The Secretary for Food and Health, Professor Sophia Chan, today (July 25) visited Central and Western District to learn more about rehabilitation services and environmental hygiene conditions in the district. She also exchanged views with members of the Central and Western District Council (DC) on various local issues.
 
     Accompanied by the District Officer (Central and Western), Mrs Susanne Wong, Professor Chan first visited Phoenix Clubhouse and its clinic at the David Trench Rehabilitation Centre. Phoenix Clubhouse is jointly operated by the Centre and the Hospital Authority. She chatted with the staff and learned more about the services provided by the clubhouse.  
 
     Established by the University of Hong Kong and Queen Mary Hospital in 1998, Phoenix Clubhouse is the first Clubhouse that has been certified and recognised by Clubhouse International for providing world-class rehabilitation services, including training, employment, social and health-related programmes, to people with mental illness in Hong Kong.
 
     "The Government attaches great importance to the mental health of members of the public. As the World Health Organization puts it, there is no health without mental health. The Government strives to improve the mental health of specific sectors within the community, including children and adolescents, adults and the elderly," Professor Chan said.
 
     "As such, the Food and Health Bureau established the Advisory Committee on Mental Health last year to advise the Government on mental health policies, including the establishment of more integral and comprehensive approaches to tackle multifaceted mental health issues in Hong Kong. It will also follow up on and monitor the implementation of the recommendations of the 2017 Mental Health Review Report."
 
     Professor Chan then inspected environmental hygiene black spots in Western District. She was briefed by staff of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD) about the measures to improve environmental hygiene, including the installation of Internet protocol (IP) cameras at illegal refuse deposit black spots.
 
     To curb illegal dumping of refuse, the FEHD has progressively extended the scheme on installation of IP cameras to all districts for a trial period of one year. So far, 46 refuse deposit black spots in the territory have IP cameras installed, and three of the cameras are installed in Central and Western District. In addition, the FEHD has set up 19 dedicated enforcement teams to strengthen enforcement actions against cleanliness offences throughout the territory.
 
     "I met with the chairmen and vice-chairmen of the environmental hygiene committees of the 18 DCs yesterday. They have expressed views and suggestions on enhancing environmental hygiene in Hong Kong," Professor Chan said.
 
     "The Government is committed to enhancing the environmental hygiene in Hong Kong. The resources allocated in this area increased from $3.8 billion in 2017-18 to $4.3 billion in 2018-19. The co-operation of the general public by exercising a strong sense of civic-mindedness and self-discipline is essential for solving the environmental hygiene problem. We hope that the general public and the community could proactively participate in and support the government measures to maintain environmental hygiene together," she reiterated.
 
     Before concluding the visit, Professor Chan met with the Chairman of the Central and Western District Council, Mr Yip Wing-shing, and DC members to listen to their concerns on healthcare and environmental hygiene issues in the district.
 

        

     A company was fined $4,000 at the Kowloon City Magistrates' Courts today (July 25) for contravening the Clubs (Safety of Premises) Ordinance.
      
     The courts heard that in December last year, officers from the Office of the Licensing Authority (OLA) of the Home Affairs Department conducted inspections at a club on Cameron Road in Tsim Sha Tsui which had been operating with a certificate of compliance (CoC).
      
     OLA officers posed as customers and patronised the club for drinks without being asked to show their membership status or being invited to join the club as members. Also, the staff of the club failed to show the registered drawings upon the OLA officers' request. Conditions 17 and 19 of the CoC were breached.
      
     The company, being the CoC holder of the club, was charged with contravening section 21(2) of the Ordinance.
      
     A spokesman for the department reminded all CoC holders to comply with the conditions as stipulated therein. Enforcement action will continue to be taken against illegal club operations.

     â€‹The Secretary for Home Affairs, Mr Lau Kong-wah, met with the Vice Governor of Hubei Province, Ms Chen Anli, yesterday (July 24) upon arrival in Wuhan, Hubei.
      
     Last night, he also joined a gathering of Hong Kong people working or studying in Wuhan to hear about their lives. During the stay in Wuhan, he toured the Hubei Provincial Museum and the Museum of Wuchang Uprising of 1911 Revolution to learn more about local heritage preservation and explore possible collaboration on culture and youth development work between Hong Kong and Hubei.
      
     Mr Lau visited Jingzhou today (July 25) and met the Secretary of the CPC Jingzhou Municipal Committee, Mr He Guangzhong. He also visited local cultural heritage locations to learn about the protection and promotion of cultural heritage.
      
     Mr Lau will proceed to Beijing tomorrow (July 26). His itinerary in Beijing includes attending the closing ceremonies of the Youth Internship Programme at the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the Fin Society's internship programme. He will depart from Beijing and return to Hong Kong in the morning on July 28.

            

     A woman was fined $10,000 at the Kowloon City Magistrates' Courts today (July 25) 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), Home Affairs Department, inspected a suspected unlicensed guesthouse on Cheung Wah Street in Cheung Sha Wan. 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 woman responsible for operating the premises 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 Transport Department (TD) today (July 25) announced that, with effect from August 1 (Wednesday), the First Phase Public Car Park in Po Shek Wu Estate (PSWE) will replace the existing Sheung Shui Public Car Park (SSPCP) to provide park-and-ride (PnR) concession, while the SSPCP will cease operation and be permanently closed. The SSPCP site will be used for development works of PSWE.
 
     To encourage the public to use railway services to travel to urban areas, the coverage of the new PnR scheme will expand from four MTR stations (Kowloon Tong, Mong Kok East, Hung Hom and East Tsim Sha Tsui Stations) to most of the MTR stations (except Ma On Shan Line stations and Sheung Shui, Fanling, Tai Wo, Tai Po Market, University, Fo Tan, Sha Tin and Tai Wai Stations). Users of the PSWE First Phase Public Car Park will be eligible for the concessionary PnR charge if they use an adult Octopus card to enter the car park, and use the same Octopus card to travel to and from designated MTR stations before leaving the car park. Details of the scheme will be shown on notices displayed at the PSWE car park.
 
     The parking charges are as follows:
 

Remark:
+ Holders of the Disabled Person's Parking Permit issued by the TD will be offered a 50 per cent discount on monthly and hourly parking fees.
 
     The SSPCP will not be open for hourly parking starting from noon on July 31. Motorists must remove their vehicles from the SSPCP that day, and vehicles that are parked in the SSPCP after midnight on August 1 will be towed away and the owner or driver of the vehicle concerned will be liable to pay the associated parking fee and towing fee.