The Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development, Mr Edward Yau, visited Yuen Long District today (December 3) and met with members of the Yuen Long District Council (YLDC) to gain a better understanding of the district's latest developments and needs. He also called at a social enterprise and the Act Plus Animation School.

     Mr Yau first met with YLDC members to exchange views on developments and issues of concern in the district, including matters relating to telecommunications, tourism development, trade, same-district employment and youth entrepreneurship.

     Mr Yau then departed for the Tung Wah Group of Hospitals BiciLine Cycling Eco-Tourism Social Enterprise to meet with its young tour guides in Kam Tin to get to know their experiences in organising guided cycling eco-tours. Established in 2008, BiciLine is a green social enterprise which aims at recruiting and training youngsters in the Yuen Long area and Tin Shui Wai to become tour guides, taking its customers around different ecological features and major historical relics.

     Mr Yau said the Government attaches great importance to the development of tourism and promoting the sustainable development of green tourism has always been one of the focuses. The Government released the Development Blueprint for Hong Kong's Tourism Industry in October last year. One of the strategies is to nurture and develop tourism products and initiatives with local and international characteristics, which in turn includes promoting green tourism. Leveraging Hong Kong's ecological richness and diversity, the Tourism Commission has been promoting green tourism in the northeast New Territories and outlying islands, having regard to the principles of nature conservation and sustainable development.

     Before concluding his district visit, Mr Yau proceeded to the Kam Tin Youth Centre, where he was briefed on the vocational training programme Act Plus Animation School set up by the Act Plus Education Foundation Limited for youngsters. He also learnt about the computer animation courses provided by the programme and watched a demonstration by students.

     The programme has nurtured several thousand students in the past decade and helped more than 200 students to develop their careers as computer animators or multimedia artists. Mr Yau said he was pleased to note that it helps nurture young creative talents for creative industries in Hong Kong.

     The Secretary for Home Affairs, Mr Lau Kong-wah, visited Southern District today (December 3) to tour a school in the district. He also inspected works projects and met with members of the District Council.
      
     Accompanied by the Chairman of the Southern District Council (SDC), Mr Chu Ching-hong; the Vice Chairman of the SDC, Mr Chan Fu-ming; and the District Officer (Southern), Mrs Dorothy Ma, Mr Lau first visited Marycove School and Marycove Centre to tour the facilities and to watch student performances. Established in 1968, Marycove School and Marycove Centre provide residential training and education to girls with behavioural or emotional problems.
      
     He then went to inspect a vacant government site on Ap Lei Chau Praya Road. He was briefed by staff from the Home Affairs Department and the Leisure and Cultural Services Department on the construction progress of a sitting-out area there. The wire fence of the government site has already been removed. After completion of the construction works, it will be opened for use by the public.
      
     Mr Lau then proceeded to Ap Lei Chau Wind Tower Park to learn about the proposed works there. The Government announced in this year's Budget that $8 billion has been set aside to speed up the progress of district facilities projects to meet the rising expectations of the public. The proposed works of Southern District are the construction of a footbridge and two lifts to connect Ap Lei Chau Wind Tower Park and Ap Lei Chau Estate. The works have been proactively taken forward in line with established procedures of public works.
      
     Before concluding his visit, Mr Lau met with SDC members to exchange views on various district issues.
 

The following is issued on behalf of the Property Management Services Authority:

     The Property Management Services Authority (PMSA) has extended the period for the public consultation on proposals regarding the licensing regime for property management companies and property management practitioners under the Property Management Services Ordinance (Cap. 626) (PMSO) to January 18, 2019.  

     The consultation paper on the proposed licensing regime for property management companies and property management practitioners was published on November 21, 2018 to seek views of the public. Having considered requests from stakeholders, the PMSA decided to extend the consultation period so that the public could have more time to submit their written views on the consultation paper.

     The consultation paper can be downloaded from the PMSA's website. Members of the public are welcome to submit their views to the PMSA by email (consultation@pmsahk.org.hk), fax (3696 1100) or post to the PMSA's office (Units 904-5, 9/F, Sunlight Tower, 248 Queen's Road East, Wan Chai, Hong Kong) during the consultation period.

     The PMSA is a statutory body established in accordance with section 42(1) of the PMSO and is tasked to regulate the provision of property management services by companies and practitioners in Hong Kong, and to promote professional development of the industry. Under section 15 of the PMSO, the PMSA may, by regulation, prescribe the criteria and related matters for holding property management company and property management practitioner licences.

     The Department of Health (DH) today (December 3) announced that clinics under the DH and the Hospital Authority (HA) have fully resumed vaccination service of seasonal influenza vaccines (SIVs). Those eligible are reminded to receive vaccination early to better prepare for the winter influenza season.
 
     A spokesman for the DH said, "SIV is one of the safe and effective ways of preventing seasonal influenza and its complications. As it is already December and Hong Kong will soon enter the winter influenza season, members of the public, particularly those in high-risk groups, are urged to receive vaccination as soon as possible for protection against seasonal influenza as it takes about two weeks to develop antibodies."
 
     Following the suspension of the use of a batch of quadrivalent SIVs (box label: R3J721V; syringe label: R3J72) last week, stocks at public clinics have all been replenished with other unaffected batches of influenza vaccines.
 
     Meanwhile, the Government Laboratory's testing of vaccine samples of the affected batch and other batches of SIVs from the same supplier revealed that no foreign matter was found. The DH last week also inspected close to 2 100 samples (about 1 300 samples from the affected batch and about 800 samples from other batches) of quadrivalent SIVs and the inspection result revealed that no particles were detected.
 
     For information on medical organisations that have used the affected batch of vaccines, including the list of clinics under the DH and the HA as well as other healthcare facilities, please visit the website of the Centre for Health Protection (www.chp.gov.hk/en/features/101125.html).
 
     For enquiries, the public may call the DH's hotline (2125 1133) or the HA's hotline (2300 6028) during office hours from Monday to Friday.

     Following is the transcript of remarks by the Secretary for Transport and Housing, Mr Frank Chan Fan, at a media session after attending the meeting of the Legislative Council Panel on Housing today (December 3):

Reporter: Mr Chan, can you give us an update on the probe into the car accident last week? Also, do you think there is a need for the Government to introduce laws to make it mandatory for passengers to wear seatbelts when they are sitting on coaches or buses?

Secretary for Transport and Housing: We are trying to ascertain what actually happened and that's what the Police and the Transport Department are looking into. Until when we do have a fair understanding of the fact, then we would be able to comment on the necessary remedial actions.

Reporter: How about the Government's stance on introducing laws for mandatory seatbelt wearing on coaches?

Secretary for Transport and Housing: As far as safety is concerned, it must be of very high importance. Whether or not we need to legislate for mandatory installation and use (of seatbelts) would be another issue that we have to look into by taking into account the entire operation, the cost and benefit, as well as the practicability of this. But as a matter of fact, all those new coaches now running in Hong Kong basically have seatbelts installed. The only difference is whether or not we should legislate to make its use mandatory.

(Please also refer to the Chinese portion of the transcript.)