The Transport Department (TD) announced today (October 19) that the application numbers of the 1 500 personalised vehicle registration mark (PVRM) applications selected by lot for the 37th exercise have been published on its website (www.td.gov.hk) and posted on the notice boards of the department's licensing offices.
 
     "The applicants have already been sent an acknowledgement of receipt bearing an application number. They may check the list to see whether their applications have been selected. Applicants will also be notified of the ballot results by post in batches," a department spokesman said.
 
     The department will later check the proposed PVRMs selected against the basic combination requirements. If, among the selected applications, more than one applicant proposes the same PVRM, only the one on which the lot falls first out of those applications will be further processed.
 
     If the selected PVRMs meet the basic requirements, the department will send notices by registered mail to the applicants in batches, requiring them to pay a deposit of $5,000 within the period specified in the notice. If an applicant fails to pay the deposit within that period, his or her application will be cancelled automatically and will not be further processed.
 
     Upon receipt of the deposit, the Commissioner for Transport will determine, with the assistance of a vetting committee, whether an application should be approved or rejected. PVRMs approved in the 37th exercise will be put up for auction in batches. Auction details will be published in newspapers and on the department's website in due course.
 
     For enquiries, applicants can call TD Hotline at 2804 2600.

     The Water Supplies Department (WSD) today (October 19) launched a 60-day public consultation on the supply of recycled water in Hong Kong. The public consultation will end on December 17.
 
     Recycled water comprises reclaimed water (from the processing of treated effluent from sewage treatment works), treated grey water (from the treatment of used water collected from baths, wash basins, kitchen sinks or similar fitments) and rainwater harvested in housing developments or facilities.
 
     "To cope with the challenges brought about by climate change on water resources, the WSD has been actively exploring new water resources that are not susceptible to climate change, such as recycled water. Taking the opportunity arising from upgrading of Shek Wu Hui Sewage Treatment Works to tertiary treatment level by the Drainage Services Department, the WSD plans to further process the treated effluent from the plant to produce reclaimed water, which will be supplied to the north-eastern part of the New Territories, including Sheung Shui and Fanling, to replace fresh water for flushing in the area from 2022 progressively," a spokesman for the WSD said.

     In view of the plan to supply recycled water in Hong Kong, the WSD is formulating proposals on aspects including the supply, charge and use of recycled water. Public views are invited on the proposals which include the following key items:

(1) Supply of recycled water by the WSD for non-potable uses, such as flushing;
(2) Measures to prevent misuse of the recycled water supplied by the WSD and cross-connections between fresh water supply systems and recycled water supply systems, such as exploring colour-labelling of recycled water;
(3) Charge for use of recycled water supplied by the WSD, such as supplying recycled water for flushing free-of-charge;
(4) Control of the use of recycled water supplied by parties other than the WSD; and
(5) Implementation arrangements of the proposals.

     Members of the public are welcome to send their views to the WSD by email (rewconsultation@wsd.gov.hk), by fax (2802 2579), or by post (Research and Development Unit, Development (2) Division, Development Branch, Water Supplies Department, 46/F, Immigration Tower, 7 Gloucester Road, Wan Chai, Hong Kong) during the consultation period.

     The consultation document can be downloaded from the WSD's website (www.wsd.gov.hk/en/pconsultation/recycle.html) and is also available at all Home Affairs Enquiry Centres and WSD's Customer Enquiry Centres.

     The WSD will hold three public forums to gauge public views on the proposals. The forums will be conducted in Cantonese with simultaneous interpretation in English. Details are as follows:
 

 
     Members of the public who would like to attend the above public forums may reserve seats by calling 3428 5084 during office hours (from 9am to 6pm, Mondays to Fridays except public holidays) or completing the reply slip available at the WSD's website (www.wsd.gov.hk/en/pconsultation/recycle.html) and returning the slip by email (rewconsultation@wsd.gov.hk) or by fax (2802 2579). Seats will be allocated on a first-come, first-served basis. Walk-in registration will also be accepted when there are vacant seats on the spot.

     A seafood hotpot restaurant and its staff member were fined $5,000 and $3,000 today (October 19) at Kowloon City Magistrates' Courts for possessing defective weighing equipment and supplying short-weight seafood respectively, in contravention of the Weights and Measures Ordinance (WMO).

     Customs officers earlier ordered one catty of clams at the restaurant located in San Po Kong.

     Subsequent examination by the Government Laboratory confirmed that the clams were short of weight by 5.39 taels and the spring scale used for weighing was offset by 2 taels while it was unloaded.

     Under the WMO, any person who uses for trade, or has in his possession for use for trade, any weighing or measuring equipment which is false or defective commits an offence. The maximum penalty upon conviction is a fine of $20,000. In addition, any person who in the course of trade supplies goods to another person by weight or measure should supply the goods in net weight or net measure. Any shortage of the quantity purporting to be supplied is an offence. The maximum penalty upon conviction is a fine of $10,000.

     Customs will continue to take stringent enforcement action against short-weight activities at restaurants to protect consumers' interests and uphold a fair trading environment.

     Members of the public may report any suspected violations of the WMO to the Customs 24-hour hotline 2545 6182 or its dedicated crime-reporting email account (crimereport@customs.gov.hk).

     A notice was published in the Gazette today (October 19) on the turnaround arrangement for Mainland maintenance and emergency rescue vehicles on the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge (HZMB).

     The HZMB is the first cross-boundary land link connecting Hong Kong, Zhuhai and Macao.  For proper maintenance of the HZMB and speedy handling of accidents or other emergency situations, both Hong Kong and Mainland governments may deploy maintenance and emergency rescue vehicles for carrying out duties on the HZMB. 

     The Mainland vehicles concerned will include:

(i) maintenance vehicles engaged or authorised by the HZMB Authority which have the logo specified by the HZMB Authority displayed on the vehicles may need to enter Hong Kong in the course of discharging road maintenance duties on the HZMB Main Bridge Section;
(ii) ambulances registered under Zhuhai Municipal Health and Family Planning Bureau may need to enter Hong Kong in the course of discharging rescue duties in the event of accidents on the HZMB; and
(iii) fire fighting vehicles registered under Zhuhai Municipal Fire Department may need to enter Hong Kong in the course of discharging fire-fighting and rescue duties in the event of accidents on the HZMB. 

     A spokesman for the Transport Department (TD) said, "Having regard to the special circumstances and the specific route mentioned above, the Commissioner for Transport has exempted the vehicles concerned by notice in the gazette from the Road Traffic (Registration and Licensing of Vehicles) Regulations, Chapter 374E, with effect from October 19, 2018 pursuant to regulation 3(c) of the Road Traffic (Registration and Licensing of Vehicles) Regulations.  The above exemption does not affect the application of other laws of Hong Kong to the vehicles concerned when they are being driven on a road in Hong Kong."

     The spokesman stressed that the vehicles concerned shall not be driven on a road in Hong Kong other than the Hong Kong Link Road of the HZMB.  They shall return to the Mainland via the turnaround on the Hong Kong Link Road near San Shek Wan upon reaching that turnaround, except where the ambulances and fire fighting vehicles described above enter Hong Kong upon request by the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region for assistance in case of major serious accidents on the HZMB.

     Following is the transcript of remarks by the Secretary for the Civil Service, Mr Joshua Law, at a media session after attending a radio programme this morning (October 19):
 
Reporter: Mr Law, talking about the actual schedule, I know the college is supposed to be completed in 2026. What's going to happen in between? When will the consultation start? When is the redevelopment going to start?

Secretary for the Civil Service: Let me say a few words about the plan. We have selected a site quite close to the MTR station of Kwun Tong for an integrated development. This development will include both community facilities as well a civil service college. It will also include various connectivity like a green platform or a green deck-top connection between the MTR station and other parts of Kwun Tong. We will be going to consult the local community, especially the District Council. This will happen very soon. We will share with them our preliminary plans and see what ideas they have about community needs for that location. Eventually we have to take the project to Legislative Council's Finance Committee for approval, and then the construction (works) will take a few years. In total, we expect that the whole integrated development will be completed in around 2026.

Reporter: And the cost?

Secretary for the Civil Service: The overall cost for the whole integrated development is about $6 to $7 billion.

Reporter: There is a special needs school at the Kwun Tong site right now. What is going to happen to that school?

Secretary for the Civil Service: The relevant policy bureau has got a plan for relocating some of the existing social facilities. As regards that school (the Skills Centre), the plan is that there will be a new training centre to be developed in another place in the urban area and it will commence operation in September 2021. That will be the time we expect the present school to be closed. So there won't be any gap in terms of the provision of training services. In future students receiving vocational training can go to the new place for training.

Reporter: How will the courses offered in the new civil service college be different from the ones currently being offered at the Civil Service Training and Development Institute?

Secretary for the Civil Service: There will be more courses, and will be more in-depth, focusing on technology, smart city, future direction of the community, and also to deepen the understanding of the nation's policies as far as they are connected with our future development. We are also looking at various options in intensifying our collaboration with local and overseas training institutes and universities, so that our trainees can continue (their study) if we have certain certification of credit system for our courses. Then they can embark on another course at their own time if they like.

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