The Transport Department (TD) today (August 22) announced that the auction of traditional vehicle registration marks will be held on September 3 (Saturday) in Meeting Room N101, L1, New Wing, Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre, Wan Chai.

     "A total of 300 vehicle registration marks will be put up for public auction. The list of marks has been uploaded to the department's website, www.td.gov.hk," a department spokesman said.
           
     Applicants who have paid a deposit of $1,000 to reserve a mark for auction should also participate in the bidding (including the first bid at the reserve price of $1,000). Otherwise, the mark concerned may be sold to another bidder at the reserve price.

     People who wish to participate in the bidding at the auction should take note of the following important points:

(1) Successful bidders are required to produce the following documents for completion of registration and payment procedures immediately after the successful bidding:
(i) the identity document of the successful bidder;
(ii) the identity document of the purchaser if it is different from the successful bidder;
(iii) a copy of the Certificate of Incorporation if the purchaser is a body corporate; and
(iv) a crossed cheque made payable to "The Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region" or "The Government of the HKSAR". (For an auctioned mark paid for by cheque, the first three working days after the date of auction will be required for cheque clearance confirmation before processing of the application for mark assignment can be completed.) Successful bidders can also pay through the Easy Pay System (EPS). Payment by post-dated cheques, cash or other methods will not be accepted.

(2) Purchasers must make payment of the purchase price through EPS or by crossed cheque and complete the Memorandum of Sale of Registration Mark immediately after the bidding. Subsequent alteration of the particulars in the memorandum will not be permitted.

(3) A vehicle registration mark can only be assigned to a motor vehicle which is registered in the name of the purchaser. The Certificate of Incorporation must be produced immediately by the purchaser if a vehicle registration mark purchased is to be registered under the name of a body corporate.

(4) Special registration marks are non-transferable. Where the ownership of a motor vehicle with a special registration mark is transferred, the allocation of the special registration mark shall be cancelled.

(5) The purchaser shall, within 12 months after the date of auction, apply to the Commissioner for Transport for the registration mark to be assigned to a motor vehicle registered in the name of the purchaser. If the purchaser fails to assign the registration mark within 12 months, allocation of the mark will be cancelled and arranged for re-allocation in accordance with the statutory provision without prior notice to the purchaser.

(6) In view of public health concerns, all persons entering the auction venue will have to undergo on-the‑spot body temperature checks arranged by the TD. Any member of the public whose body temperature is higher than 37.5 degrees Celsius or who refuses to undergo a body temperature check will be denied entry to the auction hall and the payment office. The TD also requests all persons entering the auction hall and the payment office to wear masks and clean their hands with alcohol-based sanitiser, and to wear masks throughout the duration of the auction and payment process.

(7) In order to reduce the risk of the virus spreading, the TD will adjust the distance between seats and the number of seats in the auction hall and the payment office, and implement crowd-control measures. The auction venue will be disinfected before the commencement of the morning and afternoon sessions. The TD also appeals to the bidders to reduce the number of accompanying persons as far as possible.

(8) To align with the Government's arrangement on the strict enforcement of the use of the "LeaveHomeSafe" mobile application when entering government buildings or offices, except for exempted persons, members of the public are required to use the app to scan the venue QR code before they are allowed to enter the auction venue (including the auction hall and the payment office). Persons who are aged below 12 or aged 65 or above, and those with disabilities that render use of the "LeaveHomeSafe" app difficult, will be exempted from the requirement of using the app when they enter the auction venue. However, they are required to complete a record form to register their names, the first four digits or letters of their identification documents, their contact numbers and the date and time of their visits. They are also required to present relevant identification documents for verification at the request of the TD staff during registration. TD staff will also verify the contact numbers by making phone calls. As a result of the arrangement, members of the public are advised to remain patient as the waiting time for entering the auction venue may be lengthened. Unwillingness to use the app will not be considered as justification for granting exemption.

     For other auction details, please refer to the Guidance Notes – Auction of Vehicle Registration Marks, which can be downloaded from the department's website, www.td.gov.hk.

     The Innovation and Technology Commission today (August 22) said that the Commissioner for Innovation and Technology, Ms Rebecca Pun, had interactions with a person who had tested preliminarily positive for COVID-19. She is undergoing home quarantine in accordance with the guidelines of the Centre for Health Protection of the Department of Health.

     Ms Pun has taken COVID-19 rapid antigen tests regularly with negative test results obtained. She also tested negative after conducting a COVID-19 rapid antigen test today.

     Two property owners were convicted and each fined $5,295 at the Kwun Tong Magistrates' Courts early this month for failing to comply with fire safety improvement directions issued under the Fire Safety (Commercial Premises) Ordinance (FS(CP)O) (Cap. 502).

     The Buildings Department (BD) issued fire safety improvement directions under section 5(1A) of the FS(CP)O to the property owners of two premises in a 40-year-old specified commercial building at Ma Tau Wai Road, Kowloon City, requiring them to comply with certain fire safety construction requirements, which include providing fire-rated doors at the unit entrances and fire-rated walls separating the units from the common corridor.

     Failing to comply with the statutory directions, the property owners were prosecuted by the BD and were convicted and fined by the court on August 4.

     "According to the FS(CP)O, failing to comply with a statutory direction issued under the ordinance without reasonable excuse is a serious offence. The BD may instigate prosecution proceedings against the owner of the specified commercial building under the ordinance", a spokesman for the BD said today (August 22).

     Pursuant to section 5(7)(b) of the FS(CP)O, any person who, without reasonable excuse, fails to comply with a statutory direction, commits an offence and is liable on conviction to a fine at level 4 ($25,000 at present) and to a further fine of $2,500 for each day of non-compliance. Upon conviction, an application may also be made to a court for a Fire Safety Improvement Compliance Order against the owner under section 6(1) of the FS(CP)O directing the owner to comply with the requirements of the direction.

     â€‹The Director-General of Investment Promotion at Invest Hong Kong (InvestHK), Mr Stephen Phillips, today (August 22) started his duty visit to Sydney, Brisbane and Melbourne in Australia, and Auckland in New Zealand as part of the latest efforts of InvestHK to promote Hong Kong's business attractions, including the huge opportunities arising from the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA).
              
     During the visit, Mr Phillips will meet with high-potential companies from innovation and technology, financial services and family offices, fintech, business and professional services, and transport, infrastructure and advanced manufacturing sectors to discuss their plans of setting up or expanding in Hong Kong. He will also speak to start-ups and entrepreneurs of the Sydney Knowledge Hub of the University of Sydney to introduce the start-up ecosystem and talent attraction initiatives in Hong Kong, and host briefings for companies and business organisations across different sectors in Australia and New Zealand to provide an update on Hong Kong's latest developments.
                  
     Mr Phillips said, "Hong Kong is an ideal location for overseas and Mainland companies, as well as entrepreneurs from around the world, as a base to set up or expand their business in Hong Kong, the GBA, China, and Asia more widely. The facts speak for themselves: in two surveys conducted last year, we saw a record number of businesses from overseas and the Mainland come to Hong Kong, as well as the largest number of start-ups in Hong Kong."
                  
     He added, "Hong Kong offers Australian and New Zealand companies a wide range of routes to growth opportunities. I look forward to sharing with representatives of companies and entrepreneurs the up-to-date and real situation in Hong Kong, and particularly how they can use Hong Kong to seize opportunities, including those arising from the GBA."

     The Innovation, Technology and Industry Bureau and its departments together with the Yuen Long Police District and the Department of Health conducted an enforcement operation today (August 22) at a building in Tin Shui Wai, which was included in a compulsory testing notice earlier. The operation started at 7am and ended at 10am today.

     Starting from 7am today, persons subject to compulsory testing of Block 7, Locwood Court, Kingswood Villas, Tin Shui Wai, were requested to provide the SMS notification received through a mobile phone or related certification containing the results of COVID-19 tests, to show that they had taken such tests as required pursuant to the compulsory testing notice of the building within the specified period issued by the Government earlier on. The Government arranged for staff to verify the testing certifications of the persons subject to compulsory testing at the entrances/exits of the building, to verify whether persons subject to compulsory testing had undergone testing in compliance with the requirement.

     During the operation, 233 persons were checked. Among them, three persons were found to have violated the compulsory testing notice. The Government has issued compulsory testing orders to them, requiring them to undergo testing within a specified period. Fixed penalty notices of $10,000 each were also issued to two of them.

     The Government wishes to thank the many residents who had complied with the compulsory testing notice for their co-operation to fight against the virus together. The Government will continue to enforce the law strictly. All persons subject to compulsory testing should comply with the compulsory testing notice. Any person who fails to comply with the compulsory testing notices commits an offence and may be fined a fixed penalty of $10,000. The person would also be issued with a compulsory testing order requiring him or her to undergo testing within a specified time frame. Failure to comply with the compulsory testing order is an offence and the offender would be liable to a fine at level 5 ($50,000) and imprisonment for six months.

     The Innovation, Technology and Industry Bureau and its departments are grateful for the support and co-operation of the residents and relevant organisations. The Government understands that the enforcement process may cause some inconvenience to the residents, but hopes that the residents can understand.