The Government announced today (December 21) that the Chief Executive has made appointments and re-appointments to the four Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) advisory committees, namely the Advisory Committee on Corruption (ACOC), the Operations Review Committee (ORC), the Corruption Prevention Advisory Committee (CPAC) and the Citizens Advisory Committee on Community Relations (CACCR), and to the ICAC Complaints Committee (ICC). All of the appointments and re-appointments are for a term of two years with effect from January 1, 2019.  

ACOC
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     The Chief Executive has appointed Mr Martin Liao Cheung-kong as Chairman and Ms Irene Chow Man-ling as a member of the ACOC. Legislative Council (LegCo) Members Mr Chan Hak-kan and Mr Abraham Shek Lai-him, and Mrs Carrie Yau Tsang Ka-lai have also been re-appointed to the ACOC as members.  

     Mr Martin Liao Cheung-kong is a barrister in private practice. He is currently serving on the Executive Council and the LegCo.    

     Ms Irene Chow Man-ling is a Certified Financial Analyst. She is the Honorary Chairman of the Youth Committee under the Chinese Manufacturers’ Association of Hong Kong.    

     The ACOC advises the Commissioner of the ICAC (the Commissioner) on any aspects of corruption problems in Hong Kong, and keeps the operational, staffing and administrative policies of the ICAC under review.  

ORC
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     The Chief Executive has appointed Mr Michael Ho Mun-ka, Mr Paul Lam Ting-kwok and Ms Nicole Yuen Shuk-kam as members of the ORC. Mr John Chan Chong-kun, LegCo Member Mr Ronick Chan Chun-ying, Mr Chew Fook-aun, Mr Hans Michael Jebsen, Professor Paul Lam Kwan-sing and Dr Kelvin Wong Tin-yau have also been re-appointed to the ORC as members.

     Mr Michael Ho Mun-ka was a Registered Nurse before his retirement. He is also a former LegCo Member.
 
     Mr Paul Lam Ting-kwok is a Senior Counsel. He is currently Chairman of the Administrative Appeals Board as well as the Appeal Board (Amusement Game Centres).   

     Ms Nicole Yuen Shuk-kam used to work in the investment banking field. She now serves on the Process Review Panel in relation to the Regulation of Mandatory Provident Fund Intermediaries and the Statistics Advisory Board.    

     The ORC oversees all the ICAC investigations. It reviews corruption complaints received and investigations conducted by the ICAC to ensure that they are handled effectively and efficiently. It also examines circumstances where search warrants are authorised by the Commissioner, where persons have been put on bail for more than six months, and where investigations have been lasting for over a year or require substantial resources.

CPAC
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     The Chief Executive has appointed Mr Winson Woo Lap-kee as a member of the CPAC. Ms Kuby Chan Yin-hung, Mr Sunny Cheung Yiu-tong, Mr Alex Chu Wing-yiu, Mr Stephen Lai Yuk-fai, Mrs Yvonne Law Shing Mo-han, Ms Melissa Kaye Pang and Miss Theresa Yeung Wing-shan have also been re-appointed to the CPAC as members.   

     Mr Winson Woo Lap-kee is a partner of an international accounting firm.  He specialises in applying big data analytics and technologies in managing fraud and various types of risks.  

     The CPAC receives and calls for reports from the ICAC about practices and procedures of government departments, public bodies and the private sector which may be conducive to corruption. It also advises the Commissioner on what areas should be examined and the degree of priority to be accorded to each.

CACCR
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     The Chief Executive has appointed Mr Mac Chan Ho-ting, Mr Eddy Hui Shun, Mr Chris Ip Ngo-tung, Mr Webster Ng Kam-wah, Mr Victor Pang Wing-seng, Mr Rocky Tung Yat-ngok and Mr Wong Wai-kit as members of the CACCR. Ms Chan Yuen-ling, Ms Julianne Pearl Doe, Professor Anthony Fung Ying-him and Mr James Mok Hon-fai have also been re-appointed to the CACCR as members.  

     Mr Mac Chan Ho-ting is a young solicitor. He is currently serving on several advisory bodies, including the Lantau Development Advisory Committee and the Youth Development Commission.

     Mr Eddy Hui Shun is an expert in the creative and multimedia industry.  He is currently a member of the CreateSmart Initiative Vetting Committee and a co-opted member of the CACCR.

     Mr Chris Ip Ngo-tung is the Chairman of Yau Tsim Mong District Council.  He is also a member of the Municipal Services Appeals Board and a board member of the West Kowloon Cultural District Authority.

     Mr Webster Ng Kam-wah is a professional accountant. He is currently Vice-President of the Taxation Institute of Hong Kong and a member of the Lotteries Fund Advisory Committee.

     Mr Victor Pang Wing-seng is the Director and General Manager of an export company. He currently serves as member on the Award Council of the Hong Kong Award for Young People, the Joint Committee on Student Finance and the Fight Crime Committee.  

     Mr Rocky Tung Yat-ngok has ample experience in the field of economic and policy research. He currently works for the CFA Institute, which is a global and not-for-profit association which promotes the highest ethical standards in the investment management industry.    

     Mr Wong Wai-kit is the Vice Chairman of the Tsuen Wan District Council. He is also a member of the Municipal Services Appeals Board and the Committee on the Promotion of Civic Education.

     The CACCR advises the Commissioner on appropriate measures to foster public support in combating corruption and to educate the public against the evils of corruption. It also monitors community response to the ICAC's work and public attitudes towards corruption in general.

ICC
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     The Chief Executive has appointed Miss Maggie Wong Pui-kei and Mr Stephen Yiu Kin-wah as members of the ICC.

     Miss Maggie Wong Pui-kei is a Senior Counsel newly appointed in 2018.  Her practice focuses on criminal law.   

     Mr Stephen Yiu Kin-wah is the former Chairman of an international accounting firm. He currently serves as an independent non-executive director of the Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing Limited.  

     The ICC monitors the handling of non-criminal complaints against the ICAC, reviews the ICAC procedures and practices which may lead to complaints, and makes recommendations when necessary.

     The Government expresses its gratitude to all outgoing members of the above-mentioned committees who are retiring on December 31, 2018 for their valuable contributions to the work of the respective committees.

     The updated non-official membership lists of the four ICAC advisory committees and the ICC are at Annex.

     The Government today (December 21) gazetted the United Nations Sanctions (Democratic Republic of the Congo) Regulation 2018 (the Regulation), which came into operation today.
 
     "The Regulation implements sanctions against the Democratic Republic of the Congo imposed by the United Nations Security Council Resolution 2424," a government spokesman said.
 
     The sanctions implemented under the Regulation include:
 

• prohibition against the supply, sale, transfer or carriage of any arms or related materiel to persons operating in the territory of the Democratic Republic of the Congo;
• prohibition against the provision of any assistance, advice or training related to military activities to persons operating in the territory of the Democratic Republic of the Congo;
• prohibition against making available to certain persons or entities any economic assets, or dealing with economic assets of such persons or entities; and
• prohibition against the entry into or transit through the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region by certain persons.

     The Government today (December 21) gazetted the United Nations Sanctions (Mali) Regulation 2018 (the Regulation), which came into operation today.

     "The Regulation implements sanctions against Mali imposed by the United Nations Security Council Resolution 2432," a government spokesman said.

     The sanctions implemented under the Regulation include:
 

• prohibition against making available to certain persons or entities any economic assets, or dealing with economic assets of such persons or entities; and
• prohibition against entry into or transit through the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region by certain persons.

     The Chief Executive in Council has authorised the road works for the establishment of the Agricultural Park in Kwu Tung South (Phase 1). The notice was gazetted today (December 21).

     Details of the works are set out in the Annex.

     The Department of Health (DH) will roll out the second phase of the Colorectal Cancer Screening Programme (CRCSP) on January 1 next year, extending the coverage to Hong Kong residents aged 56 to 75, i.e. those born in the years 1943 to 1963, for enrolment in subsidised screening tests for the prevention of colorectal cancer.
 
     The CRCSP, which started on August 6 this year, will be implemented in three phases to subsidise asymptomatic Hong Kong residents aged 50 to 75 to undergo screening tests. Phase one covers people aged 61 to 75 as the first batch to join the Programme, while phase three will further extend the coverage to those aged 50 to 75. Details and commencement date of phase three will be announced in due course.
 
     "The screening can serve the purpose of identifying those who have colorectal cancer before they present with symptoms or individuals at increased risk of colorectal cancer and enable them to receive early treatment," a spokesman for the DH said.  
 
     Participants shall attend a medical consultation with an enrolled primary care doctor (PCD) to receive a Faecal Immunochemical Test (FIT) screening. FIT-negative participants under the CRCSP should receive FIT re-screening every two years until they pass the age of 75 in order to maximise the Programme's capability to prevent colorectal cancer. Since September this year, FIT-negative participants have started receiving reminders via SMS, email or post when they are due for re-screening. They can visit any enrolled PCD clinic to receive subsidised FIT re-screening services.
 
     The CRCSP is heavily subsidised by the Government. Details of the screening pathway and corresponding subsidies are as follows:
 
(1) Eligible persons must first make an appointment with a PCD participating in the Programme. After enrolment in the Programme, the participant will receive a government subsidy to undergo the FIT. A government subsidy of $280 per consultation applies including the second consultation to follow up on a positive FIT test result.
 
(2) If the FIT result is positive, the participant will be referred to see a colonoscopy specialist who has enrolled in the Programme to receive a colonoscopy examination subsidised by the Government in order to find out the cause of bleeding. Under the standard colonoscopy service package, the subsidy amount is $8,500 if polyp removal is necessary, while the amount is $7,800 if no polyp removal is needed. Colonoscopy specialists may charge a co-payment not exceeding $1,000 when providing the standard colonoscopy examination service.
 
     Currently, 722 PCDs have successfully enrolled in the CRCSP covering 1,056 locations, and 97 per cent of these locations will not charge any co-payment. In addition, 176 colonoscopy specialists have joined the CRCSP to provide colonoscopy examination services at 362 service locations. If no polyp removal is necessary, about 82 per cent of these locations will not require additional charges. If polyp removal is needed, about 69 per cent will not require additional charges. Separately, about 115,000 eligible persons have participated in the CRCSP and received FIT.
 
     Regarding the screening outcome, as of September 30 this year, among those participants who had submitted FIT tubes with analysed results, 12,117 persons (around 13 per cent) had positive results. Among those participants who underwent colonoscopy examination services, 6,689 persons (around 69 per cent) had colorectal adenomas and 643 persons had colorectal cancer (around 6.6 per cent).
 
     By removing colorectal adenoma in the course of colonoscopy, these lesions are prevented from turning into cancer, which reinforces the importance of undergoing timely screening tests to identify people at increased risk of disease for early treatment. Preliminary analysis of 458 screening-detected cancer cases managed in the CRCSP revealed that about 60 per cent of the screening-detected cancer cases belong to earlier stages, thus having a more favourable prognosis.
 
     Colorectal cancer is the most common cancer locally. In 2016, there were 5,437 newly diagnosed colorectal cancer cases, accounting for 17.3 per cent of all new cancer cases, or about one in six new cancer cases. In 2017, colorectal cancer resulted in 2,138 deaths, accounting for 14.9 per cent of all cancer deaths, or about one in seven cancer deaths. It is the second most common cause of cancer death in Hong Kong, coming only after lung cancer.
 
     "Colorectal cancer is preventable through adopting a healthy lifestyle and well-organised screening. Prognosis of colorectal cancer can be significantly improved by early detection and prompt treatment. Hence, eligible persons are encouraged not to miss joining the CRCSP," the spokesman said.
    
     The DH launched the Colorectal Cancer Screening Pilot Programme in September 2016 which was then regularised in August this year.  
 
     Those who are interested in the Programme can visit the DH's thematic website www.colonscreen.gov.hk for more information and the list of enrolled PCDs. The DH operates a dedicated hotline (3565 6288) to provide direct response during office hours for the convenience of the public. 
 
     Eligible persons are also reminded to enrol in the electronic Health Record Sharing System (eHRSS) if they wish to join the Programme. For details, please visit the eHRSS website at www.ehealth.gov.hk or call the Registration Office at 3467 6300.