Author Archives: hksar gov

     The Financial Secretary, under the authority delegated by the Chief Executive, has re-appointed Dr James C Lin and Mr Victor Dawes, SC, as Non-Executive Directors of the Securities and Futures Commission (SFC). The two-year term of … read more

     The Home Affairs Department will open 18 temporary night heat shelters tonight (July 15) for people in need of the service.
 
     The shelters will be open from 10.30pm until 8am tomorrow.
 
     In light of the implementation of mandatory use of the “LeaveHomeSafe” mobile application when entering government premises, all persons are required to use the app to scan the venue QR code before they are allowed to enter temporary night heat shelters, except for exempted persons (including persons who are aged below 12 or aged 65 or above, persons with disabilities that render use of the app difficult and persons without smartphones). All exempted persons are required to complete a prescribed form to register their personal particulars, contact phone number and the date and time of entry. The staff will verify the information provided.
 
     For further information, please call the department’s hotline before midnight on 2572 8427.
 
     The night heat shelters are located at:
 
Hong Kong Districts:
———————
 
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 –
Wah Kwai Community Centre
Wah Kwai Estate, Kellett Bay
 
Wan Chai –
Wan Chai Activities Centre
LG/F, Wan Chai Market, 258 Queen’s Road East, Wan Chai
 
Kowloon Districts:
——————
 
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:
————————–
 
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 –
Chi Shin Activity Centre
G/F, Tseung Kwan O South Ancillary Facilities Block, 5 Chi Shin Street, 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 –
Wu Shan Road Community Hall
101 Wu Shan Road, Tuen Mun
 
Yuen Long –
Long Ping Community Hall
Long Ping Estate, Yuen Long
 
     The temporary night heat shelters will resume their functions as community centres or community halls in the daytime for hire by the local community.
 
     People may choose to take refuge from the heat during the daytime in the common areas of the designated community centres and community halls. For the addresses of these designated community centres and community halls, 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

     The Centre for Food Safety (CFS) of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department announced today (July 15) that a kind of frozen confection imported from Thailand was found to contain a total bacterial count exceeding the legal limit. A follow-up is in progress.

     Product details are as follows:

 Product name: Frozen Cream Sauce
 Net weight: 500 grams
 Brand: After You Dessert Café
 Place of origin: Thailand
 Importer: Skyfair Trading Limited
 Use-by date: April 29, 2023

     A spokesman for the CFS said, “The CFS collected the above-mentioned frozen confection at the import level for testing under its routine Food Surveillance Programme. Test results of two samples showed a total bacterial count of 68 000 and 70 000 per gram respectively, exceeding the legal limit.

     “The CFS has informed the importer concerned of the irregularity and instructed it to stop selling the affected product immediately. The affected product has been stored in a cold store, and has not entered the market.”

     Under the Frozen Confections Regulation (Cap. 132AC), frozen confection for sale should not contain more than 50 000 bacteria per gram. The maximum penalty for offenders is a fine of $10,000 and three months’ imprisonment upon conviction. The fact that the total bacterial count exceeded the legal limit indicated that the hygienic conditions were unsatisfactory, but did not mean that consumption would lead to food poisoning.

     The CFS will continue to follow up on the case and take appropriate action to safeguard food safety and public health. read more

     The Environmental Protection Department (EPD) today (July 15) released the latest grading of water quality for 38 gazetted beaches (see Note 1) and one non-gazetted beach (i.e. Discovery Bay, see Note 2).
   
     Eight beaches were rated as Good (Grade 1), 18 as Fair (Grade 2), 11 as Poor (Grade 3) and two as Very Poor (Grade 4).
 
Grade 1 beaches are:

Hap Mun Bay Beach*	Stanley Main Beach*
Kiu Tsui Beach	Tai Po Lung Mei Beach*
Lo So Shing Beach	Trio Beach*
Silverstrand Beach*	Upper Cheung Sha Beach

 
Grade 2 beaches are:

Cafeteria New Beach	Lower Cheung Sha Beach
Cheung Chau Tung Wan Beach*	Middle Bay Beach
Chung Hom Kok Beach	Pui O Beach*
Clear Water Bay First Beach	Repulse Bay Beach*
Clear Water Bay Second Beach*	Shek O Beach*
Deep Water Bay Beach*	South Bay Beach
Discovery Bay	St Stephen’s Beach
Hung Shing Yeh Beach*	Tong Fuk Beach
Kwun Yam Beach	Turtle Cove Beach

Grade 3 beaches are:

Approach Beach	Kadoorie Beach*
Big Wave Bay Beach	Lido Beach*
Butterfly Beach*	Ma Wan Tung Wan Beach*
Cafeteria Old Beach	Silver Mine Bay Beach*
Casam Beach*	Ting Kau Beach*
Golden Beach*

 
Grade 4 beaches are:

Castle Peak Beach	Hoi Mei Wan Beach

     Compared with the grading released last week, Tai Po Lung Mei Beach has been upgraded from Grade 2 to Grade 1, Chung Hom Kok Beach from Grade 3 to Grade 2, and Big Wave Bay Beach from Grade 4 to Grade 3. Cafeteria Old Beach and Golden Beach have been changed from Grade 2 to Grade 3.
 
     “We observed that the unstable weather in early July has led to poor water quality at beaches, but the recovery of water quality is slower than expected. The beaches in Tuen Mun and Tsuen Wan Districts are still being affected by the unfavourable marine conditions in the region. We will continue to closely monitor the beaches,” an EPD spokesman said. 
 
     Under the present grading system, beaches are classified into four grades, namely Good (Grade 1), Fair (Grade 2), Poor (Grade 3) and Very Poor (Grade 4), according to the level of E. coli in the water. Grades are calculated on the basis of the geometric mean of the E. coli counts on the five most recent sampling occasions.
 
     While the ratings represent the general water quality at the beaches, the EPD spokesman reminded members of the public that water quality could be temporarily affected during and after periods of heavy rain. Bathers should avoid swimming at beaches for up to three days after a storm or heavy rainfall.
 
     A summary of beach grades is published weekly before the weekend. The latest beach grades based on the most current data may be obtained from the EPD’s website on Beach Water Quality (www.epd.gov.hk/epd/beach) or the beach hotline, 2511 6666.
 
Note 1: Lifeguard services are provided by the Leisure and Cultural Services Department at 20 gazetted beaches, marked with an asterisk above, from June 30.
 
Note 2: Discovery Bay is a non-gazetted beach without lifeguard service. read more

     An insurance agent was convicted today (July 15) of evading tax at West Kowloon Magistrates’ Courts. Sentencing was adjourned to July 22 pending a background report. The defendant was remanded in custody.

     The defendant, aged 60, was charged with 11 counts of wilfully with intent to evade tax by signing her tax returns, her business’s profit and loss accounts and employer’s returns of remuneration and pensions (employer’s returns) without reasonable grounds for believing the same to be true, contrary to section 82(1)(d) of the Inland Revenue Ordinance (IRO) (Cap. 112). The defendant pleaded not guilty to the relevant charges. After trial, she was convicted today on all of the 11 tax evasion charges.

     The court heard that the defendant carried on an insurance agency business as a sole proprietress. She claimed deduction of “office assistants” expenses in the profit and loss accounts of the business for the years of assessment 2009-10 to 2011-12. In the employer’s returns for these three years of assessment, the business reported that two persons were its employees and the yearly remuneration to each was $96,000. An investigation by the Inland Revenue Department (IRD) revealed that the two persons did not work for the defendant or her business and did not receive any remuneration from the defendant. The yearly false expenses of “office assistants” were $192,000, thereby reducing the assessable profits of the defendant’s business for the three years of assessment by $576,000. The tax involved was $75,033. The defendant also falsely declared in her tax returns for the years of assessment 2008-09 and 2013-14 to 2016-17 that her father resided with her continuously for the full year during the five years of assessment and claimed additional dependent parent allowance. The false claims of additional dependent parent allowance were $194,000 and the tax involved was $11,816. The total of the defendant’s false claims of expenses and allowances for the eight years of assessment was $770,000 and the total tax evaded was $86,849.

     A spokesman for the IRD reminded taxpayers that tax evasion is a criminal offence under the IRO. Upon conviction, the maximum penalty for each charge is three years’ imprisonment and a fine of $50,000 plus a further fine of three times the amount of tax evaded. read more