The Environment Bureau (ENB) announced today (October 31) that the Waste Disposal (Charging for Municipal Solid Waste) (Amendment) Bill 2018 will be introduced into the Legislative Council (LegCo) on November 14. The Bill proposes to adopt two charging modes, namely "charging by designated garbage bags" and "charging by weight", to implement municipal solid waste (MSW) charging based on the "polluter-pays" principle and the existing waste collection system.

     The Secretary for the Environment, Mr Wong Kam-sing, said, "Sitting at the centre of our overall waste reduction strategy is the implementation of MSW charging, which will provide the necessary financial incentives to drive behavioural and cultural changes, and encourage different sectors of the community to cherish resources and proactively practise waste reduction at source as well as clean recycling, thus reducing overall waste disposal. In recent years, the per capita disposal rate of MSW of Hong Kong has been increasing. In 2016, the daily disposal of MSW reached 1.41 kilograms per person, which is higher than those of other major cities. To combat global climate change, it is imperative to promote resources saving as well as waste reduction and recycling in order to reduce carbon emissions and facilitate a transformation to low-carbon living. In Seoul and Taipei City, waste disposal dropped by some 30 per cent in the initial period after quantity-based waste charging was introduced. This demonstrates that a charging scheme can reduce waste effectively."

     Mr Wong said the ENB has been consulting the public and the trades for some time in the past on this policy and its implementation arrangements, through public consultation and the extensive public engagement process conducted by the Council for Sustainable Development in 2013, to build understanding of and support for MSW charging in the community. The Government subsequently took on board the views from stakeholders and modified the proposed charging arrangements in October last year by expanding the use of pre-paid designated garbage bags to cover around 80 per cent of MSW disposal. The remaining 20 per cent will be charged by a "gate-fee" based on the weight of MSW disposed. The trades and the public generally find this modified charging mode and mechanism agreeable.

     The Government also attaches great importance to further promoting waste reduction and recycling in order to complement the implementation of MSW charging. The Policy Address recently announced that the Government will provide additional recurrent resources to strengthen its work on these fronts. The Government will provide an additional provision of around $300-400 million for the 2019-20 financial year to start with, which would be further increased to no less than $800-1,000 million from the financial year when MSW charging is to be implemented. The amount of this annual provision would be commensurate with the estimated gross revenue to be generated from MSW charging, so as to achieve the effect of "dedicated-fund-for-dedicated-use". This means that the revenue from MSW charging will be used to enhance the work relating to waste reduction and recycling.

     Mr Wong added, "It is a very challenging task to implement MSW charging. The Government has formulated a pragmatic strategy to implement MSW charging. We will make use of additional resources to strengthen support for waste reduction and recycling work, including the setting up of outreaching teams under the Environmental Protection Department (EPD) to provide on-site assistance to the community, thereby putting waste reduction and recycling and MSW charging into practice; also the provision of a free territory-wide collection service in respect of waste plastics from non-commercial and industrial (C&I) sources and food waste from all sources in the longer run subject to the experiences gained from the pilot schemes on non-C&I waste plastics and C&I food waste, as well as the progress of developing food waste recovery centres in Hong Kong; and implementation of a pilot scheme to assess the effectiveness of applying reverse vending machines in promoting the recycling of plastic beverage containers."

     He said that public education and publicity hold the key to the implementation of MSW charging. Starting from now, the Government will further step up public education and publicity to encourage the public to practise waste reduction and recycling, as well as enhance the community's understanding of MSW charging arrangements, so as to facilitate implementation of this important waste reduction initiative. The EPD will launch a dedicated website on MSW charging (www.mswcharging.gov.hk) today to assist different sectors of the community to better understand the details of MSW charging. Promotional videos and pamphlets will be made available later to explain the proposed implementation arrangements of MSW charging and provide detailed and specific information to individual sectors.

     The Government will put in place a preparatory period of 12 to 18 months after the passage of the Bill to provide the Government, different stakeholders and the public with appropriate time to prepare for the implementation of MSW charging.

     "The implementation date for MSW charging is subject to various interplaying factors. We estimate that MSW charging could be implemented by end-2020 at the earliest. The Government will continue to solicit support from various sectors of the community with a view to facilitating the passage of the Bill and implementing MSW charging to drive behavioural changes as soon as possible, hence achieving reduction of both waste and carbon emissions," Mr Wong said.

     The Bill will be published in the Gazette this Friday (November 2) and introduced into the LegCo for first and second readings on November 14.

     To arouse public interest in horticulture and to enhance awareness of greening, the Leisure and Cultural Services Department will hold a horticulture education exhibition entitled "Organic Planting at Home" and related activities this weekend (November 3 and 4) from 10am to 4pm at the Arcade of Kowloon Park. Admission is free.
 
     Organic planting is growing plants without chemical pesticides and fertilisers or genetically engineered materials. Instead, organic practices are adopted to control pests and diseases, as well as to maintain soil fertility.
 
     Members of the public can easily grow plants organically at home. Some plants can be easily grown with just adequate sunlight and water. Even apartments in high-rise buildings can be suitable homes for plants, as long as there are well-lit spots in the flat. A windowsill, a balcony and a rooftop are all lovely places for planting to add a splash of green to the home.
 
     Organic produce will likely have lower concentrations of synthetic chemical residues, so eating organic food is a way to reduce the intake of pesticide residues and additives. Fruits and vegetables grown at home can be eaten or used in drinks. There are also herbs that can be used for making tea and as seasonings.
 
     Some herbs are fragrant plants that emit aromatic compounds. Herbs dried under the sun or in the oven can be put into sachets to improve indoor air quality. Potted fruit and vegetable plants can also be used for decoration.
 
     Descriptive display panels will enable members of the public to learn more about the methods and benefits of organic planting at home. Game stalls will be set up and visitors can also enjoy the fun of pot planting under the guidance of horticulture instructors.
 
     Two talks in Cantonese entitled "Organic Farming" and "Organic Planting at Home" will be held at the Secondary Hall of Kowloon Park Sports Centre. Admission tickets are required and are now being distributed for free at the Green Education and Resource Centre in Kowloon Park.
 
     For enquiries, please call 2723 6042 or 2723 6767 or visit www.lcsd.gov.hk/en/green/gerc/activities/exhibitions.html.

      

     The Secretary for Commence and Economic Development, Mr Edward Yau, will depart for Shanghai on November 4 (Sunday) to attend the inaugural China International Import Expo (CIIE) to promote Hong Kong's role as a strategic gateway and important hub connecting China to the world.

     The Expo, to be held at the National Exhibition and Convention Center in Shanghai from November 5 to 10, consists of the Country Pavilion for Trade and Investment, the Enterprise and Business Exhibition, and the Hongqiao International Economic and Trade Forum which comprises an opening ceremony, three parallel sessions and the Hongqiao International Business Media and Think Tank Forum.

     Hong Kong will participate actively on various fronts at the CIIE. A Hong Kong Exhibition Area will be set up by the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government inside the China Pavilion of the Country Pavilion for Trade and Investment to showcase Hong Kong's strengths, major infrastructure projects, popular tourist attractions, and products and inventions. Hong Kong's participation in the Belt and Road Initiative and the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area development, its contributions to the reform and opening up of the country, and the implementation of "one country, two systems" and the Basic Law will also be major themes.

     Over 160 Hong Kong enterprises will take part in the Enterprise and Business Exhibition. The Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC) will set up a Hong Kong Services Zone and a Hong Kong Product Zone to exhibit a wide array of quality products and services to international exhibitors and buyers.

     Mr Yau will attend one of the parallel sessions in the afternoon on November 5 and deliver an opening address at a sub-forum entitled "Seminar on 'Hong Kong's Experiences for International Trade': New Horizon·New Technology·New Model" co-organised by the Trade and Industry Department and the HKTDC in the morning on November 6.

     The sub-forum will feature industry experts from the innovation and technology, finance and legal sectors. They include the Group Chairman of the Fung Group, Dr Victor Fung; the Expert Partner of Sequoia China Fund, Mr Herbert Chia; the Chief Corporate Banking Officer of Bank of China (Hong Kong), Mr Lin Guangming; and Member of the Greater China Legal Affairs Committee of the Law Society of Hong Kong Mr Lawrence Yeung. They will explore issues including big data applications, support for cross-border enterprises provided by Hong Kong financial services and risk management by Hong Kong professional services, highlighting possible roles for the local services sectors in international trade.

     Mr Yau will return to Hong Kong in the evening on November 6. During his absence, the Under Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development, Dr Bernard Chan, will be the Acting Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development.

     The Electrical and Mechanical Services Department (EMSD) announced today (October 31) the results of the Electrical and Mechanical Services Trading Fund (EMSTF) for 2017-18. The EMSTF had another year of steady performance, with total revenue of $6.511 billion, and returns on revenue of 9.6 per cent. Both figures increased over the preceding year.

     The Director of Electrical and Mechanical Services and the EMSTF General Manager, Mr Alfred Sit, said 2018 marked the 70th anniversary of the establishment of EMSD and the department would continue to serve the community wholeheartedly and foster innovation and digitisation in the electrical and mechanical (E&M) sector.

     "By promoting collaboration among the start-ups, the academia, the E&M sector, the government and the public sectors, the department is dedicated to fostering innovation and technology development in the trade. We will also seize the opportunities driven by the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area in innovation and technology development and strengthen our role as a facilitator in training and exchanges of E&M talent in the region," he said.

     The EMSTF Annual Report was tabled in the Legislative Council and uploaded to the EMSD website (www.emsd.gov.hk/en/rl/EMSTF_AR_1718) today for public reference.

     Following is a question by the Hon Lam Cheuk-ting and a reply by the Secretary for Food and Health, Professor Sophia Chan, in the Legislative Council today (October 31):

Question:

     It has been reported that the Hospital Authority (HA) has transferred patients' personal data to the Faculty of Medicine of The Chinese University of Hong Kong (the Faculty of Medicine) each year since 2010 to facilitate the conduct of a Patient Experience Survey through telephone interviews by the Faculty of Medicine. A respondent has recently complained that HA has transferred her personal data (including consultation records) to the Faculty of Medicine without her consent. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council if it knows:

(1) the quantity and contents of the patients' personal data that were transferred by HA to other organisations in each of the past three years, with a breakdown by reason for the transfer and name of organisation;

(2) whether HA had, prior to transferring the patients' personal data mentioned in (1) to other organisations, obtained the consent of each data subject; if HA had, of the relevant procedure and details; if not, the reasons for that, and whether the authorities have assessed if such a practice has contravened the Personal Data (Privacy) Ordinance (Cap 486); if the authorities have assessed and the outcome is in the affirmative, of the authorities' remedial measures and law enforcement actions; and

(3) (i) how the organisations to whom HA has transferred patients' personal data store such data, (ii) at what stage they destroy the data, and (iii) whether they have transferred the data to other organisations; if they have, of the details?

Reply:

President,

     My consolidated reply to the various parts of the question raised by the Hon Lam Cheuk-ting is as follows:

     To understand the needs of patients for continuous service monitoring and enhancement, the Hospital Authority (HA) regularly conducts Patient Experience Surveys (PES) on in-patient, specialist out-patient or other specialty services. Through an open tender and by contractual means, HA commissioned the Jockey Club School of Public Health and Primary Care (JCSPHPC), Faculty of Medicine, The Chinese University of Hong Kong to assist HA in conducting PES on three major service areas, namely Accident and Emergency, in-patient and specialist out-patient services, from 2016 to 2018. Patients' experience and feedback on HA's services are collected by way of telephone interviews. No other organisations are involved in the conduct of the surveys. The survey results will be in a non-patient identifiable form, and only show the respondents' overall ratings on HA's services, as well as their general demographic information and health profile.

     In accordance with the Personal Data (Privacy) Ordinance (PDPO) and the information provided by the Office of the Privacy Commissioner for Personal Data, HA, as the data user, protects personal data entrusted to the JCSPHPC (i.e. the data processor) mainly by contractual means, including specifying and monitoring the security measures required to be taken by the JCSPHPC. For example, timely return, destruction or deletion of the personal data entrusted for processing; prohibition against any use or disclosure of the personal data for other purposes; and prohibition against sub-contracting the provision of the service entrusted without HA's consent. In addition to contractual regulation, HA has appointed members of the JCSPHPC research and telephone interview teams as its honorary staff to ensure the proper conduct of PES. Under contractual regulation and in the capacity of honorary staff, both teams are authorised to carry out the surveys. Same as HA staff, the honorary staff are required to comply strictly with HA's guidelines and PDPO in processing personal data.

     The data of randomly selected patients will be provided to the JCSPHPC telephone interview team.  The quantity of patient data obtained by the interview team in the past three years is set out in the table below:
 

 
     Only basic and necessary data of patients have been kept by the interview team to facilitate their obtaining patient consent and conducting the surveys. For example, in the 2018 PES on specialist out-patient service, the data of a patient obtained by the interview team include the patient's name, contact number, sex, age, residential district and information about his/her specialist out-patient clinic attendance (including name of hospital/clinic, type of specialist service, dates of consultation and date of next follow-up appointment). The interview team is required to clearly explain to the patients that JCSPHPC is commissioned by HA to conduct this survey. The interview team is also required to obtain patients' verbal consent on behalf of HA before conducting telephone interviews with the patients. Patients have the right to consent or refuse to participate in the survey, and to withdraw at any time from the survey or refuse to answer any questions during the survey. All data collected will be handled in strict confidence and used solely for survey purpose. After completion of the interview, feedback from patients who have agreed to participate in the survey will be passed to the research team in a non-patient identifiable form for analysis.

     HA has posted a "notice to patient" at public hospitals/clinics to explain the purposes and practice of collecting or disclosing patients' personal data. It is stated in the notice that HA staff may ask a patient to provide personal data (including health information) or obtain from HA/HA Entity/any appropriate third party the patient's medical history/relevant information. Such information is for purposes relating to the patient's healthcare/general related purposes (including, but not limited to, treatment, charges levied by HA/HA Entities on the patient, research and education).

     In order to let the public understand the purposes, format and the service aspects covered by PES, HA has proactively and extensively promulgated the survey at public hospitals/clinics before commencement of the survey. Ways of promulgation include setting up roll-up banners and posters at prominent locations, distribution of information leaflets and issuing press release to appeal for active participation of patients.

     The HA understands the public’s concern about personal privacy. To avoid unnecessary misunderstanding in future, work related to telephone interviews is now divided into two parts. HA will first obtain patient consent in line with the above practice. The data of the consented patients will then be given to the interview team for conducting detailed telephone surveys.

     The JCSPHPC has stringent measures to ensure proper storage of the data concerned. During the survey period, all documents containing patients' personal data will be locked in the cabinets of the team's office and the keys will be kept by designated persons. All patient information will be destroyed under the supervision of HA staff upon completion of the surveys. The JCSPHPC will not transfer any information provided by HA to other organisations.

     From time to time, HA may commission other institutions to conduct research on different subjects. If the research involves patients' personal data, HA will protect the data by contractual means in accordance with PDPO.