While celebrating its 6th anniversary, the Police Anti-Deception Coordination Centre (ADCC) organised a tram tour today (July 20). The Commissioner of Police, Mr Siu Chak-yee, and representatives of 16 public and private organi… read more
The Secretary for Security, Mr Tang Ping-keung, called on the Zhongshan Municipal Public Security Bureau and conducted visit activities in Foshan and Zhongshan today (July 20), completing his series of visits to all cities of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA) in recent months.
Mr Tang called on Vice Mayor of Zhongshan cum Director-General of the Zhongshan Municipal Public Security Bureau, Mr Lu Gang, in the afternoon. Deputy head of the Zhongshan Municipal Emergency Management Bureau Mr Peng Shangzhan was in attendance. Mr Tang exchanged views with them on issues including combatting cross-boundary crimes and emergency management, and explored co-operation in different fields for enhancing synergistic development. Mr Tang introduced in the meeting a new plan formulated by the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Government to further enhance the capability of GBA cities in handling incidents together, including strengthening exchanges on technology and knowledge, resource sharing, as well as emergency mobilisation co-ordination.
Mr Tang said that after concluding the visit to Zhongshan, he has completed the series of visits to all GBA cities starting from April this year. He expressed his gratitude to the public security bureaux, emergency management bureaux and fire and rescue brigades of all the cities for studying the relevant emergency response plan with the leadership and co-ordination of the Guangdong Provincial Government. He said he looked forward to holding joint working meetings later to take forward the plan.
Mr Tang then visited the e-Park (Zhongshan) and learnt more about its operation. He also chatted and exchanged views with young Hong Kong entrepreneurs, and explored how the HKSAR Government could help their development in the GBA. During his stay in Foshan, Mr Tang enjoyed martial arts performances at the Feihong Pavilion in Nanhai and learnt more about the origin, inheritance and development of Foshan’s martial arts culture. Mr Tang praised the local use of innovative technologies to present the diversity of traditional martial arts, which perfectly combined tradition and modernity. Such creative methods provide great inspiration to the future work of the bureau.
　　Mr Tang concluded the two-day visit to Zhaoqing, Foshan and Zhongshan, and returned to Hong Kong in the evening.
The Task Force on District Governance chaired by the Deputy Chief Secretary for Administration (DCS), Mr Cheuk Wing-hing, convened the first meeting today (July 20) to proactively follow up on the implementation of initiatives endorsed by the Steering Committee on District Governance in respect of five key district issues.
Mr Cheuk said, “District governance is inextricably related to people’s livelihood. The Government will endeavour to improve district governance with a view to addressing issues of concerns to the community. I will be fully committed at the Task Force to spearheading and co-ordinating district work, steering departments to implement policy measures and follow up on district issues, such that the Government’s services at the district level can be more effective and targeted in response to the needs of the public.”
The Steering Committee chaired by the Chief Secretary for Administration (CS) held the first meeting on July 12 and formulated strategies in relation to five key areas of community interests. The Task Force discussed at the meeting the implementation details and timetable as follows:
(1) Expanding after-school care service and enhancing support for parents
The Social Welfare Department (SWD) will launch the School-based After School Care Service Pilot Scheme in the new school year to allow students in need to stay after school to receive care and learning support. The Education Bureau has started identifying primary schools with more target students (underprivileged/single-parent families) in districts with a higher concentration of subdivided unit households (namely Kowloon City, Yau Tsim Mong, Sham Shui Po, Kwun Tong, Kwai Tsing and Tsuen Wan). The target is to commence a one-year programme starting from this September and provide 50 primary schools with a maximum of 3 000 service quotas in total.
(2) Caring for the elderly and enhancing community support
The Leisure and Cultural Services Department will replace and improve existing fitness equipment in various districts, including firstly setting up additional fitness equipment for the elderly in 12 leisure venues in this financial year, increase recreational activities suitable for elderly, and provide umbrellas for loan to the elderly in need on a trial basis in 18 major parks across the territory in the fourth quarter of this year.
The SWD will strengthen its resources and efforts in identifying and caring for elders in need, including identifying hidden elders and carers in need through home visits by the District Services and Community Care Teams (Care Teams) for referral to the SWD and social welfare units for follow-up and support. The target is to launch trials with the Care Teams of Tsuen Wan and Southern Districts by the end of this year.
(3) Fostering clean markets and mobilising the community to participate in anti-rodent work
In addition to stepping up efforts to clear up locations with ongoing irregularities, the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD) will improve the environmental hygiene of public markets and cooked food markets on various fronts, including improving the hardware of toilets in about 30 venues and their cleansing services; strengthening inspection and enforcement against irregularities such as shopfront extensions by stalls; and expediting the overhaul of market stalls by utilising “Design for Manufacture and Assembly” and “Modular Integrated Construction” on a trial basis at suitable venues on Hong Kong Island, in Kowloon and the New Territories.
The FEHD will also adopt a multi-pronged approach in enhancing anti-rodent work, including strengthening overnight rodent control teams; active adoption of new rodent detection and control technologies (e.g. artificial intelligence and thermal imaging); joining hands with relevant departments to drive participation by all sectors in anti-rodent work, etc.
(4) Enhancing public order and combatting crimes on all fronts
The Police will further strengthen patrol coverage as well as the work and visibility of enforcement, and step up patrols and installation of closed-circuit television at crime blackspots and crowded hotspots based on risk assessment and district intelligence. The Customs and Excise Department will also intensify its efforts in combatting illicit cigarettes, copyright infringement offences and unfair trade practices, including conducting patrols at popular tourist shopping spots and parallel trading hotspots.
(5) Improving pedestrian facilities and ensuring road safety
The Highways Department will expand the repaving of footpaths, with the target of firstly commencing works on a total of 20 sections of public footpaths by the end of this year. The Transport Department will also install new auxiliary devices with red light beam projections at pedestrian crossing blackspots in various districts, with the target of completing installation at a total of 100 locations by the end of next year.
The above apart, the Task Force also reviewed the experience of displaying publicity materials in celebration of the 26th anniversary of the establishment of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, and instructed departments to start preparatory work for making related arrangements to mark the 74th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China. The Task Force also received report on the work of the Care Teams and directed Care Teams to enhance co-operation with departments in suitable service areas.
Mr Cheuk pointed out to attending Heads of Departments that the Central Government attaches great importance to the work of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region in improving district governance. He urged departments to actively follow up on related work and demonstrate to the community that the Hong Kong civil service is efficient, outstanding and wholeheartedly working for the people, with a view to enhancing the public’s sense of achievement and contentment.
　　He continued, “I am confident that under the refined district governance structure, with the collective efforts and collaboration of departments, we will certainly be able to live up to our mandate and succeed in accomplishing the mission.”
The Government announced on May 2 the proposals on improving district governance, which include reforming the District Councils and strengthening the district governance structure. Under the new district governance structure, the Steering Committee chaired by the CS will be responsible for taking a leading role in the overall strategies, policies and measures, work priorities and resource allocation of district governance, whereas the Task Force chaired by the DCS will be responsible for steering and co-ordinating the district work of various bureaux and departments, implementing the poilicies and measures concerned, and, as necessary, co-ordinating inter-departmental and/or cross-district issues.
The terms of reference and membership of the Task Force are in Annex I and Annex II respectively.
​The Secretary for Environment and Ecology, Mr Tse Chin-wan, concluded his visit to Guangzhou and Zhaoqing today (July 20).
Mr Tse visited Nansha District of Guangzhou yesterday morning (July 19). He first visited a high-rise pig farm to learn about the technology and operation of modernised pig farms. The pig farm is currently the highest livestock complex in Guangdong Province. Thereafter, he also visited a vegetable farm and received a briefing from a representative of the farm on their advanced facilities and agricultural product safety tracking system.
Yesterday afternoon, Mr Tse visited the Guangdong International Fishery High Tech Park and exchanged views on aquaculture, recreational fishing, integrated training and services schemes, etc. He also learnt about the high-density closed recirculating aquaculture system adopted in the Park. Thereafter, he visited the Vegetable Basket Project (Zengcheng) Customs Clearance Facilitation Zone of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA). The Zone, which came into operation in mid-2020, aims to strengthen the co-operation in the food safety of agricultural products in the GBA and enhance the quality of agricultural products.
Mr Tse visited Conghua Racecourse this morning together with the Director-General of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Affairs of Guangdong Province, Mr Liu Zonghui; the Executive Director of Corporate Affairs of the Hong Kong Jockey Club, Mr Raymond Tam; and the Executive Director of Racing of the Hong Kong Jockey Club, Mr Andrew Harding, to exchange views on deepening co-operation between the Mainland and the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government on matters such as developing the GBA’s equine industry. Conghua Racecourse is the first thoroughbred horse training centre and a racecourse on the Mainland that meets the highest world standards, providing a support base for horses in Hong Kong to travel along the biosecurity passage between Hong Kong and the Equine Disease Free Zone in Conghua for training purposes.
Mr Tse returned to Hong Kong this afternoon.
The Secretary for Health, Professor Lo Chung-mau, visited the Tin Shui Wai (Tin Yip Road) Community Health Centre (CHC) this afternoon (July 20) to get a better grasp of the operation of the CHC and how its services are complementing the Government’s policy initiatives in enhancing primary healthcare development.
Accompanied by the Chief Executive of the Hospital Authority (HA), Dr Tony Ko, and the Cluster Chief Executive of New Territories West Cluster of the HA, Dr Wong Yiu-chung, Professor Lo received an introduction by CHC staff on the primary healthcare services (including general out-patient services, treatment for episodic illnesses and chronic diseases, and nursing services) as well as the pharmaceutical services available at the CHC.
Professor Lo was delighted to learn that the Tin Shui Wai (Tin Yip Road) CHC, which is the city’s first CHC designed to fit the Government’s primary healthcare development strategy and service model, has been striving to provide citizens with integrated multi-disciplinary medical, nursing and allied health services since its commencement in 2012. Their services strengthen the support to patients’ daily healthcare at the community level and minimise their need for hospitalisation, thereby alleviating the pressure on the public healthcare system.
The CHCs under the HA generally provide services including medical consultations as well as health risk assessments and specific care services delivered by multi-disciplinary teams for patients with chronic diseases such as diabetes and hypertension, with a view to reducing the risk of complications and medical attention needs of chronic patients. Healthcare professionals of the CHCs also offer other services such as wound care, fall risk assessment and management, smoking cessation counselling and dietetic advice. Moreover, patient empowerment services and facilities are available at the CHCs to assist patients to utilise community resources and strengthen their ability in disease management.
Professor Lo pointed out that the ageing population and increasing prevalence of chronic diseases in Hong Kong have exerted considerable pressure on the public healthcare system. The Primary Healthcare Blueprint released in December last year highlights a series of reform measures to ramp up primary healthcare services in Hong Kong. It is the Government’s aim to shift the emphasis of the healthcare system from its current treatment-oriented, hospital-based structure to a prevention-focused, community-based system.
To this end, the Government will launch the Chronic Disease Co-Care Pilot Scheme (CDCC Scheme) later this year. Adopting a government-participant co-payment model, the CDCC Scheme will enable Hong Kong residents aged 45 or above to enjoy personalised, convenient and time-saving private primary healthcare services in a pleasant environment at affordable prices, thus releasing public healthcare resources as well as enabling the public healthcare system to focus on being the basic safety net for the public to provide more quality services to socially disadvantaged groups.
