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 May 14 to noon today (May 16), the CFS conducted tests on the radiological levels of 311 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 100 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 to noon today, the CFS and the AFCD have conducted tests on the radiological levels of 51 543 samples of food imported from Japan (including 33 367 samples of aquatic and related products, seaweeds and sea salt) and 13 186 samples of local catch respectively. All the samples passed the tests.

The following is issued on behalf of the Electoral Affairs Commission:

     Under the Particulars Relating to Candidates on Ballot Papers (Legislative Council and District Councils) Regulation (Cap. 541M), candidates in the Legislative Council and District Council elections may apply to have certain registered particulars printed on the ballot papers for easier identification by electors.

     Bodies or persons wishing to register or amend their particulars with the Electoral Affairs Commission (EAC) in the 2024 registration cycle should hand in their applications by June 15. According to the Regulation, these particulars include the names, abbreviations of names and emblems of prescribed bodies, and the personal emblems of prescribed persons.

     In accordance with the Regulation, approved specified particulars have been included in a register made available for public inspection on the EAC website (www.eac.hk). Bodies or persons concerned are not required to make another application in respect of the specified particulars which have been approved and included in the register.

     "Although applications can be submitted at any time during the year, only those applications submitted on or before the statutory cut-off date of June 15 will be processed within the 2024 registration cycle. Applications submitted after June 15 will only be processed in the 2025 registration cycle," a spokesman for the EAC said today (May 16).

     Application forms are available at the Registration and Electoral Office (REO) and all District Offices. They can also be downloaded from the EAC website.

     The EAC will carefully consider all applications in accordance with the criteria and procedures stipulated in the Regulation. Details of all successful applications will be gazetted and open to public inspection at the REO during office hours. The public can also view the information on the EAC website.

     For enquiries concerning the application procedures, please call the REO hotline at 2891 1001.

     Please broadcast the following special announcement as soon as possible, and repeat it at suitable intervals:

     A fire broke out at a recycling site in Pak Sha Shan Road, Yuen Long at 1.04pm today (May 16). The Fire Services Department is conducting a firefighting operation.

     Members of the public who are being affected by the smoke and an unusual odour carried by the wind are advised to close their doors and windows and stay calm.

     A spokesman for the Civil Service Bureau said that the bureau received the tentative results of the 2024 Pay Trend Survey from the secretariat of the Pay Trend Survey Committee (PTSC) today (May 16).

    "The Chief Executive-in-Council will comprehensively and fully consider all relevant factors under the established annual civil service pay adjustment mechanism in determining the annual civil service pay adjustment. These factors include the state of Hong Kong's economy, changes in the cost of living, the Government's fiscal position, the 'net pay trend indicators' (PTIs) (see attachment) calculated from the results of the Pay Trend Survey (PTS), the pay claims of the staff side and civil service morale," the spokesman said.

     The PTS was conducted by the Pay Survey and Research Unit of the Joint Secretariat for the Advisory Bodies on Civil Service and Judicial Salaries and Conditions of Service in strict adherence to the methodology endorsed by the PTSC. The tentative results, presented in the form of "gross PTIs", show the rates of pay adjustment in the private sector in three salary bands for the period from April 2, 2023, to April 1, 2024. The PTSC will meet next week to decide whether to validate the "gross PTIs".

The following is issued on behalf of the Pay Trend Survey Committee:

     The 2024 Pay Trend Survey Report (PTS Report), compiled by the Pay Survey and Research Unit of the Joint Secretariat for the Advisory Bodies on Civil Service and Judicial Salaries and Conditions of Service, has been distributed to members of the Pay Trend Survey Committee (PTSC) earlier today (May 16).

     The tentative survey findings have indicated the following average pay adjustments in the surveyed companies over the 12-month period from April 2, 2023, to April 1, 2024.

Tentative findings of the 2024 Pay Trend Survey (PTS) (subject to verification)
———​———​———​———​———​———​———​———​———​——-
 

 
     Members of the PTSC are at present studying the PTS Report in detail. Subject to their analysis and deliberation, the PTSC will verify and consider whether to validate the findings of the survey at its meeting scheduled for May 22. After that, the PTSC will submit the survey findings to the Government.

     In accordance with the established practice, the Chief Executive-in-Council (CE-in-Council) will take into account the pay trend indicators derived from the PTS and other pertinent considerations before making a decision on the 2024-25 civil service pay adjustment. The PTSC has yet to validate and confirm these tentative findings. The PTSC will not make any recommendations to the Government on the rates of adjustments to civil service salaries. Be they tentative or validated, the findings are not rates of adjustments to civil service salaries recommended by the PTSC.

     The tentative survey findings reflect the pay trend in 113 companies covering 134 376 employees over the 12-month period from April 2, 2023, to April 1, 2024. Among these companies, there are 83 larger companies (employing 100 or more staff) and 30 smaller companies (employing 50 – 99 staff).  

     The survey is conducted in accordance with an improved methodology as approved by the CE-in-Council in March 2007. The survey takes into account adjustments to basic salary and additional payments awarded to employees of the surveyed companies attributable to factors in relation to the cost of living, general prosperity and company performance, general changes in market rates, merit and inscale increment.

     The PTSC is chaired by Mr Laurence Li, SC, who is a member of the Standing Commission on Civil Service Salaries and Conditions of Service. Mr Li wishes to express the PTSC's sincere appreciation for the co-operation and assistance rendered by the companies who participated in the 2024 PTS.