The Government announced today (August 1) a series of administrative measures to enhance transparency of charitable fund-raising activities and safeguard the interests of donors.

     Arising from the recommendations made in the Report of the Law Reform Commission, Report No. 68 of the Director of Audit and Report No. 68 of the Public Accounts Committee of the Legislative Council on improving the monitoring of charitable fund-raising activities, the Government has introduced today a series of administrative measures to enhance the transparency of charitable fund-raising activities, safeguard the interests of donors and facilitate the conduct of fund-raising activities. These include:
     
(1) Uploading all audited accounts submitted by organisations, which file applications today or thereafter and obtain approval to organise charitable fund-raising activities from the Social Welfare Department (SWD) or charitable lottery events from the Home Affairs Department (HAD), to the fund-raising activities page of GovHK for reference by the public;

(2) Setting up a dedicated hotline (Tel: 3142 2678) for handling enquiries or complaints in relation to charitable fund-raising activities held by organisations in public places;

(3) Having the SWD, the HAD and the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department jointly issue the Good Practice Guide on Charitable Fund-raising (the Guide) to replace the Reference Guide on Best Practices for Charitable Fund-raising Activities previously promulgated by the SWD, and stepping up promotion to encourage the adoption of the Guide by charitable organisations. The Guide will also be uploaded to the fund-raising activities page of GovHK to assist the public to make reference and evaluate the performance of charitable organisations in organising fund-raising activities and to help donors understand their rights; and
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(4) Providing a one-stop service for charitable fund-raising activities organised on government land to remove the need for charitable organisations to separately apply to the Lands Department for temporary occupation of government land when applying for permits or licences for different kinds of fund-raising activities. The permit or licence approval authority will consult the Lands Department and notify the charitable organisations direct on the application results.

The following is issued on behalf of the Sir Edward Youde Memorial Fund Council:
 
     The Sir Edward Youde Memorial Fund Council reminded interested applicants today (August 1) that its Fellowships and Scholarships for Overseas Studies for the academic year 2019/20 have been accepting applications since July 3. The closing date for all applications is September 14, 2018.
 
     The fellowships and scholarships aim at encouraging outstanding students to pursue further education in reputable institutions overseas. Successful candidates for the awards are expected to have a strong sense of commitment to Hong Kong and be ready to contribute significantly to the community upon graduation. 
 
     The fellowships are for studies leading to postgraduate degrees either by research or by coursework; the scholarships are for studies leading to undergraduate degrees.
 
     The applicants will be responsible for fulfilling all application procedures and admission requirements of the academic institutions of their choice.
 
     The maximum value of a fellowship is HK$300,000 per year, tenable for up to three years for a doctoral degree or two years for a master degree. The maximum value of a scholarship is HK$280,000 per year, tenable for up to three years.
 
     Application forms and information notes can be downloaded from the website of the Student Finance Office of the Working Family and Student Financial Assistance Agency at www.wfsfaa.gov.hk/sfo/en/forms/form.htm.
 
     The documents are also available at the following offices:
 
(a) Student Finance Office
     Working Family and Student Financial Assistance Agency
     Reception Hall, 11/F, Cheung Sha Wan Government Offices
     303 Cheung Sha Wan Road, Kowloon
     Hong Kong
 
(b) Trust Funds and Temples Joint Secretariat
      Reception Counter, 34/F, Wu Chung House
      213 Queen's Road East, Wan Chai
      Hong Kong
 
     For enquiries, please call (852) 2150 6097 or (852) 2150 6098.
 
     Short-listed applicants will be invited to attend interviews in person in Hong Kong. The first round of interviews is scheduled for January 2019. If found suitable, applicants will be invited for a final interview to be held around February/March 2019.

     The Food and Health Bureau (FHB) will hold two public consultation sessions on August 4 (Saturday) and August 14 (Tuesday) to collect views on the preparation for establishing the District Health Centre in Kwai Tsing. Residents of Kwai Tsing District and other members of the public are welcome to attend.
 
     Details of the two public consultation sessions are as follows:
 
Date: August 4 (Saturday)
Time: 2pm to 5pm
Venue: CNEC Ta Tung School, 103 Kwai Hing Road, Kwai Chung, New Territories

Date: August 14 (Tuesday)
Time: 8pm to 9.30pm
Venue: Cheung Fat Estate Community Centre, 6 Tam Kon Shan Road, Tsing Yi, New Territories
 
    People who would like to attend the consultation sessions should complete the reply slip at the FHB's website (www.fhb.gov.hk/en/press_and_publications/otherinfo/180700_dhc/index_kt_20180730.html) and return the slip by email (kwtdcadm@kwtdc.had.gov.hk), by fax (2425 4299) or by post to 10/F, Kwai Hing Government Offices Building, 166-174 Hing Fong Road, Kwai Chung, New Territories (Attn: EO(SPS)/K&T). Participants may also call 3509 7934 for seat reservation or enquiries. Seats will be allocated on a first-come, first-served basis.
 
     Walk-in registrations will be accepted when there are vacant seats on the spot.
 
     Following the completion of the first round of public consultation on April 28 this year, the FHB began the second round of consultation in July. The first session of public consultation was held last Saturday (July 28).

     The Secretary for Constitutional and Mainland Affairs, Mr Patrick Nip, together with two students joining the "Be a Government Official for a Day" programme, today (August 1) visited a large local enterprise to learn about its experience and measures taken in eliminating discrimination on the grounds of sexual orientation in relation to employment. The company has recently adopted the Code of Practice against Discrimination in Employment on the Ground of Sexual Orientation.

     The Code, issued by the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government, covers good practices in different aspects of employment such as recruitment, promotion, transfer, training, dismissal and grievance handling. The Code is aimed at assisting employers and employees in eliminating discriminatory practices and behaviour in the workplace and promoting equal employment opportunities among all persons, irrespective of their sexual orientation.

     "I am pleased to learn that the large local travel agency I visited today has responded to our appeal and pledged to adopt the Code. The support and participation of local enterprises shows that local employers are willing to employ people with diverse backgrounds and are keen to establish an inclusive workspace with equal opportunities to all," Mr Nip said.

     "As of now, over 300 public or private organisations from various sectors have adopted the Code. Among them, more than 160 are large enterprises employing over 500 employees. Employers adopting the Code all agree that the Code has helped attract and retain talents. I hope that more employers will follow suit and join hands in eliminating discrimination.

     "The Government has all along been committed to fostering the culture and values of inclusiveness and mutual respect and has employed a wide variety of measures in promoting equal opportunities for people of different sexual orientations and gender identities. On the publicity front, we have been making use of various channels to broadcast promotional videos to publicise the message of 'eliminate discrimination, embrace inclusion'. Starting from January this year, we have co-operated with the Tung Wah Group of Hospitals (TWGHs) and provided funding for it to operate a 24-hour hotline which provides easily accessible support, counselling and follow-up services for sexual minorities and their families, as well as people perplexed by their sexual orientation and gender identity, with a view to relieving the stress and difficulties they face in everyday life. The hotline has rendered services to over 1,200 enquirers since its commencement. In addition, since March this year, TWGHs has been organising support groups and interest classes on a regular basis for different groups of sexual minorities. As of July, about 15 such activities have been organised," he said.

     "We are also developing sensitivity training resources for people working in specific fields such as social workers, human resources professionals, healthcare professionals and teachers to enhance their sensitivity to sexual minorities, and drawing up a charter on non-discrimination in regard to sexual minorities in different aspects, including provision of goods, facilities and services; disposal and management of premises; and education and employment," he added.

     Organisations wishing to know more about the Code or organise seminars on the Code for their staff can contact the Gender Identity and Sexual Orientation Unit of the Constitutional and Mainland Affairs Bureau by phone on 2810 3205 or email gisou@cmab.gov.hk.

     The full text of the Code can be viewed at www.cmab.gov.hk/en/issues/full_code_of_practice.htm.

     Following is the transcript of remarks by the Secretary for the Environment, Mr Wong Kam-sing, on the implementation of the Producer Responsibility Scheme on Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment after attending radio programmes this morning (August 1):

Reporter: For the said producer pays scheme, how you can enforce it? I mean, how ready are these producers right now? And what enforcement actually will be carried out?

Secretary for the Environment: The new PRS (Producer Responsibility Scheme) requires the suppliers and retailers to discharge their duties. We note that some of them are submitting their applications late. But, at the start of this new PRS, we focus our enforcement on those who have done nothing about the registration or submission.

Reporter: And, our consumers are under the scheme. Consumers will have to wait about like four days before their old appliances can be removed. Is that the best arrangement, do you think? Can it be shortened?

Secretary for the Environment: I think the scheme should be reasonable. For instance, if a customer buys a new appliance, usually they have to wait for a few days for the new appliance to be delivered to their home. So, the advice to the customer is that they should talk to the retailers, so that they can somehow co-ordinate the delivery date and the take-back date on the same day. I think that would be doable, and the concerned collectors should be allowed a reasonable logistics provision to cater for their provision (of service).

Reporter: What about the consumer decides to throw away their old appliance by themselves? I mean, would the producer be in trouble in any way?

Secretary for the Environment: I think the essence of the new PRS is to safeguard the environment, that the retailers, suppliers and even the consumers should bear certain responsibility. As a reasonable citizen, we have to understand that our action may somehow affect the environment. So, we recommend them to make the best use of the take-back service provided by a licensed recycler. Thank you.
 
(Please also refer to the Chinese portion of the transcript.)