The effective exchange rate index for the Hong Kong dollar on Tuesday, September 11, 2018 is 104.5 (down 0.1 against yesterday's index).

The following is issued on behalf of the Legislative Council Secretariat:

     The delegation of the Legislative Council (LegCo) began its visit to the Parliament of the United Kingdom (UK) in London yesterday (September 10, London time). 
 
     The delegation began the first day of visit in the morning with a tour of the Houses of Parliament, followed by receiving a briefing from the Clerk of the Overseas Office of the House of Commons, Mr‍ Matthew Hamlyn, on an overview of the parliamentary system operating in UK.  
 
     In the afternoon, the delegation met with the UK Parliament's Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards, Ms‍ Kathryn Stone, and the Assistant Registrar of Members' Financial Interests, Mr‍ Thomas Balloch, to receive a briefing on the Code of Conduct for Members of the UK Parliament and the role and functions of the Office of the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards. Delegation members took the opportunity to learn more about how the Commissioner conducts investigation into complaints against Members' conduct and ethics, as well as how the House of Commons follows up on the investigation findings. After the meeting, the delegation observed the proceedings of a meeting in the Chamber of the House of Commons.
 
     The delegation will continue its visit to the UK Parliament today (September 11, London time). Delegation members will meet with the Deputy Speaker of the House of Commons and Chairman of Ways and Means, Sir Lindsay Hoyle MP, and the Deputy Speaker of the House of Lords, Lord Boswell of Aynho.

        

     The Correctional Services Department (CSD) opened a three-day exhibition entitled "Women Who Shine Through the Wall – an Exhibition of Therapeutic Drawings by Female Persons-in-custody" today (September 11) at the Hong Kong Cultural Centre in Tsim Sha Tsui.

     The Pro-Vice-Chancellor of the Chinese University of Hong Kong, Professor Fanny Cheung, officiated at the opening ceremony. She commended the CSD for its continuous efforts to develop gender specific psychological treatment for female persons in custody, adding that the exhibits reflect the courage of the female persons in custody to transform their lives. The drawings also remind the public of the importance of resilience in facing adversity, she said.
      
     Speaking at the opening ceremony, the Chairperson of Shining Life Limited, Ms Jade Kwan, said she appreciated the positive changes in the female persons in custody who created the drawings. She appealed to the public for their support and acceptance of rehabilitated persons.
      
     The exhibition runs from September 11 to 13 in the Foyer Exhibition Area of the Hong Kong Cultural Centre, displaying 60 drawings created by the adult female persons in custody at Lo Wu Correctional Institution and Tai Lam Centre for Women with their consent. The drawings are organised along three themes, namely "suffering", "transformation" and "positive changes". These themes echo the process of psychotherapy through which they were able to leave the shadows of the past behind and turn to a new page of life.
      
     The exhibition aims to enhance public support for rehabilitated persons and show the stories of their personal growth through change in adversity. Postcards printed with artworks by the female persons in custody and messages of resilience in facing adversity are being distributed to members of the public who attend the exhibition.
      
     The digital edition of the album "Women Who Shine Through the Wall – Therapeutic Drawings by Female Persons-in-custody" is available at CSD website www.csd.gov.hk/english/reh/reh_overview/reh_overview_psy/therapeutic_drawings.html.

     The Centre for Food Safety (CFS) of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD) today (September 11) announced the results of a seasonal food surveillance project on mooncakes (second phase). The results of about 140 samples tested were all satisfactory.
      
     A spokesman for the CFS said that the first-phase test results on mooncakes were released on August 24. In the second-phase surveillance, the Centre continued to collect samples covering traditional, snowy, ice-cream and other types of mooncakes from various retailers (including online retailers) and food factories for chemical, microbiological and food allergen tests, and nutrition content analysis.
      
     Chemical tests covered preservatives such as sulphur dioxide and sorbic acid, antioxidants and mineral oil. Microbiological tests covered pathogens such as Bacillus cereus, Clostridium perfringens, Salmonella and coagulase-positive staphylococci organisms. For food allergen tests (covering almonds and walnuts) and nutrition content analyses (covering the contents of energy, protein, total fat, saturated fatty acids, trans fatty acids, carbohydrates, sodium and sugars), the samples were tested to see if they complied with the food labelling requirements.
 
      The spokesman reminded people to maintain a balanced diet and avoid excessive eating of mooncakes as they are generally high in sugar and fat. Some types also contain relatively high levels of salt. Eating too much fat will increase the risk of being overweight and obese while dietary sugar intake is a determinant of body weight and dental caries. In addition, excessive sodium intake will increase the risk of developing hypertension, fatal stroke and coronary heart disease.
 
      He advised people to refer to nutrition labels, particularly the sugar, salt and fat content, to make a healthier choice. People should avoid mooncake types with high levels of fat or sugar, i.e. containing more than 20 grams of total fat or more than 15g of sugar per 100g of food. As for reducing salt intake, people can choose low-sodium mooncake types, i.e. containing less than 120 milligrams of sodium per 100g of food.
 
      He said that people should consider their health condition and consume mooncakes in an appropriate amount during the Mid-Autumn Festival. He advised people to share mooncakes with their family members and friends, as this not only enhances the festive atmosphere, but also allows them to taste mooncakes of different flavours and avoid overconsumption.
 
      Members of the public should observe the following Five Keys to Food Safety in the purchase, storage and consumption of mooncakes to prevent food-borne diseases:
 
* Buy mooncakes from reliable outlets rather than patronising unlicensed hawkers. Check whether the mooncakes are properly packaged, pay attention to the expiry dates before purchase and eat them before the expiry dates;
 
* Store mooncakes according to the instructions on the package if they are not to be consumed immediately. Keep snowy mooncakes at 4 degrees Celsius or below and ice-cream mooncakes at minus 18 degrees C or below, and consume them as soon as possible after taking them out from the refrigerator;
 
* Use an icebox to carry snowy or ice-cream mooncakes outdoors and consume them as soon as possible;
 
* Wrap mooncakes properly and separate them from raw food when storing in a refrigerator to prevent cross-contamination; and
 
* Maintain good personal hygiene. Wash hands properly with liquid soap and running water before handling mooncakes.
 
      The spokesman also reminded food traders to adhere to the Good Manufacturing Practice. Other than purchasing food ingredients from reliable suppliers, they should also comply with legal requirements when using food additives.
 
      "Snowy and ice-cream mooncakes, which do not undergo a baking process at high temperature, need to be handled hygienically during processing, transportation and storage to avoid contamination and growth of germs," he said.

The following is issued on behalf of the Hong Kong Monetary Authority:

     Hong Kong Monetary Authority Exchange Fund Bills Tender Results:
 

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     Hong Kong Monetary Authority Tenders to be held in the week beginning September 17: