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     The Transport Department (TD) today (December 27) reminded the public that the following special traffic and transport arrangements will be implemented on New Year’s Eve (December 31) to facilitate the fireworks display at Victoria Harbour and related holiday celebration activities.
 
Road closures
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     Road closures and the corresponding traffic diversions will be implemented in phases from 2pm that day in road sections in the vicinities of Central District, Wan Chai and Eastern District on Hong Kong Island. The section of Island Eastern Corridor westbound between Victoria Park Road and Man Hong Street will also be temporarily closed to all vehicular traffic (except for franchised buses) from 11.55pm until the reopening of roads.
 
     In Kowloon, road closures and the corresponding traffic diversions will be implemented in phases from about 6pm in the vicinities of Tsim Sha Tsui and the West Kowloon Cultural District until the roads reopen. 

     During the road closure period, taxi stands (including taxi pick-up/drop-off points), public light bus stands and roadside parking spaces on the roads affected will be suspended.
 
Public transport service arrangements
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(i) In connection with road closures, the bus and green minibus (GMB) routes operating in the affected areas will be temporarily diverted or suspended, and the associated bus and GMB stops located within the affected areas will be suspended or relocated;
 
(ii) The following MTR service enhancements will be implemented on that day:

• The train frequencies of MTR lines (except Airport Express and Disneyland Resort Lines) will be enhanced from 3pm on December 31, and the services in other periods will be strengthened subject to passenger demand;
• Island Line, Tsuen Wan Line, Kwun Tong Line, Tseung Kwan O Line (sections from North Point to Po Lam and from Tiu Keng Leng to LOHAS Park), South Island Line, Tung Chung Line, East Rail Line (section from Admiralty to Sheung Shui), Tuen Ma Line, and Light Rail route nos. 505, 507, 610, 614P, 615P, 706 and 751 will provide overnight services;
• The last train to Lo Wu will depart from Admiralty at 12.56am while the last train to Admiralty will depart from Lo Wu at 2.30am; and
• The operating hours of Disneyland Resort Line and MTR Bus route nos. 506, K51 and K54 will be extended.

(iii) Fifteen special bus services (including Citybus route nos. 4S, 18R, 38S, N6X and NB3; KMB route nos. N64P, N243, N272 and N276; NLB route no. NB2; and Cross Harbour route nos. 967N, 976S, R11, R11B and R22) will be operated in the small hours on January 1. The service level and operating hours of various bus routes (including one Citybus route, 27 KMB routes, two NLB routes, and five Cross Harbour routes) will be strengthened or extended respectively;
 
(iv) The operating hours of eight GMB routes on Hong Kong Island, in Kowloon and the New Territories will be extended;
 
(v) Tram services will be extended to 1.30am the following day and will also be strengthened subject to passenger demand;
 
(vi) Star Ferry, Sun Ferry, Hong Kong and Kowloon Ferry, Discovery Bay Transportation Services and Park Island Transport will gradually adjust and suspend part of their services from 10.30pm on that night to facilitate the holding of the fireworks display; and
 
(vii) For the short-haul cross-boundary coach services to Huanggang Port, the following temporary stopping arrangements will be implemented:

• the terminus of the short-haul cross-boundary coach service plying between Wan Chai and Huanggang Port at the Exhibition Centre Station Public Transport Interchange will be suspended from 7pm on December 31 until 7am on the following day. During the period, passengers can use the pick-up point at Hennessy Road westbound near Southorn Centre; and
• a temporary pick-up point for the short-haul cross-boundary coach service plying between Jordan and Huanggang Port will be added at the coach pick-up and drop-off area at Wui Man Road outside Hong Kong West Kowloon Station from 11.30pm on December 31 to 3am on the following day. The operator may extend the service hours of the temporary pick-up point subject to passenger demand. The en-route stop of this service at China Ferry Terminal Bus Terminus will also be suspended from about 8pm until the end of its service that night.

Central to Mid-Levels Escalator and Walkway System Services
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     The operating hours of the Central to Mid-Levels Escalator and Walkway System on New Year’s Eve will be extended to 3am on the following day.
 
     Due to extensive road closures, the TD anticipates that the traffic in the vicinities of Hong Kong Island North (including Causeway Bay, Wan Chai, Admiralty, Central and the Island Eastern Corridor), the vicinities of Tsim Sha Tsui and the West Kowloon Cultural District in Kowloon, and the Cross Harbour Tunnel as well as the Aberdeen Tunnel will become significantly congested. Motorists are advised to avoid driving to these areas affected by the road closures. In case of traffic congestion, motorists should exercise patience and drive with care, and follow the instructions of the Police on site.

     Members of the public are advised to make use of public transport services as far as possible to avoid traffic congestion and unnecessary delays. The TD and the Police will closely monitor the traffic situation and implement appropriate measures when necessary. Subject to the prevailing crowd and traffic conditions in the areas, the Police may adjust the traffic arrangements. The public should pay attention to the latest traffic news through radio, television or the TD mobile application “HKeMobility”.
 
     For details of the special traffic and public transport arrangements, members of the public may visit the TD website (www.td.gov.hk) or mobile application “HKeMobility”. Passengers may also refer to the passenger notices displayed by the relevant public transport operators. read more

     The Centre for Food Safety (CFS) of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department announced today (December 27) that in view of a notification from the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) about outbreaks of the hig… read more

Overall Wage and Payroll Statistics        According to the figures released today (December 27) by the Census and Statistics Department (C&SD), the average wage rate for all the selected industry sections surveyed, as measure… read more

     In response to the Japanese Government’s plan to discharge nuclear-contaminated water at the Fukushima Nuclear Power Station, the Director of Food and Environmental Hygiene issued a Food Safety Order which prohibits all aquatic products, sea salt and seaweeds originating from the 10 metropolis/prefectures, namely Tokyo, Fukushima, Ibaraki, Miyagi, Chiba, Gunma, Tochigi, Niigata, Nagano and Saitama, from being imported into and supplied in Hong Kong.
 
     For other Japanese aquatic products, sea salt and seaweeds that are not prohibited from being imported into Hong Kong, the Centre for Food Safety (CFS) of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department will conduct comprehensive radiological tests to verify that the radiation levels of these products do not exceed the guideline levels before they are allowed to be supplied in the market.
 
     As the discharge of nuclear-contaminated water is unprecedented and will continue for 30 years or more, the Government will closely monitor and step up the testing arrangements. Should anomalies be detected, the Government does not preclude further tightening the scope of the import ban.
 
     From noon on December 24 to noon today (December 27), the CFS conducted tests on the radiological levels of 251 food samples imported from Japan, which were of the “aquatic and related products, seaweeds and sea salt” category. No sample was found to have exceeded the safety limit. Details can be found on the CFS’s thematic website titled “Control Measures on Foods Imported from Japan” (www.cfs.gov.hk/english/programme/programme_rafs/programme_rafs_fc_01_30_Nuclear_Event_and_Food_Safety.html).

     In parallel, the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD) has also tested 150 samples of local catch for radiological levels. All the samples passed the tests. Details can be found on the AFCD’s website (www.afcd.gov.hk/english/fisheries/Radiological_testing/Radiological_Test.html).
 
     The Hong Kong Observatory (HKO) has also enhanced the environmental monitoring of the local waters. No anomaly has been detected so far. For details, please refer to the HKO’s website
(www.hko.gov.hk/en/radiation/monitoring/seawater.html).
 
     From August 24, 2023, to noon today, the CFS and the AFCD have conducted tests on the radiological levels of 107 540 samples of food imported from Japan (including 69 840 samples of aquatic and related products, seaweeds and sea salt) and 24 468 samples of local catch respectively. All the samples passed the tests. read more

     The Government announced today (December 27) the following senior appointments:

(a) Miss Charmaine Lee Pui-sze, Director of Social Welfare, will take up the post of Permanent Secretary for Housing/Director of Housing on February 4, 2025; 

(b) Mr Edward To Wing-hang, Deputy Secretary for Education, will take up the post of Director of Social Welfare on February 3, 2025; and

(c) Ms Priscilla To Kit-lai, Deputy Secretary for Security, will take up the post of Director of Home Affairs on February 3, 2025, to succeed Mrs Alice Cheung Chiu Hoi-yue who will proceed on pre-retirement leave in end January 2025.

     Commenting on the appointment of Miss Lee, Mr To and Ms To, the Secretary for the Civil Service, Mrs Ingrid Yeung, said, “The appointees are seasoned Administrative Officers with proven leadership and management skills. I have every confidence that they will continue to serve the community with professionalism in their new capacity.” 

     Turning to Mrs Cheung who will proceed on pre-retirement leave, Mrs Yeung said, “Mrs Cheung has rendered 38 years of loyal and dedicated service to the community of Hong Kong. During her tenure as Director of Home Affairs, she played an instrumental role in rebuilding the community after the COVID-19 pandemic and improving governance at the district level. Under her leadership, the Department successfully implemented the improved district governance system, whereby District Councils were reformed, a high-level district governance structure was instituted, and District Services and Community Care Teams were set up to better serve the needs of the community. I wish her a fulfilling and happy retirement.”   

     Brief biographical notes of the four officers are set out below:

Mrs Alice Cheung Chiu Hoi-yue 
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     Mrs Cheung joined the Government in May 1986. She served in the Executive Officer Grade before joining the Administrative Service in August 1992, rising to the rank of Administrative Officer Staff Grade A in April 2023. She has served in various policy bureaux and departments, including the former Civil Service Branch, the former Trade and Industry Branch, the Home Affairs Department, the former Trade Department, the Civil Service Bureau, the Chief Secretary for Administration’s Office, the former Home Affairs Bureau, the Education Bureau and the Commerce and Economic Development Bureau. She was Deputy Director of Environmental Protection from July 2016 to April 2019, Deputy Secretary for Transport and Housing (Housing)/Deputy Director of Housing (Strategy) from April 2019 to April 2022, and has been serving as Director of Home Affairs since April 2022. 

Miss Charmaine Lee Pui-sze
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     Miss Lee joined the Administrative Service in August 1993 and rose to the rank of Administrative Officer Staff Grade A in April 2023.  She has served in various bureaux and departments, including the former Chief Secretary’s Office, the former Home Affairs Branch, the Chief Executive’s Office, the former Trade Department, the Trade and Industry Department, the former Education and Manpower Bureau (later renamed as the Education Bureau) and the Civil Service Bureau. She was Deputy Secretary for Constitutional and Mainland Affairs from August 2011 to January 2019; Deputy Head, Policy Innovation and Co-ordination Office (later renamed as Deputy Head, Policy Address Team, Chief Secretary for Administration’s Office) from January 2019 to July 2022, and has been serving as Director of Social Welfare since August 2022.
     
Mr Edward To Wing-hang
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     Mr To joined the Administrative Service in October 1996 and rose to the rank of Administrative Officer Staff Grade B1 in April 2024.  He has served in various bureaux and departments, including the former Security Branch (later renamed as the Security Bureau), the former Planning, Environment and Lands Bureau, the Innovation and Technology Commission, the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in Tokyo, the former Housing, Planning and Lands Bureau (later reorganised as the Development Bureau) and the former Transport and Housing Bureau. He was Principal Assistant Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development (Communications and Technology) (later renamed as Principal Assistant Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development (Communications and Creative Industries)) from June 2014 to February 2017; Deputy Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development (Communications and Creative Industries) from February 2017 to April 2020, and has been serving as Deputy Secretary for Education since April 2020.

Ms Priscilla To Kit-lai
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     Ms To joined the Administrative Service in September 1995, rising to the rank of Administrative Officer Staff Grade B1 in April 2024.  She has served in various policy bureaux and departments, including the Correctional Services Department, the former Health and Welfare Bureau, the former Information, Technology and Broadcasting Bureau, the former Environment and Food Bureau, the former Health, Welfare and Food Bureau, the former Commerce, Industry and Technology Bureau (later reorganised as the Commerce and Economic Development Bureau), the Education Bureau, the Civil Service Bureau and the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in London. She was Private Secretary to the Chief Executive-elect from May 2022 to June 2022, Private Secretary to the Chief Executive from July 2022 to February 2023, and has been serving as Deputy Secretary for Security since June 2023.

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