Author Archives: hksar gov

     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 (October 29):

Reporter: Can you also talk about the road permits?

Secretary for Transport and Housing: As of today, we have issued altogether 5 000 permits to enable private cars to travel through the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge. Our plan is to limit the number of cars, so that the traffic affecting the three cities, including Hong Kong, Zhuhai and Macao, would be good. Therefore, it’s our plan and strategy to limit the number of private cars using the bridge. We will start issuing 5 000 more (permits) starting from next week. We are expecting to have this process completed within November so that more private cars would be allowed to go through the bridge. At the same time, we have 12 000 cargo vehicles that are allowed to use the bridge anytime they like, but given the routing and also the businesses of the factories, I would expect the logistics sector and the cargo handling sector would be using more of it in due course.

Reporter: Can you also comment on last night’s incident – that people had to wait for a shuttle bus for more than an hour?

Secretary for Transport and Housing: We do have a quite amazing turnout yesterday because the number of passengers travelling through Hong Kong border (boundary) is up to 78 000 and the peak is about 3 500 per hour. Although the shuttle buses had been operating according to the schedule, we had altogether 90 shuttles getting out of the port during the hours from 6 o’clock to 8 o’clock in the evening, so the number of passengers was indeed very high in that sense. Therefore it takes a little bit of time to digest.

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

     Applications from law-related organisations (LROs) are now invited under the Stage 2 exercise for using the space in the West Wing of the former Central Government Offices (CGO) and the former French Mission Building (FMB) for the provision of legal and dispute resolution services.

     A spokesman for the Department of Justice (DoJ) said today (October 29) that underpinning the policy objective of consolidating Hong Kong as a leading centre for international legal and dispute resolution services in the Asia-Pacific region, the Government will provide certain space to LROs in the West Wing of the former CGO and the former FMB for the provision of such services. Together with the DoJ offices in the Main Wing, the East Wing and part of West Wing of the former CGO, the whole area will become a Legal Hub at the heart of Hong Kong.

     Under the Stage 1 and Supplementary application exercises conducted earlier, based on assessment of the relative merits of the respective applications, the Committee on Provision of Space in the Legal Hub has recommended a total of 17 LROs for provision of space in the West Wing of the former CGO and the former FMB. These cover reputable local, regional and international LROs.

     As in the arrangement for the Stage 1 and Supplementary application exercises, applicants for the current Stage 2 exercise should be LROs which meet the following eligibility criteria:

(a) the applicant should normally be a non-profit making or inter-governmental LRO which has been operating in the law-related or dispute resolution field in or outside Hong Kong;

(b) the services to be provided on the premises should be compatible with the policy objective of enhancing Hong Kong’s status as a leading hub for international legal and dispute resolution services in the Asia-Pacific region; and

(c) the applicant should not have received a capital grant from the Government or any other sources for constructing or buying its own premises, or subsidy of any kind from any other sources for accommodation support.

     The application form and a guide to application can be downloaded from www.doj.gov.hk/eng/public/legalhub.html. The application deadline is December 28, 2018. Late applications will not be accepted. Enquiries about the application exercise can be made to the Special Duties Team of the DoJ on 2867 4590 or by email (legalhub@doj.gov.hk).

     The provision of space to LROs in the Legal Hub will enable those already in Hong Kong to further develop their services and create a favourable environment to attract more reputable international legal and dispute resolution institutions to provide services or set up offices in Hong Kong, which will further enhance the status and competitiveness of Hong Kong as a leading centre for international legal and dispute resolution services in the Asia-Pacific region. It is expected that space in the Legal Hub can be made available to international, regional and local LROs commencing around mid-2019. read more

     The Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region has accepted the advice of the Disaster Relief Fund Advisory Committee and approved from the Disaster Relief Fund two grants totalling $4.851 million to two agencies for … read more

     â€‹The Transport Department (TD) announced today (October 29) that with effect from January 2, 2019, the revised categorisation of First Registration Vehicle Status (vehicle status) on vehicle registration documents will be implemented to provide more objective information in respect of the status of vehicles upon first registration for reference by vehicle owners and potential vehicle buyers.
      
     A spokesman for the TD said that after considering the views from stakeholders and taking reference of the practices adopted in some overseas jurisdictions, the revised categorisation of vehicle status upon first registration is as follows:
 
A – Prior to importation into Hong Kong for sale, the vehicle has either never been registered outside Hong Kong, or was registered outside Hong Kong but in a manner that the vehicle was not permitted to be used on roads, with documentary proof.
B – Prior to importation into Hong Kong for sale, the vehicle has never been registered outside Hong Kong as declared by the vehicle importer.
C1 – The vehicle has been registered outside Hong Kong prior to importation to Hong Kong for sale. The length of the period of such registration is shorter than 15 days as proved by supporting documents.
C2 – The vehicle has been registered outside Hong Kong prior to importation to Hong Kong for sale, other than vehicles categorised as C1.
D – The vehicle was imported by the registered owner into Hong Kong for own use.
E – The vehicle was assembled in Hong Kong with specified additions to the imported chassis/cab and chassis.
F – The vehicle was acquired through auction from the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government.
 
     “The revised vehicle status will provide factual description on the vehicles upon first registration prior to importation to Hong Kong, e.g. whether the vehicle had been registered outside Hong Kong. It will neither indicate nor imply the condition of use of the vehicle or its level of wear and tear. This objective information will assist the public, in particular the vehicle owners and potential vehicle buyers, in realising the actual status of the vehicles on their first registration and making an informed decision on vehicle purchase,” the spokesman said.
      
     For vehicles registered before the introduction of the revised vehicle status, their statuses shown on the vehicle registration document will remain unchanged.
      
     To complement the introduction of the revised categorisation of vehicle status, the TD will strengthen the verification process of the registration history of vehicles overseas so as to ensure proper categorisation.
      
     For enquiries, please visit the TD’s website (www.td.gov.hk/en/public_services/licences_and_permits/vehicle_first_registration/index.html) or call the TD’s Hong Kong Licensing Office at 2804 2634 or the enquiry hotline at 2804 2600. read more

     The Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office, Sydney (HKETO), has again participated in one of Australia’s leading international arts festivals, the OzAsia Festival, which is being held in the city of Adelaide, Australia.
      
     The HKETO supported the event organiser, the Adelaide Festival Centre, in bringing a giant 40-metre-long Hong Kong Dragon to the Moon Lantern Parade at Adelaide’s Elder Park on October 27 (Adelaide time). Through this fabulous illuminated dragon, the HKETO aimed to showcase the vibrancy of Hong Kong as an international cultural metropolis grounded in Chinese traditions to the Australian audience.
      
     Speaking at a reception before the Moon Lantern Parade, the Director of the HKETO, Mr Raymond Fan, said the HKETO’s continued support for the OzAsia Festival demonstrates Hong Kong’s ongoing commitment to strengthening the cultural ties between the two places, in tandem with their long-standing trade, investment, education and people-to-people links.
      
     “The HKETO has been supporting OzAsia Festival since 2009. The event this year again provided a good opportunity to showcase our culture to the Australian audience, such as this amazing parade as well as other programmes with a Hong Kong presence,” he said.  
      
     The Hong Kong Government actively supports the development of culture and arts, and various cultural projects will be successively completed over the next few years. The West Kowloon Cultural District (WKCD) will provide a vibrant cultural quarter and is one of the largest cultural projects in the world. The Xiqu Centre and Freespace in the WKCD will be commissioned in January next year and second quarter next year respectively. The WKCD will also boast two world-class museums.
      
     Other interesting Hong Kong experiences brought to the festival hub by HKETO included a Hong Kong Dragon Bar with Hong Kong branding, an interactive photo site featuring Hong Kong’s skyline and a dragon boat image, and face painting activities with Hong Kong characteristics.
      
     The OzAsia Festival, presented by Adelaide Festival Centre, is Australia’s leading international arts festival engaging with Asia. Event programmes this year include contemporary dance, theatre, music, visual art, film, literature, workshops, talks and more from across Asia. The festival is expected to attract 190 000 people.
      
     Details of the programmes are available from www.ozasiafestival.com.au.