The Chief Secretary for Administration, Mr Matthew Cheung Kin-chung, today (July 31) visited Sham Shui Po District to keep abreast of development in revitalising historic buildings and providing support for the underprivileged in the district.
      
     Accompanied by the Chairman of the Sham Shui Po District Council(SSPDC), Mr Ambrose Cheung, and the District Officer (Sham Shui Po), Mr Damian Lee, Mr Cheung visited J Life Foundation Limited (Family Service Center) and its facilities. He was pleased to learn that the centre had all along strived to alleviate the poverty situation of needy children and reduce inter-generational poverty through a wide range of support services for the underprivileged in the district such as food assistance, homework guidance and tutorial services.
      
     Mr Cheung also met with families receiving assistance to understand their livelihood challenges and reassure them that the current-term Government would continue to provide appropriate support to the underprivileged through effective use of public resources and initiatives introduced by the Commission on Poverty and the Community Care Fund.
      
     He then proceeded to Mei Ho House to visit the YHA Mei Ho House Youth Hostel and the Heritage of Mei Ho House Museum.

     He said that the revitalised Mei Ho House, comprising a youth hostel and an exhibition under one roof, could help foster cultural exchange, enrich Hong Kong’s tourism resources and provide affordable accommodation to tourists.
      
     He expressed special thanks to the Hong Kong Youth Hostels Association for its efforts in strengthening the inclusiveness of the community, passing on local culture and Hong Kong spirit to future generations through the establishment of alumni networks and inviting former residents of Mei Ho House to be docents of the museum.
         
     Mr Cheung then met SSPDC members and carefully listened  their views on various development issues and matters of concern to the community.

     A man was fined $12,000 at the Eastern Magistrates' Courts today (July 31) for contravening the Hotel and Guesthouse Accommodation Ordinance.

     The courts heard that in January this year, officers of the Office of the Licensing Authority (OLA), the Home Affairs Department, inspected a suspected unlicensed guesthouse on Yiu Wa Street in Causeway Bay. During the inspection, the OLA officers posed as lodgers and successfully rented a room in the guesthouse on a daily basis.

     According to the OLA's records, the guesthouse did not possess a licence under the Ordinance on the day of inspection. The man responsible for managing the premise was charged with contravening section 5(1) of the Ordinance.

     A department spokesman stressed that operating or managing an unlicensed guesthouse is a criminal offence and will lead to a criminal record. Upon conviction, the offender is liable to a maximum fine of $200,000 and two years' imprisonment.

     The spokesman appealed to anyone with information about suspected unlicensed guesthouses to report it to the OLA through the hotline (Tel: 2881 7498), by email (hadlaenq@had.gov.hk), by fax (2504 5805) using the report form downloaded from the OLA website (www.hadla.gov.hk), or through the mobile application "Hong Kong Licensed Hotels and Guesthouses".

     The Financial Secretary, Mr Paul Chan, today (July 31) went to Jiangmen to meet with senior officials of the Jiangmen Municipal Government and visit local enterprises.
      
     The day's programme was part of Mr Chan's tour of cities in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Bay Area.

     This morning, Mr Chan called on the Secretary of the CPC Jiangmen Municipal Committee, Mr Lin Yingwu, to exchange views on strengthening co-operation between Hong Kong and Jiangmen and working together in supporting the Bay Area's development. 
      
     Noting that Jiangmen is a crucial link connecting the eastern and western part of the Bay Area, Mr Chan expressed the hope that Hong Kong and Jiangmen can forge closer co-operation in different areas, such as finance and innovation and technology, to seize the numerous opportunities of the Bay Area.

     He also visited a Hong Kong-invested company specialising in the research and production of air-conditioning products and a Mainland enterprise that provides one-stop Internet cloud services to learn about their successful experiences in turning research into commercial products.
      
     After concluding the visit, Mr Chan returned Hong Kong this evening.
     

      

     The Transport Department (TD) today (July 31) reminded the public that to facilitate construction work for the Central-Wan Chai Bypass, the following temporary traffic and transport arrangements will be implemented in the vicinity of Tin Hau from about 12.01am to 8am this Sunday (August 5):
 
Traffic arrangements
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(1) Road closure
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     The following road sections will be temporarily closed to all vehicular traffic during the periods specified below:
 
From about 12.01am to 2am
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* The middle lane of the Island Eastern Corridor (IEC) eastbound near Victoria Park;
* The slow and middle lanes of Victoria Park Road eastbound near Victoria Park; and
* The fast lane of the IEC westbound near Victoria Park.
 
From about 2am to 6am
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* The sections of Victoria Park Road eastbound and the IEC eastbound near Victoria Park; and
* The fast lane of the IEC westbound near Victoria Park.
 
From about 6am to 8am
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* The fast lane of the IEC westbound near Victoria Park.
 
(2) Traffic diversion
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     From about 2am to 6am, vehicles along Victoria Park Road eastbound heading for the IEC or the vicinity of Tin Hau will be diverted via Gloucester Road southbound, Causeway Road eastbound and Hing Fat Street.
 
Transport arrangements
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(1) Bus diversions
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     The following bus routes will be temporarily diverted from about 2am to 6am:
 
* Cross-harbour route No. N118 will be diverted via Gloucester Road southbound, Causeway Road eastbound and Hing Fat Street; and
* Cross-harbour route No. N368 will be diverted via Gloucester Road southbound, Causeway Road eastbound, King's Road eastbound, Ngan Mok Street, Lau Li Street and King's Road westbound.
 
     Appropriate traffic signs will be erected on-site to guide motorists. The public transport operators will display notices to advise passengers of the above temporary arrangements.
 
     The TD anticipates that the traffic in the vicinity of the IEC and Victoria Park Road will be more congested. Motorists should exercise tolerance and patience in case of traffic congestion and should consider using alternative routes. Public transport commuters are advised to pay attention to the arrangements of route diversions and suspension or relocation of stops. Members of the public are advised to plan their journeys in advance and allow more travelling time, and be alert to the latest traffic news through the media.
 
     Details of the temporary traffic and transport arrangements are now available on the department's website (www.td.gov.hk).

The following is issued on behalf of the Transport Advisory Committee:

     The Transport Advisory Committee (TAC) was briefed today (July 31) by the Government on the recommended measures to further enhance the safety of franchised buses (FBs) and taxi service quality.

     Following the fatal traffic accident involving an FB on Tai Po Road in February 2018, the Transport Department (TD) set up a Working Group which comprises members from all FB operators and the major bus manufacturers to study possible measures to further enhance FB safety. 

     The TAC Chairman, Mr Larry Kwok, said "Members noted that under the recommendations of the Working Group, all new double-decker buses procured by all FB operators from July 2018 onwards will have an Electronic Stability Control system and a Speed Limiting Retarder incorporated with a view to enhancing driving safety. All passenger seats of all new buses ordered from July 2018 onwards will also have seat belts installed so as to give extra protection to passengers."

     The TAC also noted that FB operators will conduct testing and technical assessment on the feasibility of installing the above-mentioned devices in existing buses and other technological devices. Meanwhile, the TD will prepare a practice note on the training framework to align the bus captain training arrangements of the FB operators.

     "Members of the TAC welcome the recommended measures to further enhance the safety of FBs with a view to sustaining safe and reliable FB services in Hong Kong," Mr Kwok said.

     As for enhancing taxi service quality, the TAC welcomed various proposed measures for enhancing taxi service quality taken forward by the Government and the trade in concerted efforts, which include updating the taxi service standards and guidelines, enhancing the training courses on in-service taxi drivers' service quality, and reviewing the existing sanctions for various taxi malpractices.

     "Members are concerned that the complaint figures in relation to taxi service have remained high and welcome the Government's proposal to implement a two-tier penalty system for the six offences of a more serious nature, including overcharging, refusal to hire, not using the most direct practicable route, soliciting and defacing, damaging or altering of taximeters, as well as to introduce a Taxi Driver-Offence Points System. These measures will help strengthen the overall deterrent effect, so as to enhance taxi service quality," Mr Kwok added.