The Transport Department (TD) announced that the Ferry Services (Amendment) Ordinance 2018 became effective today (November 23).
      
     A spokesman for the TD said that ferry service licences are granted by the Commissioner for Transport, in accordance with section 28 of the Ferry Services Ordinance (Ordinance) (Cap 104), to the licensees for the operations of ferry services. According to section 29 of the amended Ordinance, licences, whether newly granted or extended, may be granted for a maximum period of five years on each occasion, and the aggregate licence perod (i.e. including all extended period(s)) shall not exceed 10 years.
      
     The relaxation of the cap on the licence period for newly granted licences and extended licences on each occasion, from the original three years to five years, aims at encouraging and facilitating ferry operators to make longer term planning and investment with a view to improving the financial viability of ferry services and service quality.   
      
     The spokesman added that regarding applications for extension of current licences, licensees may consider whether to make application for a longer licence period while their licences are in force. For applications for licence extension submitted to the TD before the effective date (i.e. November 23, 2018) of the amended Ordinance, the licensees concerned may consider whether to maintain the licence periods of their original applications or to make applications to the TD for revising their applications for a longer licence period. However, it should be noted that the aggregate licence perod (i.e. including all extended period(s)) shall not exceed 10 years. The TD will handle the applications according to the established procedures.

     The Government gazetted today (November 23) the proposed construction of a footbridge and a cycle bridge across Wang Tong River in Mui Wo to avoid conflict between pedestrians and cyclists and enhance road safety.

     Details of the proposal are set out in the Annex. The plan and the scheme of the works are available for public inspection at the following government offices during office hours:

Central and Western Home Affairs Enquiry Centre,
G/F, Harbour Building,
38 Pier Road, Central, Hong Kong

Islands District Office,
20/F, Harbour Building,
38 Pier Road, Central, Hong Kong

Islands Home Affairs Enquiry Centre (Mui Wo),
G/F, Mui Wo Government Offices,
2 Ngan Kwong Wan Road, Mui Wo, Lantau Island

District Lands Office, Islands,
19/F, Harbour Building,
38 Pier Road, Central, Hong Kong

     The gazette notice, scheme, plan and location plan will be available at
     www.thb.gov.hk/eng/psp/publications/transport/gazette/gazette.htm.

     Any person who wishes to object to the works or the use, or both, is required to address to the Secretary for Transport and Housing an objection in writing, which can be submitted via the following means:
 

• By post or by hand to the Transport and Housing Bureau's drop-in box No. 6 located at the entrance on 2/F, East Wing, Central Government Offices, 2 Tim Mei Avenue, Tamar, Hong Kong.  The box is available for use between 8am and 7pm from Monday to Friday (except public holidays);
• By fax to 2868 4643; or
• By email to gazettethb@thb.gov.hk.

     A notice of objection should describe the objector's interest and the manner in which he or she alleges that he or she will be affected by the works or the use. Objectors are requested to provide contact details to facilitate communication. A notice of objection should be delivered to the Secretary for Transport and Housing not later than January 22, 2019.

     The Rating and Valuation Department has completed its review of more than 40,700 objections received from March 19 to May 31 in regard to the new rateable values in the Valuation List and Government Rent Roll. Notices of Decision (Form R22A) in respect of these objections have been issued in phases by the department.

     A spokesman for the department today (November 23) said that anyone who lodged an objection during this period and who had not yet received a Notice of Decision should contact the department's Customer Service Officer, Mrs Leung Tang Siu-kuen, on 2150 8902.

     The spokesman said that any alterations in rateable values as a result of the objections would take effect retrospectively from April 1 this year and adjustments to the amount of rates and Government rent payable would be made in subsequent demand notes.

     The Home Affairs Department (HAD) had received a total of 1 858 nomination forms for the 2019 Rural Ordinary Election when the period for nomination of candidates ended at 5pm today (November 22). They comprise 1 016 nominations for Indigenous Inhabitant Representative elections, 759 nominations for Resident Representative elections, and 83 nominations for Kaifong Representative Election.
      
     A spokesman for the HAD said that the name list of nominated candidates would be uploaded onto the Rural Representative Election website (www.had.gov.hk/rre) for public inspection. After vetting and verifying the eligibility of the candidates, the Returning Officers will publish a gazette notice on valid nominations on December 6.
      
     The Village Representative (including Indigenous Inhabitant Representative and Resident Representative) Election will be conducted on two consecutive Sundays on January 6 and 13, 2019, while the Kaifong Representative Election for Market Towns will be held on January 20, 2019 (Sunday). There are 195 476 and 9 542 registered electors in total for the Village Representative Election and the Kaifong Representative Election respectively.
      
     The Elections involve a total of 709 villages and two market towns (i.e. Cheung Chau and Peng Chau) listed in the schedules of the Rural Representative Election Ordinance (Chapter 576). There are 1 484 Village Representative seats in total, including 695 Resident Representative seats and 789 Indigenous Inhabitant Representative seats. In addition, there are 39 and 17 Kaifong Representative seats for Cheung Chau and Peng Chau respectively.

     The Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in Brussels (HKETO, Brussels) gave talks at universities in Spain and Greece this month, continuing to reach out to students and graduates in Europe as part of the Government's efforts to attract overseas talents to Hong Kong. 

     HKETO, Brussels visited Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece's largest university, on November 20 (Thessaloniki time) to participate in its Career Day. 

     The Assistant Representative of HKETO, Brussels, Mr Jeffrey Chim, gave a presentation to the local students about the excellent study and career opportunities Hong Kong offers to international students. He encouraged students to look into the study possibilities and the different schemes offered by the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government and Hong Kong's tertiary institutions. Mr Chim also informed them of Hong Kong's latest developments and policies which promote talent admission, including the immigration facilitation measures under the framework of the Hong Kong Talent List promulgated in August this year. During his visit to Greece, Mr Chim also met with representatives of other Greek universities and innovators to explore possible areas of co-operation. 

     Earlier in the month, the Deputy Representative of HKETO, Brussels, Mr Sam Hui, visited Barcelona in Spain on November 8 (Barcelona time) to give several presentations at Pompeu Fabra University. The University ranks among the top 60 institutions in Europe and is among the 150 best universities in the world in the clinical, pre-clinical and health fields, according to the Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2019. Mr Hui briefed students on postgraduate study and work opportunities in Hong Kong as well as the various talent admission schemes, and promoted the vibrancy of Hong Kong which makes it a good destination for overseas talents. During his visit to Spain, Mr Hui also officiated at a Hong Kong Reception at the Casa Asia Film Festival in Barcelona, where he promoted Hong Kong's creative and film industries and the opportunities in Hong Kong for talents in the creative and film sectors.  

     At the Career Days in the aforesaid universities in Greece and Spain, students were provided with brochures and other publications on the Hong Kong PhD Fellowship Scheme, the talent admission scheme, the Talent List and postgraduate programmes offered by Hong Kong tertiary institutions.