Author Archives: hksar gov

     The Transport Department (TD) today (May 24) reminded the public that special traffic and transport arrangements will be implemented in So Kon Po and Causeway Bay this Saturday (May 26) to facilitate the holding of a football match at the Hong Kong Stadium.
 
     The special traffic and transport arrangements mainly include:
 
* From about 1.30pm, the section of Caroline Hill Road between Leighton Road and Cotton Path, and the section of Hysan Avenue westbound between Sunning Road and Hoi Ping Road, will be closed, subject to the actual situation;
 
* From about 4.30pm, Caroline Hill Road and the section of Eastern Hospital Road between Caroline Hill Road and Cotton Path will be closed to facilitate the dispersal of spectators until the crowd has dispersed and road closures are lifted, subject to the actual situation;

* During the road closure period, Citybus route 5B, New World First Bus route 8H, cross-harbour route 936, green minibus routes 14M, 26 and 30, and residents’ service route HR 51 will be temporarily diverted;
 
* Cross-harbour route 117R will operate from the Hong Kong Stadium to Mong Kok after the event; and
 
* On-street car parking spaces and car parks within the affected areas will be suspended.
 
     The TD anticipates that the traffic in the vicinity of So Kon Po and Causeway Bay will be congested. Motorists are advised to avoid driving to the affected areas. In case of traffic congestion, motorists should exercise tolerance and patience, and follow the instructions of the Police. Members of the public planning to go to the affected areas are advised to use public transport services as far as possible.
 
     The TD and the Police will closely monitor the traffic situation and implement appropriate measures whenever necessary. Members of the public are advised to be alert to the latest traffic news broadcast via radio and television.
 
     Details of the special traffic and transport arrangements are now available on the TD’s website (www.td.gov.hk). read more

     The Centre for Health Protection (CHP) of the Department of Health is today (May 24) investigating a case of Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) infection, and hence reminded the public to maintain good personal, food and environmental hygiene against intestinal infections.

     The case involves a 30-year-old man with good past health, who has developed diarrhoea and abdominal pain since April 26. He attended the out-patient clinic of a private hospital for management on May 5 and no hospitalisation was required. The patient has been in a stable condition all along.

     His stool specimen grew STEC upon laboratory testing.

     Initial enquiries of the CHP revealed that the patient had travelled to Nepal and Thailand from April 15 to 30. He did not consume unpasteurised milk or raw food, or have contact with animals or visit farms during the incubation period. His travel collaterals remained asymptomatic. Investigations are ongoing.

     “Escherichia coli (E. coli) is a bacterium that is commonly found in the gut of humans and warm-blooded animals. Most strains of E. coli are harmless. Some strains, however, such as STEC, can produce powerful toxins and cause severe food-borne disease. The most recognised serogroup of STEC is E. coli O157:H7,” a spokesman for the CHP explained.

     Preventive measures for STEC infections are similar to those recommended for other food-borne diseases. The public are advised to observe good personal and food hygiene:
 

• Wash hands properly with liquid soap and water before eating or handling food, and after going to the toilet or changing diapers;
• Cook food and boil water thoroughly before consumption. Most food-borne viruses and bacteria (including STEC) can be killed when food is cooked or reheated long enough at sufficient high temperature. When cooking or reheating, the core temperature of the food should reach at least 75 degrees Celsius;
• Avoid consumption of unpasteurised milk or undercooked food; and
• Consult a doctor immediately if symptoms of STEC infection, particularly bloody diarrhoea, develop.

     The public may visit the CHP’s STEC page for more information. read more

     Hong Kong Customs yesterday (May 23) seized about 2.2 million suspected illicit cigarettes with an estimated market value of about $5.8 million and a duty potential of about $4.1 million at Kwai Chung Customhouse Cargo Exa… read more

     Following is the speech by the Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury, Mr James Lau, at the Pledging Ceremony of the Governance Charter for Mandatory Provident Fund (MPF) Trustees today (May 24):

David (Chairman of the Mandatory Provident Fund Schemes Authority (MPFA), Dr David Wong), Diana (Managing Director of the MPFA, Mrs Diana Chan), distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen,

     I am delighted to join you all today at this very meaningful Pledging Ceremony of the Governance Charter for MPF Trustees.

     The MPF System is an important pillar of the retirement protection regime in Hong Kong. Like many other developed economies, Hong Kong has a rapidly ageing working population. The total net asset value of MPF schemes has already reached HK$857 billion at the end of March. I was told that before long and probably by 2020, this figure is expected to reach HK$1 trillion, which I think is a very good benchmark.

     MPF trustees, all of you here, play a significant role in the MPF System. You are responsible for looking after the interests of the scheme members. Good governance among MPF trustees is absolutely critical in safeguarding our MPF system to make sure that our working population will have a basic level of retirement protection after making hard-earned contributions over their work life.

     Good governance is increasingly recognised worldwide as an important aspect of an efficient private pension system, enhancing investment performance and benefit security. Last year in the UK, the Pensions Regulator (TPR) launched the campaign “21st century trusteeship – raising the standards of governance” to improve the management of workplace pension schemes. Under TPR’s corporate plan released earlier this month, the promotion of good trusteeship will continue to be a major area of work of the regulator in the coming years.

     In Hong Kong, the Government and our financial regulators spare no effort to make sure that our governance regime is up to date and benchmarked against international best practices, whether in the context of financial institutions or listed corporations. The Governance Charter for MPF Trustees spearheaded by the MPFA exemplifies the core values upheld by the MPF trustees.

     These core values include, among other things, the provision of value-for-money MPF schemes and services, the lifting of governance standards, the provision of service with honesty and integrity, and the engagement of members through transparency and communications.

     On this last point of transparency, I am encouraged to see that MPF trustees strive to develop a transparent framework to manage and oversee the interests of the scheme members. Scheme members expect quality services and reasonable returns from a prudently managed portfolio of assets, and they ought to be given the channel and ease of access to information that would enable them to make informed MPF decisions.

     This would include accurate, timely and reliable information provided by MPF trustees that would give scheme members a good understanding of the risks they are taking and how their investment is performing. The MPFA has also been working to increase fund transparency by launching the fund performance platform to enhance the disclosure of MPF information in February. With higher transparency of MPF schemes, members would be empowered to have a stronger sense of ownership and maximise their MPF savings for retirement.

     To that end, I should mention that the Government and the MPFA are developing eMPF, a centralised, electronic administration platform. It seeks to standardise and increase the efficiency of MPF scheme administration, improve user experience and reduce administration cost, thereby enabling lower fees to be charged to scheme members. When implemented, eMPF will bring efficiency gains to the MPF industry and allow trustees to focus their resources in delivering better value for money for MPF scheme members.

     The Government has set up a working group to work with all the 14 MPF trustees here to take forward this project. We are thankful for your tremendous contributions in drawing up the technical specifications. Our target is to finalise the specifications for the platform by August this year and the plan is to put in place the system by 2022.

     Coming back to the Pledging Ceremony today, the development of the Governance Charter is a key milestone in the 17-year history of the MPF System. MPF trustees should cultivate a culture that emphasises scheme members’ interests and it is crucial that these values are instilled from top management down to the front line. In that way, the MPF System will gain more trust and confidence from scheme members and the public at large.

     Ladies and gentlemen, the presence of all MPF trustees today is a clear demonstration of their commitment to continue to pursue higher standards of governance for the better protection of MPF scheme members’ interests and the healthy development of the MPF System. I would like to take this opportunity to call upon all MPF trustees to take a wider and more active role in attaining the goal of excellence in governance.

     Finally, I look forward to continued partnership with MPF trustees in the coming years in the best interests of all scheme members of the MPF System. Thank you very much. read more

The following is issued on behalf of the Hospital Authority:      The Hospital Authority (HA) spokesperson announced the following senior appointment today (May 24).        Dr Chong Yee-hung will take u… read more