Following is a question by the Hon Chan Chun-ying and a written reply by the Secretary for Health, Professor Lo Chung-mau, in the Legislative Council today (July 17): Question: Following the imple… read more
The following is issued on behalf of the Hospital Authority:
The Hospital Authority (HA) welcomed the passage of the Nurses Registration (Amendment) Bill 2023 at the Legislative Council today (July 17), which opens up new pathways for admitting eligible non-locally trained nurses to practice in Hong Kong. The HA will fully support the Government’s policy by proactively launching promotions in different countries and regions and actively recruiting more non-locally trained nurses to alleviate the pressure on public hospitals.
“The amended Bill will help the HA to expand the source of nursing manpower supply so as to maintain the sustainability of public healthcare services. In view of the aging population and increasing demand for healthcare services, the HA has proceeded with the two Hospital Development Plans to increase hardware facilities and the service capacity of public healthcare. In addition, to continuously attracting local healthcare talent, the HA can also recruit more eligible non-locally trained nurses through the new limited registration/enrolment and special registration/enrolment pathways to cope with the increasing service needs,” an HA spokesperson said.
“The HA is planning to visit various countries and regions, including Singapore this month and Malaysia in August, to promote this new policy and introduce development opportunities in our public hospitals in order to attract eligible non-locally trained nurses to practice in Hong Kong. The HA will have dedicated staff to provide one-stop support and counselling services to interested applicants, including offering employment information, following up on enquiries and handling related applications.”
In addition, the HA has been encouraging professional exchanges between local nurses and their counterparts worldwide, including the Greater Bay Area Specialty Nursing Knowledge-exchange Programme launched earlier. The HA will actively reach out to healthcare professional institutions and organisations in different countries and regions to promulgate the policy, as well as to explore various forms of exchange programmes under the new registration/enrolment system, in a view to enhancing the overall standard of the nursing profession.
The spokesperson emphasised that locally trained healthcare professionals remain the cornerstone of the public healthcare service. The HA will continue to prioritise the recruitment of suitable locally trained nurses, while also adopting various human resource initiatives, which include continuous enhancement of professional development, training opportunities and career ladders of nursing staff, as well as continue the recruitment of full-time and part-time nurses and the Special Retired and Rehire Scheme, etc, to increase and retain nursing manpower. read more
The Financial Services and the Treasury Bureau (FSTB) and the Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) jointly issued today (July 17) the consultation conclusions on the legislative proposal to implement a regulatory regime for fiat-referenced stablecoin (FRS) issuers in Hong Kong.
During the two-month public consultation period completed in February this year, 108 submissions from market participants, industry associations, business and professional organisations and other stakeholders were received. A vast majority of respondents agreed that with the increased prevalence and evolving development of virtual assets (VAs), a regulatory regime should be introduced for FRS issuers, with a view to facilitating proper management of the potential monetary and financial stability risks, as well as providing transparent and suitable guardrails. The proposed regulatory requirements and implementation arrangements received general support from respondents, with some further enhancements suggested in the submissions.
The Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury, Mr Christopher Hui, said, “In addition to the existing regulatory regime for VA trading platforms, the establishment of a licensing regime for FRS issuers will further strengthen the VA regulatory framework in Hong Kong in line with international standards and effectively mitigate possible financial stability risks associated with FRS issuance activities.”
The Chief Executive of the HKMA, Mr Eddie Yue, said, “We are grateful for the respondents’ valuable comments and are encouraged by the general support for the proposed regulatory regime. We believe that a well-regulated environment is conducive to the sustainable and responsible development of the stablecoin ecosystem in Hong Kong.”
The FSTB and the HKMA will take into account the views and suggestions from respondents in finalising the legislative proposal for implementing the regulatory regime, with a view to introducing a bill into the Legislative Council as soon as possible.
The consultation conclusions are available on the websites of the FSTB and the HKMA. The HKMA is also processing the applications for the stablecoin issuer sandbox, with the list of sandbox participants to be announced shortly. read more
The Home Affairs Department is opening 19 community halls/community centres as temporary heat shelters today (July 17).
The temporary heat shelters will remain open for people to take refuge from the heat when the Very Hot Weather Warning is in force. From 10.30pm to 8am the next day, the temporary heat shelters will also provide bedding and a sleeping place for people in need. The shelters are manned by duty attendants.
For further information, please call the department’s hotline before midnight on 2572 8427.
The heat shelters are located at:
Hong Kong Island:
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Central and Western –
Sai Ying Pun Community Complex Community Hall
3/F, Sai Ying Pun Community Complex
2 High Street, Sai Ying Pun
Eastern –
Causeway Bay Community Centre
3/F, 7 Fook Yum Road, Causeway Bay
Southern –
Lei Tung Community Hall
Lei Tung Estate, Ap Lei Chau
Wan Chai –
Wan Chai Activities Centre
LG/F, Wan Chai Market, 258 Queen’s Road East, Wan Chai
Kowloon Districts:
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Kowloon City –
Hung Hom Community Hall
1/F, Kowloon City Government Offices
42 Bailey Street, Hung Hom
Kwun Tong –
Lam Tin (West) Estate Community Centre
71 Kai Tin Road, Lam Tin
Sham Shui Po –
Shek Kip Mei Community Hall
G/F, Block 42, Shek Kip Mei Estate, Sham Shui Po
Wong Tai Sin –
Tsz Wan Shan (South) Estate Community Centre
45 Wan Wah Street, Tsz Wan Shan
Yau Tsim Mong –
Henry G Leong Yaumatei Community Centre
60 Public Square Street, Yau Ma Tei
New Territories Districts:
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Islands –
Tung Chung Community Hall
G/F, Tung Chung Municipal Services Building, 39 Man Tung Road, Tung Chung
Kwai Tsing –
Kwai Shing Community Hall
Podium, Block 6, Kwai Shing West Estate, Kwai Chung
North –
Cheung Wah Community Hall
Cheung Wah Estate, Fanling
Sai Kung –
Hang Hau Community Hall
G/F, Sai Kung Tseung Kwan O Government Complex, 38 Pui Shing Road, Hang Hau, Tseung Kwan O
Sha Tin –
Lung Hang Estate Community Centre
Lung Hang Estate, Sha Tin
Tai Po –
Tai Po Community Centre
2 Heung Sze Wui Street, Tai Po
Tsuen Wan –
Lei Muk Shue Community Hall
G/F, Hong Shue House, Lei Muk Shue Estate, Tsuen Wan
Tuen Mun –
Butterfly Bay Community Centre
Butterfly Estate (near Tip Sum House), Tuen Mun
Yuen Long –
Long Ping Community Hall
Long Ping Estate, Yuen Long
Yuen Long –
Tin Yiu Community Centre
Tin Yiu Estate, Tin Shui Wai
In addition to the above heat shelters, a number of community halls/community centres can also be used for taking refuge from the heat during their operating hours. For their address details, please browse the following document: www.had.gov.hk/file_manager/en/documents/public_services/emergency_services/List_CH_CC_Day_E.pdf. read more
Two non-local men were convicted of money laundering about HK$18 million by using air parcels to cause to be imported a large quantity of undeclared cash into Hong Kong, in contravention of the Cross-boundary Movement of Physical Currency and Bearer Negotiable Instruments Ordinance (CBNIO) and the Organized and Serious Crimes Ordinance (OSCO). The two men were sentenced to 28 months and 30 months imprisonment respectively at the District Court today (July 17).
In February 2023, Hong Kong Customs intercepted an air parcel, declared as carrying clothes and books, arriving in Hong Kong from Korea, at Hong Kong International Airport. Customs officers seized a batch of undeclared foreign currency banknotes with a total value of about HK$1.2 million inside. Subsequently, the two non-local men were arrested in Tai Kok Tsui. Follow-up investigations revealed that the two men had repeatedly caused to be imported undeclared cash into Hong Kong to launder crime proceeds since December 2022. The total amount involved reached a total of about HK$18 million.
Customs welcomed the sentence. The custodial sentence has imposed a considerable deterrent effect and reflects the seriousness of money-laundering offences.
Under the CBNIO, a person commits an offence if he or she imports or exports, or causes to be imported or exported, in one batch a large quantity of CBNIs (i.e. the total value of which is more than HK$120,000) for which no declaration has been made. The maximum penalty upon conviction is a fine of $500,000 and imprisonment for two years. Meanwhile, under the OSCO, a person commits an offence if he or she deals with any property knowing or having reasonable grounds to believe that such property in whole or in part directly or indirectly represents any person’s proceeds of an indictable offence. The maximum penalty upon conviction is a fine of $5 million and imprisonment for 14 years while the crime proceeds are also subject to confiscation.
Members of the public may report any suspected violation of the above-mentioned ordinances to Customs’ 24-hour hotline 2545 6182 or its dedicated crime-reporting email account (crimereport@customs.gov.hk) or online form (eform.cefs.gov.hk/form/ced002). read more