Following is the transcript of remarks at a media session by the Secretary for Transport and Housing, Mr Frank Chan Fan, after attending a radio programme this morning (October 13):

Reporter: How do you respond to criticism from these operators that it is simply not fair to them? And also another question: how would you respond to criticism saying that under this toll adjustment proposal, not all stakeholders have been publicly consulted? On another topic, there have been reports saying that the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge will be opened on the 27th or 28th of this month. Can you verify that? 

Secretary for Transport and Housing: In respect of the question on whether the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge is going to open by the end of this month, I must say that this is a news to me (and) personally I don't have any idea when the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge is going to be opened because the Hong Kong, Zhuhai and Macao governments are working together and are going to notify the Central People’s Government. We are waiting for the notification on when and how the bridge is going to open.

     As regards the comment on whether other public transport operators should be entitled to toll concession, I have just mentioned to the other media that this would be considered together with the congestion charges which is going to be studied by the Government in the months to come.

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

     Police advise motorists that special traffic arrangements will be implemented in Sha Tin to facilitate the race meeting today (October 13).

     The arrangements will come into effect two hours before the start of the first race and will last until the crowds have dispersed after the race meeting.

     Appropriate traffic signs will be put up and police will be on hand to guide motorists.

     The Police also appeal to people going to Sha Tin Racecourse for the race meeting and to Happy Valley Racecourse for cross betting to make maximum use of public transport.

     Parking spaces at the two racecourses are available only to holders of appropriate permits issued by Hong Kong Jockey Club and any vehicles illegally parked will be towed away.

     The Japan Salonaise Association officially opened its bakery training school in Hong Kong today (October 13), offering hobbyists the professional skills they need to develop their careers in the Japanese bakery business in the city.

     The bakery training school is located in Leighton Centre in Causeway Bay. It offers the popular icing cookie and nerikiri (Japanese traditional sweet) art training certificate courses endorsed by the Association, according to the CEO, Ms Yukako Kikyo. She said that the Hong Kong school will add new courses to cater to local needs.

     She said, "In Japan, we have a lot of students coming from Hong Kong to take our courses and some of them have already become tutors and started their own baking businesses. In Hong Kong, all of the courses will be taught by our Japanese instructors with an interpreter. Apart from expanding our tutor base in the city, we also want to have our presence here to provide our students guidance and practical tips in starting or expanding their business."

     She added, "Hong Kong people love sweets. This place is the ideal location for us to expand our business in the region. The school will serve as a bridge for communication between our tutors in the city and the association in Japan, and we can thereby gather in-depth and first-hand local information that will help us map out our future expansion."

     Associate Director-General of Investment Promotion Dr Jimmy Chiang welcomed the opening of the bakery training school in Hong Kong. He said, "We believe that the Association’s bakery school will be a success breeding success when tutors trained by it can start up their own bakery shops that continue to grow and expand in Hong Kong and beyond."
      
About Japan Salonaise Association

     Established in 2013, the Japan Salonaise Association aims to support students to create their bakery careers by taking its courses. It offers over 20 types of bakery training certificate courses in Japan, as well as provides support and guidance to its tutors in starting and expanding their baking business. For more information, please visit www.salone-ze.hk.

About Invest Hong Kong

     Invest Hong Kong is the department of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government responsible for attracting foreign direct investment and supporting overseas and Mainland businesses to set up or expand in Hong Kong. It provides free advice and customised services for overseas and Mainland companies enrolled as its clients. For more information, please visit www.investhk.gov.hk.

     For event photos, please visit www.flickr.com/photos/investhk/albums/72157672200416807.

    

     Three charities have been issued Public Subscription Permits to hold flag sales from 7am to 12.30pm today (October 13). They are, on Hong Kong Island, Hong Kong Association for Cleft Lip and Palate; in Kowloon, Open Door Ministries Limited; and in the New Territories, South Kwai Chung Social Service, a spokesman for the Social Welfare Department (SWD) said.

     Arrangements have been made with the charities to help people distinguish between the three flag-selling activities.

     Information on the three flag-selling organisations on October 13 is as follows:
 

     For enquiries, please call the SWD's hotline at 2343 2255, or the Charitable Fund-raising Control Team at 2832 4311 during office hours. Information on the flag days of the month is available at the SWD's website (www.swd.gov.hk/en/index/site_whatsnew/). Permits for flag days containing contact information of the flag-selling organisations and information on the approved flag-selling activities have also been uploaded to the SWD's website (www.swd.gov.hk/en/index/site_pubsvc/page_controlofc/sub_recentlyap/). For enquiries about the detailed flag-selling arrangements, please contact the individual flag-selling organisations.

     Details of the charitable fund-raising activities covered by the Public Subscription Permit issued by the SWD have also been uploaded to the GovHK website (www.gov.hk/fundraising).
 
     In the case of suspected fraudulent flag day activities, people should not make any donation and should immediately report the matter to the Police, the spokesman added.

     The Chief Executive, Mrs Carrie Lam, visited Ying Wa Primary School in Sham Shui Po this afternoon (October 12) to learn more about the participation by students in extra-curricular activities and exchange with the teaching staff on the teaching and learning environment of the Direct Subsidy Scheme (DSS) school.
 
     Accompanied by the Supervisor of the school, Mr Tsang Chiu-kwan and the Headmistress, Ms Maria Lam, Mrs Lam toured the campus and watched the participation by students in different extra-curricular activities, including swimming, athletics, table tennis, volleyball and dancing, as well as English speaking, science and visual arts. She also watched the performance by the orchestra, the choir and the Chinese drum team in the school hall. Mrs Lam was pleased to note that the school attaches great importance on life-wide learning of students and arranges for them a wide range of extra-curricular activities which the students thoroughly enjoy. She also lauded the students for their excellent performance in various areas.
 
     "The current-term Government regards the expenditure on education as the most meaningful investment in our future. Therefore I have, as in the previous year, allocated considerable new resources to and put forward a number of new initiatives on education in my recent second Policy Address to give further support for schools to enhance the quality of education. These include the provision of additional resources to strengthen the administrative support for schools, implementation of the all-graduate teaching force policy and provision of permanent teaching posts and grant for integrated education.
 
     "In particular, I consider that the development of our young people should be holistic and should not be limited to academic achievement. I have therefore proposed to provide, starting from the 2019/20 school year, a new recurrent Life-wide Learning Grant with an annual provision of $900 million to public sector and DSS schools to encourage them to extend learning beyond the classrooms and, through extra-curricular activities, field studies and community service, enhance students' interest in learning, broaden their horizons and help them develop positive values. I look forward to working with the education sector to create a diverse and enjoyable learning environment for students to grow up in a comprehensive and balanced manner," Mrs Lam said.