs Bureau said today (December 28).
 
     The total number of requests received since the introduction of the Code in March 1995 and up to the end of June 2018 amounted to 65 079. Of these, 3 875 requests were subsequently withdrawn by the requestors and 3 190 requests covered cases in which the bureaux/departments concerned did not hold the requested information. As at June 30, 2018, 303 requests were still being processed by bureaux/departments.

     Among the 57 711 requests which covered information held by bureaux/departments and which the bureaux/departments had responded to, 56 327 requests (97.6 per cent) were met, either in full (55 029 requests) or in part (1 298 requests), and 1 384 requests (2.4 per cent) were refused.

     Any member of the public who is dissatisfied with the response of a bureau/department under the Code may request that the matter be reviewed. He or she may also lodge a complaint with the Ombudsman.

     In the second quarter of 2018, the Ombudsman received 24 complaints relating to requests for information. In this quarter, the Ombudsman concluded 13 complaints, among which two were substantiated, one was partially substantiated, one was unsubstantiated, seven were settled after inquiries by the Ombudsman, and two were not pursued by the Ombudsman or outside the Ombudsman’s jurisdiction. As at June 30, 2018, the Ombudsman’s investigations on 41 complaints were ongoing.

     “The Code has provided an effective framework for the public to seek access to information held by the Government,” the spokesman said. read more

     Hong Kong Customs yesterday (December 27) seized about 1.35 million suspected illicit cigarettes with an estimated market value of about $3.6 million and a duty potential of about $2.6 million at Shenzhen Bay Control Point.

     Customs officers intercepted an incoming truck declared as carrying assorted goods at Shenzhen Bay Control Point yesterday. After inspection, the officers found the suspected illicit cigarettes in 71 carton boxes mix-loaded with other goods onboard the truck.

     The 55-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 the Customs’ 24-hour hotline 2545 6182 or its dedicated crime-reporting email account (crimereport@customs.gov.hk).