The Trade and Industry Department (TID) will participate in the SmartBiz Expo 2018 to be held in Hall 1 of the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre from December 5 to 7 (tomorrow to Friday).
      
     The SmartBiz Expo 2018, organised by the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC), provides a one-stop platform showcasing the latest business innovation plans, applied technologies, operation support and more to provide comprehensive support for enterprises, especially small and medium enterprises (SMEs), to grasp global market opportunities through innovation, upgrading, and enhancing productivity and competitiveness.
       
     As the strategic partner and a major exhibitor of the Expo, the TID will showcase its work and support services to enterprises, especially SMEs, at Booth 1D-B02. In addition, business consultants and professionals will be available to provide free one-on-one advisory services for SMEs on matters related to accounting, legal matters, marketing and setting up business. SMEs are welcome to visit the TID's booth and make arrangements for advisory services.
 
     During the Expo, the TID will also jointly hold with the HKTDC a two-day seminar series entitled "InnoTech for Branding – Journey to Outstanding Brand" on December 6 and 7 in Hall 1B. Branding experts and representatives of renowned brands will speak at four seminars on how innovative technologies, including smart inventory management, social media and blockchain, can help SMEs upgrade and develop their brands and business in the new era. Seminars on "Smart Inventory Management" and "Social Media Branding Tricks" will be held at 11am and 2.30pm respectively on December 6, while seminars on "Branding with Blockchain" and "Revitalising Traditional Brands Online" will be held at 11am and 3pm respectively on December 7.
 
       The seminar series is one of the highlight events of the SmartBiz Expo 2018. For those interested in the seminar series, online registration is available via the HKTDC website (info.hktdc.com/dm/CP1932220/index_en.html) and TID's Brand Development and Promotion website (www.branding.tid.gov.hk). The seminars will be conducted in Cantonese.
    
     The TID is also the Strategic Partner of the Asian E-tailing Summit, a concurrent event to be held with the SmartBiz Expo on December 5. The Summit serves to provide a one-stop platform for business professionals to network with renowned online retail experts, and obtain the latest sourcing trends and market intelligence. Focusing on the development in the Asian region, the Summit will share successful cases and best practices of e-tailing for exploring business opportunities in the Mainland and in Asia.
 
     For further details on the Expo, please visit the SmartBiz Expo 2018 website (m.hktdc.com/fair/smartbizexpo-en/).

     Following is the transcript of remarks by the Chief Executive, Mrs Carrie Lam, at a media session before the Executive Council meeting this morning (December 4):

Reporter: Mrs Lam, you said the Government is going to have an internal discussion as to whether it’s necessary to amend laws to target such grey areas. What about guidelines that may not necessarily amend the Legislative amendments? And also do you think Mr Chu should be allowed to be a lawmaker anymore because some pro-government legislators are indeed looking at ways to maybe strip him of his seat?
 
Chief Executive: Mr Eddie Chu at the moment is a Legislative Council member. It is not for me as the Chief Executive to say whether he is qualified as a Legislative Council member. In our daily dealings with Legislative Council members, we respect their status and we will continue to interact with them, responding to their questions, engaging them in panel discussions and so on. It will cause no difference to how we deal with individual members of the Legislative Council.

     As far as the internal review, I take the view that because of the events that have taken place in the last couple of years, there is a need, and by the way there is always a need to review existing legislation and arrangements to ensure that they can respond to the latest situations, so the internal discussion that I have referred to will be along those lines. I don’t see the immediate need to issue guidelines because when the authority, in this case the Returning Officer, exercises power under the legislation, one has to look at the evidence and the circumstances, so these are not the things that could be strictly and rigidly determined by guidelines.
     
(Please also refer to the Chinese portion of the transcript.)
 

     Following is the speech by the Secretary for Labour and Welfare, Dr Law Chi-kwong, at the Hong Kong Society for the Protection of Children (HKSPC) "Joining Hands for Children's Better Future" launch ceremony today (December 4):
 
Mr Robin Hammond (Chairman of the Executive Committee of the HKSPC), Mrs Susan Choy (Director of the HKSPC), distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen,
 
     It gives me great pleasure to be here today, to celebrate the opening of the newly renovated Children's Residential Home operated by the Hong Kong Society for the Protection of Children.
 
     Spanning over a period of eight years, this renovation has been a laborious project which could never have come to fruition without the hard work and dedication of everyone here at the HKSPC. On behalf of the children residents, I would like to salute all those involved and say a big thank you for a job well done.
 
     For almost a century, the HKSPC has since 1926 worked tirelessly for the well-being of our needy children in Hong Kong, with a special focus on their early childhood development. As the forerunner and one of the most established organisations in this field, the HKSPC currently operates 27 service units which attend to the various needs of children – ranging from newborn babies to youngsters up to the age of 16. Their services also extend to their families as well, including single parents, low-income families, new arrival families and ethnic minority families. As of today, up to 3,000 children and their families are served by the HKSPC on a daily basis.
 
     All of us know so well that our children are our future. Hence, ensuring that our children could blossom and flourish is our best investment. As our Chief Executive so rightly pointed out in her second Policy Address, children's growth and development are among our top priorities.
 
     In June this year, the Government set up the Commission on Children. Spearheaded by the Chief Secretary for Administration, the Commission has wide cross-bureau and inter-departmental representations with experts and advocates from the community, and Susan is a member of the Commission. I am happy to report that work has already begun. Plans are in place to allocate additional resources, from 2019-20 onwards, for the implementation of necessary measures to safeguard the rights and well-being of children.
 
     Among other things, we will also launch a pilot scheme in the 2018/19 school year to provide social work services to about 150,000 pre-primary children and their families. Five specialised co-parenting support centres will also be set up to provide necessary support to children from separated or divorced families.
 
     That aside, in an effort to better integrate family-related policies, a policy study group will be established to explore the viability of how best to co-ordinate family-related policies – be they for children, women or the elderly – under the centralised purview of the Labour and Welfare Bureau.
 
     Yes, the Government is fully committed to safeguarding the well-being and development of children. Nevertheless, we are also counting on the assistance from organisations like the HKSPC. We need caring people like you to chime in and build a harmonious society for all.
 
     On this note, I would like to congratulate the HKSPC again for the completion of the renovation project, and wish the organisation all the best in the many more years to come. Thank you very much.

Attention TV/radio announcers:

Please broadcast the following as soon as possible and repeat it at regular intervals:

     Here is an item of interest to swimmers.

     The Leisure and Cultural Services Department announced today (December 4) that Tuen Mun Swimming Pool in Tuen Mun District has been temporarily closed for cleaning and superchlorination following the discovery of a small amount of faeces in the pool.

     It will be reopened at 4.17pm today.

     The department appeals to swimmers to be considerate and to keep the swimming pools clean. They are advised not to swim after a full meal and should use the toilet facilities if necessary before swimming.

     A Bangladeshi worker holding a recognisance form was jailed at Shatin Magistrates' Courts on December 3.
      
     Immigration Department (ImmD) investigators received a referral from the Hong Kong Police Force to further investigate an illegal employment case in September. Enforcement officers arrested a male Bangladeshi worker, aged 36, who was found performing odd-job work in Lok Ma Chau. Upon identity checking, he produced for inspection a recognisance form issued by the ImmD, which prohibits him from taking employment. Further investigation revealed that he was a non-refoulement claimant. 
 
     The illegal worker was charged at Shatin Magistrates' Courts on December 3 with taking employment after landing in Hong Kong unlawfully and remaining in Hong Kong without the authority of the Director of Immigration or while being a person in respect of whom a removal order or deportation order was in force. He pleaded guilty to the charge and was sentenced to 16 months' and 25 days' imprisonment.
      
     The ImmD spokesman warned that, as stipulated in section 38AA of the Immigration Ordinance, illegal immigrants or people who are the subject of a removal order or a deportation order are prohibited from taking any employment, whether paid or unpaid, or establishing or joining in any business. Offenders are liable upon conviction to a maximum fine of $50,000 and up to three years' imprisonment. The Court of Appeal has issued a guideline ruling that a sentence of 15 months' imprisonment should be applied in such cases.
      
     The spokesman reiterated that it is a serious offence to employ people who are not lawfully employable. The maximum penalty is imprisonment for three years and a fine of $350,000. The High Court has laid down sentencing guidelines that the employer of an illegal worker should be given an immediate custodial sentence. According to the court sentencing, employers must take all practicable steps to determine whether a person is lawfully employable prior to employment. Apart from inspecting a prospective employee's identity card, the employer has the explicit duty to make enquiries regarding the person and ensure that the answers would not cast any reasonable doubt concerning the lawful employability of the person. The court will not accept failure to do so as a defence in proceedings. It is also an offence if an employer fails to inspect the job seeker's valid travel document if the job seeker does not have a Hong Kong permanent identity card. The maximum penalty for failing to inspect such a document is imprisonment for one year and a fine of $150,000.
      
     Under the existing mechanism, the ImmD will, as a standard procedure, conduct initial screening of vulnerable persons, including illegal workers, illegal immigrants, sex workers and foreign domestic helpers, who are arrested during any operation with a view to ascertaining whether they are trafficking in persons (TIP) victims. When any TIP indicator is revealed in the initial screening, the officers will conduct a full debriefing and identification by using a standardised checklist to ascertain the presence of TIP elements, such as threat and coercion in the recruitment phase, and the nature of exploitation. Identified TIP victims will be provided with various forms of support and assistance, including urgent interference, medical services, counselling, shelter, temporary accommodation and other supporting services. The ImmD calls on TIP victims to report crimes to the relevant departments.