The Working Group on Developing Tourist Hotspots, led by the Deputy Chief Secretary for Administration, Mr Cheuk Wing-hing, held its first meeting today (November 8). During the meeting, Mr Cheuk led members of the Working Group to discuss how to identify and develop tourist hotspots of high popularity and with strong appeal in various districts, as well as the subsequent work plan of the Working Group.
      
     Mr Cheuk said, "Hong Kong is a cosmopolitan city where East meets West and is endowed with a wealth of tourism resources, including cuisines, unique district characteristics, stunning shorelines of Victoria Harbour, natural beauty, clansmen culture, film and television culture, historic buildings and more. Today, the Working Group discussed the prerequisites for tourist hotspots, such as whether they have Hong Kong characteristics, the potential to attract both locals and tourists, and room for developing necessary transportation and ancillary facilities. The Working Group also discussed several preliminary proposals. The Working Group will collect views and suggestions on tourist hotspots through the 18 District Offices and select suitable projects for development.
      
     "We will seek views and gather opinions from the 18 districts and various sectors of the community to develop innovative, appealing and executable projects. We will then consolidate resources and efforts from the community to take forward the projects to put into practice the goal of 'tourism is everywhere in Hong Kong'."
      
     He added, "The Working Group will, within six months, identify the projects to be undertaken along with a relevant timeline for implementation and major tasks to be carried out."
      
     Other members of the Working Group include the Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism (deputy leader), the Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development, the Secretary for Development, the Secretary for Environment and Ecology, the Secretary for Home and Youth Affairs, the Secretary for Security, the Secretary for Transport and Logistics, the Director of Home Affairs, the Director of Leisure and Cultural Services and the Commissioner for Tourism.

  

       A spokesman for the Development Bureau (DEVB) said today (November 8) that the contractor involved in the fatal industrial incident at a non-governmental construction site in Chek Lap Kok yesterday (November 7) was under the List of Approved Contractors for Public Works (the List). 
 
      The DEVB, being the party to procure services for public works, attaches great importance to the site safety performance of all construction sites under the purview of contractors on the List (regardless of whether the sites are governmental construction sites or not). The DEVB issued a notification to the contractor concerned today to suspend it from tendering for public works contracts in the buildings category with immediate effect pursuant to the regulating regime. The contractor concerned has to conduct an independent safety audit to review its safety management system. Taking cognisance of the outcome of the independent safety audit, the contractor is required to submit an improvement action plan and implement improvement measures, with a view to demonstrating that it has an effective safety management system before the lifting of the suspension from tendering can be considered. The suspension from tendering is not only confined to future tender exercises, but is also applicable to tender exercises with procedures initiated but not concluded.

      The Labour Department is investigating this industrial incident and will handle it in accordance with the law. Subject to the investigation findings, the DEVB may impose further regulating actions on the contractor concerned later on, including extension of the period of suspension from tendering for public works contracts and even removal from the List.

     The Leisure and Cultural Services Department announced today (November 8) that the park located east of Fan Kam Road (i.e. the area of holes 1-8 of the Old Course of the Fanling Golf Course) will be temporarily closed from November 11 to 27 to facilitate a golf competition to be held at the Fanling Golf Course. The fee-charging carpark will not be open for public use from November 18 to 24 during the course of the event. The 5-a-side hard-surface soccer pitches will not be affected. Users can access the pitches via a path adjacent to the park's entrance. 

     The park will be reopened for public use at 9am on November 28. For enquiries, please contact the venue staff at 2295 3118. 

     A contractor (the defendant) was fined $90,000 at the Kwun Tong Magistrates' Courts today (November 8) for violations of the Construction Sites (Safety) Regulations. The prosecutions were launched by the Labour Department (LD).

     The case involved a fatal accident that occurred on May 7, 2022, during the maintenance work of a residential unit in Jordan, Kowloon. A scaffolder, while preparing a truss-out scaffold erection on an external wall, fell to the ground and died.

     Since the summonses could not be served to the defendant successfully, and the defendant had been absent from previous hearings, the court upon the LD's application issued warrants for arresting the defendant. The defendant was then arrested and brought to court by the Police for the case hearings.

     The LD adopts a zero-tolerance attitude towards unsafe working-at-height activities and will spare no effort to bring duty-holders who defy the law to justice.

     Moreover, the revised Code of Practice for Bamboo Scaffolding Safety, which came into effect on October 19, enhances the safety requirements for truss-out scaffolding work. For details, please refer to the LD's press release issued on October 18.

     Police will implement special traffic arrangements this Sunday (November 10) to facilitate a public order event to be held on Hong Kong Island.

Road closure
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     In addition to the Chater Road and Ice House Street Pedestrian Precinct which will be implemented from 7am to 11.59pm, the following roads will be closed from 9am to noon:

– Westbound Chater Road between Murray Road and Jackson Road; and
– Jackson Road.

    Westbound Connaught Road Central and westbound Harcourt Road Flyover between Cotton Tree Drive and Ice House Street will be closed from 10.55am to 11.03am.

Traffic diversions
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     Traffic along westbound Lambeth Walk heading for westbound Connaught Road Central will be diverted to southbound Murray Road, eastbound Queensway, northbound Arsenal Street and westbound Harcourt Road from 9am to noon.

     Traffic along westbound Harcourt Road heading for westbound Connaught Road Central will be diverted to southbound Cotton Tree Drive flyover, westbound Queensway, westbound Queen’s Road Central and northbound Pedder Street from 10.55am to 11.03am.

     Actual implementation of the traffic arrangements will be made depending on traffic and crowd conditions in the area. Motorists are advised to exercise tolerance and patience and take heed of instructions of the Police on site.