The following is issued on behalf of the Hospital Authority:

　　The Hospital Authority (HA) today (May 15) submitted to the Medical Council of Hong Kong (MCHK) the applications of five non-locally trained doctors for limited registration to serve in public hospitals. Among the five applications, two are new applications while the other three are for renewal.
 
　　The HA spokesperson said public hospitals have been facing doctor manpower shortage and workload issues in various clinical units. The recruitment of non-locally trained doctors has been supported by the respective co-ordinating committees and endorsed by the HA Task Force on Limited Registration Scheme.
 
　　"With the Medical Registration (Amendment) Bill 2017 passing on March 28, 2018 the period of limited registration has been changed from not exceeding one year to not exceeding three years. Along with the contract term of up to three years offered by the HA since 2017, it may help reduce the uncertainty on working arrangement and hence attract more non-locally trained doctors to Hong Kong to relieve the manpower situation in the public healthcare system," the spokesperson said.
 
　　The two new applications for limited registration submitted to the MCHK today are in cardiothoracic surgery and emergency medicine respectively. Regarding the renewal applications for three non-locally trained doctors (one in emergency medicine, one in family medicine and one in radiology), their one-year limited registration will expire in the third quarter of 2018.
 
　　Currently, there are 14 non-local doctors working in public hospitals as service residents under limited registration in the specialties of anaesthesia, emergency medicine, family medicine, internal medicine and radiology to help relieve manpower pressure in the respective units.

     In response to media enquiries on actions to combat the use of private cars or light goods vehicles (LGVs) for illegal carriage of passengers for hire or reward, a spokesman for the Transport Department (TD) today (May 15) gave the following reply:
      
     The Government has been paying close attention to the use of private cars or LGVs for illegal carriage of passengers for hire or reward (commonly known as "pak pai" service) and will tackle such offences by taking stringent enforcement actions. The TD has been in close liaison with the Police and will refer suspected cases to the Police for follow-up actions.
      
     Subsections (3), (5) and (10)(a) of section 52 and Schedule 4 of the Road Traffic Ordinance (Cap 374) stipulate that an offender who uses a private car or LGV for the illegal carriage of passengers for hire or reward, or who solicits or attempts to solicit any person to travel in such vehicles, is liable to a fine of $5,000 and three months' imprisonment on the first conviction. The licence of the subject vehicle may also be suspended for three months. On the second or subsequent conviction, the person is liable to a fine of $10,000 and six months' imprisonment. For a subsequent offence in respect of the same motor vehicle, the licence of that vehicle may be suspended for six months.
      
     As regards a recent case in which a driver provided carriage service through the "Uber" mobile application and was fined $3,000 by the court for illegal carriage of passengers for hire or reward, the TD has received the notification from the Police about the conviction and already delivered a notice of intention to suspend the licence of the motor vehicle to the registered owner pursuant to section 90 of the Road Traffic Ordinance.
      
     The TD will proceed to arrange suspension of the vehicle licence in accordance with the relevant legislative requirements and direct the registered owner to deliver the motor vehicle into the custody of the department until the expiry of the suspension period.
      
     The TD will continue to support the Police for their enforcement actions in combating illegal carriage of passengers. From 2015 to the first quarter of 2018, a total of 41 vehicles have been impounded by the TD with the vehicle licences suspended due to convictions for the offence of illegal carriage of passengers for hire or reward.

     Hong Kong Customs seized a batch of suspected dangerous drugs weighing about 18 kilograms in total, as well as a batch of drug inhalation apparatus and packaging materials, with an estimated market value of about $1.9 million at Hong Kong International Airport and Central on May 12 and yesterday (May 14) respectively.

     Customs officers inspected an air mail parcel arriving from Lithuania on May 12 and found about 10kg of suspected gamma-butyrolactone (GBL) inside a batch of plastic bottles.

     After follow-up investigation, Customs officers yesterday arrested two men, aged 30 and 54, suspected to be in connection with the case in Central. Customs officers further seized about 3kg of suspected GBL and about 3kg of suspected methamphetamine, as well as some suspected cocaine, cannabis resin, cannabis buds, ketamine and ecstasy weighing about 2kg in total, at a residential premises in Central where some drug inhalation apparatus and packaging materials were also seized.

     Investigation is ongoing.
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     Under the Dangerous Drugs Ordinance, trafficking in a dangerous drug is a serious offence. The maximum penalty upon conviction is a fine of $5 million and life imprisonment.

     Members of the public may report any suspected drug trafficking activities to the Customs 24-hour hotline 2545 6182 or dedicated crime-reporting email account (crimereport@customs.gov.hk).

    

The following is issued on behalf of the Standing Committee on Legal Education and Training:

     The Standing Committee on Legal Education and Training (SCLET) today (May 15) released the Final Report of the Consultants on the Comprehensive Review of Legal Education and Training in Hong Kong.

     The Chairman of the Standing Committee, Mr Justice Robert Tang Ching, said, "The Final Report comprises 38 recommendations in total, covering various aspects of Hong Kong's system and provision of legal education and training.

     "In particular, it reviews the existing structure of legal education and training, the academic stage of legal education, the Postgraduate Certificate in Laws, the proposal for a 'Common Entrance Examination' and regulatory framework relating to the training contract, pupillage and the overseas qualifying examinations."

     He said the Standing Committee will carefully study the Final Report in the coming months, before it tenders its comments and recommendations on the way forward to the Government for consideration in due course.

     The Standing Committee is a statutory committee established in 2005 by section 74A of the Legal Practitioners Ordinance (Cap 159). Its main functions include keeping under review the system and provision of legal education and training in Hong Kong and to make recommendations on such matters.

     This report is the first substantial review of legal education and training in Hong Kong since the Redmond Roper Report on Legal Education and Training in Hong Kong: Preliminary Review published in 2001.

     The Standing Committee in 2013 resolved that it was time to undertake a further review in the context, chiefly, of

* Continuing expansion of legal education and training in Hong Kong, including the recognition of a third law school and the provision of graduate law degrees,

* Perceived concerns over access to the profession, and consistency in standards of education and training, and

* Changes to the delivery of legal services and new demands on the profession, including the impacts of technology, globalisation, and increasing integration of Hong Kong and Mainland legal markets.

     The consultants initially appointed in 2015 were:

* Mr Woo Kwok-hing, QC, formerly Vice-President of the Court of Appeal of the High Court and a former chairman of the Electoral Affairs Commission;

* Professor Tony Smith, Professor of Law at the Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand, and Honorary Bencher of the Middle Temple; a former Chairman of the Faculty of Law at the University of Cambridge, and a former Chair of the Committee of Heads of University Law Schools (UK); and

* Professor Julian Webb, Professor of Law and Director of the Legal Professions Research Network at the University of Melbourne, Australia, and Academic Bencher of the Inner Temple; formerly Professor and Director of the UK Centre for Legal Education at the University of Warwick.

     Following Mr Woo's resignation from the Review in October 2016, Mr Anthony Rogers, QC, Chairman of the Clearing and Settlement Systems Appeals Tribunal, Hong Kong, and former Vice-President of the Court of Appeal, took over chairmanship of the group.

     A consultants' interim report was issued in October 2017. The SCLET received the Law Society of Hong Kong's response to the interim report on May 8, 2018, which has been uploaded to the website of the SCLET.

     The Final Report, the Overview and Consultation Responses (November 2015 to February 2018) (as well as the Chinese text of the Overview and Recommendations) can be accessed on the website of the SCLET at www.sclet.gov.hk/eng/index.htm. The Chinese text of the full Report will be made available as soon as possible.

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

     The Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) wishes to alert members of the public to a press release issued by Shanghai Pudong Development Bank Co., Ltd. on fraudulent website, which has been reported to the HKMA. Hyperlink to the press release is available on the HKMA website for ease of reference by members of the public.
 
     Anyone who has provided his or her personal information to the website concerned or has conducted any financial transactions through the website should contact the bank concerned using the contact information provided in the press release, and report to the Police or contact the Cyber Security and Technology Crime Bureau of the Hong Kong Police Force at 2860 5012.