All bureaux and departments (B/Ds) of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government are committed to promoting the digital transformation of government services and actively making use of information technology (IT) to provide more convenient e-government services for people and business. 
 
     To instil public confidence in the Government's pursuit of digital government initiatives and ensure the smooth rollout and operation of government IT systems, the Office of the Government Chief Information Officer (OGCIO) today (February 7) promulgated a series of new measures to B/Ds, covering project initiation, procurement, system development, pre-launch cybersecurity and stress testing, etc, in order to take a multipronged approach in assisting B/Ds to comprehensively strengthen their management of large-scale and high-risk IT projects at different key stages of the project development cycle.

     During the project initiation stage, B/Ds should assess whether their IT projects are by nature large-scale and/or high-risk.  When procuring the relevant system development services for relevant IT projects, the weighting of technical assessments in tender-marking schemes should be raised to 70 per cent.

     During the system development stage, the OGCIO will work with B/Ds on engaging an independent consultant with relevant expertise and experience to conduct a regular third-party review and an assessment on the system design and development progress. Furthermore, the respective B/Ds are required to subject the relevant systems to additional tests to be arranged by the OGCIO before the system rollout for B/Ds to assess the system's resilience to abnormal or extreme loading as well as cyberattacks.

     A spokesman for the OGCIO highlighted that an IT system is an integral part of the core business of B/Ds to meet their operational and services needs, and B/Ds' responsibility for the quality and operation of the system and related services is crucial. The OGCIO reminds B/D management to strengthen the management and supervision of their IT systems.

     The OGCIO will continue to collaborate closely with all B/Ds by providing technical support and advice on system enhancement in order to ensure that B/Ds have made adequate preparation for the rollout of their large-scale digital services to meet the service needs of the general public.

     Police will implement special traffic arrangements in Tsim Sha Tsui on February 10 (Saturday) to facilitate members of the public to watch the International Chinese New Year Night Parade.
 
     The following special traffic arrangements will be implemented by phases, until the crowd has dispersed and the roads are safe for re-opening:
 
A. Road closure

     The following roads will be closed, except for vehicles with permit:
 
Phase I (from 3.30pm to 11.45pm)
 
– Southbound Canton Road between Kowloon Park Drive and Salisbury Road;
– The fast lane of southbound Kowloon Park Drive between Peking Road and Salisbury Road;
– Ashley Road between Haiphong Road and Peking Road;
– Hankow Road between Haiphong Road and Middle Road;
– Lock Road;
– Northbound Nathan Road between Bowring Street and Salisbury Road;
– Southbound Nathan Road between Granville Road and Salisbury Road;
– Westbound Kimberley Road between Carnarvon Road and Nathan Road;
– Cameron Lane;
– Eastbound Cameron Road between Nathan Road and Carnarvon Road;
– Haiphong Road;
– Humphreys Avenue;
– Ichang Street;
– Mody Road between Nathan Road and Bristol Avenue;
– Peking Road between Ashley Road and Nathan Road;
– Peking Road between Canton Road and Kowloon Park Drive;
– Middle Road between Hankow Road and Salisbury Road;
– Eastbound Salisbury Road between Canton Road and Kowloon Park Drive;
– The second, third and fourth left lane of eastbound Salisbury Road between Kowloon Park Drive and Hankow Road;
– Eastbound Salisbury Road between Hankow Road and Chatham Road South;
– The slow lane of westbound Salisbury Road between Nathan Road and Kowloon Park Drive, including the pick-up/drop-off area outside Hong Kong Cultural Centre;
– Westbound Salisbury Road between Kowloon Park Drive and Canton Road; and
– Salisbury Road Underpass.
 
Phase II (from 5pm to 11.45pm)
 
– Ashley Road between Peking Road and Hankow Road;
– Middle Road between Hankow Road and Kowloon Park Drive;
– Hankow Road between Salisbury Road and Middle Road;
– Eastbound Salisbury Road between Kowloon Park Drive and Hankow Road; and
– Southbound Kowloon Park Drive between Canton Road and Salisbury Road.
 
Phase III (from 7pm to 11.45pm)
 
– Westbound Salisbury Road between Kowloon Park Drive and Chatham Road South; and
– Northbound Kowloon Park Drive between Salisbury Road and Canton Road.
 
B. Traffic diversions
 
     In connection with the road closure as mentioned above, the following traffic diversions will be implemented:
 
Phase I (from 3.30pm to 11.45pm)
 
– Traffic along southbound Kowloon Park Drive must turn left to eastbound Peking Road;
– Traffic along eastbound Salisbury Road must turn left to northbound Hankow Road;
– Traffic along eastbound Peking Road must turn right to southbound Ashley Road;
– Traffic along southbound Ashley Road must turn right to westbound Middle Road;
– Traffic along northbound Kowloon Park Drive cannot turn left to southbound Canton Road;
– Traffic along southbound Nathan Road must turn left to eastbound Granville Road;
– Traffic along Granville Road between Nathan Road and Carnarvon Road will be re-routed one-way eastbound;
– Traffic along westbound Salisbury Road cannot turn right to northbound Nathan Road;
– Traffic along westbound Salisbury Road must turn right to northbound Kowloon Park Drive; and
– Traffic along northbound Carnarvon Road must turn right to eastbound Kimberley Road.
 
Phase II (from 5pm to 11.45pm)
 
     Traffic along southbound Canton Road must make a U-turn to northbound Canton Road outside China Hong Kong City.
 
Phase III (from 7pm to 11.45pm)
 
– Traffic along westbound Salisbury Road must turn right to northbound Chatham Road South; and
– Traffic along southbound Chatham Road South must turn left to eastbound Salisbury Road.
 
C. Suspension of Public Transport Interchange
 
     The Star Ferry Bus Terminus and China Ferry Terminal Bus Terminus will be suspended from 3.30pm, until the roads are safe for re-opening.
 
D. Suspension of on-street parking spaces and pick-up/drop-off area
 
     All on-street parking spaces within the closed area in Tsim Sha Tsui will be suspended from noon to 3am of the following day. Moreover, the pick-up/drop-off area outside Hong Kong Cultural Centre will be suspended from 3pm to 11.45pm.
 
E. Suspension of parking spaces
 
     Vehicles parked in all car parks within the closed road area in Tsim Sha Tsui cannot enter or leave the carparks from about 3.30pm, until the roads are safe for re-opening.
 
     Police will continue traffic enforcement action during the Lunar New Year period. All vehicles parked illegally during the implementation of the above special traffic arrangements will be towed away without prior warning, and may be subject to multiple ticketing. 

     Actual implementation of traffic arrangements will be made depending on traffic and crowd conditions in the areas. Members of the public are advised to exercise tolerance and patience and take heed of instructions of the Police on site.

  

     With regard to the 2024 Lunar New Year Fireworks Display to be held on February 11, the Marine Department (MD) will implement marine traffic control and strengthen the inspection of spectator vessels on the event day to ensure that safety requirements are met.
     
     A Closed Area in the waters off the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre in Wan Chai will be established from 2pm to about 10.30pm on the event day where barges for the fireworks display will be anchored. A Restricted Area will be established in the Central Harbour from 7pm to about 9pm on the event day. Other than authorised vessels, no vessels will be allowed to enter these two areas. Scheduled ferry vessels with permission may continue services until 7.40pm.

     Spectator vessels could stay inside the Specified Area other than the Restricted Area and the Closed Area for viewing from 6pm to 9pm (specified period) on the event day. To enhance marine safety during a major event at sea, coxswains of spectator vessels in the Specified Area during the specified period must ensure that children on board are accompanied by an adult and wear a lifejacket at all times. Coxswains must also keep a passenger and crew list on board for emergency purposes. The MD will enhance enforcement work and initiate prosecution if any vessel fails to meet with these requirements.

     In addition, to ensure vessels disperse in an orderly manner, the Eastern and Western Cordon Lines of the Restricted Area will be lifted in stages after the event. The Western Cordon Line will be lifted first at about 9pm. Spectator vessels behind the Western Cordon Line and those wishing to move to the east must follow the instructions of officers from the MD and the Police at the scene. The Eastern Cordon Line will be lifted later depending on traffic conditions in Victoria Harbour. It is anticipated that the Restricted Area will be lifted by about 9.15pm on the event day.

     For landside crowd control, public landing steps at Kowloon Public Pier will be closed temporarily from 6pm to about 9pm while the public landing steps within the Restricted Area will be closed temporarily from 6.30pm to about 9pm. Buffer Zones at Kowloon Public Pier, Kwun Tong Public Pier and Central Piers 9 and 10 will be established immediately after the event for the safe and orderly disembarkation of passengers.

     Officers from the MD and the Police will also maintain order at major landing facilities after the event. In order to ensure smooth disembarkation, coxswains and crew members should remind passengers to pack their personal belongings early before the vessels arrive alongside the landing steps, as well as assisting passengers to disembark. Coxswains and passengers should follow the instructions of the MD and the Police at the scene.

     The MD and the Marine Police will also strengthen law enforcement, especially on conditions of life-saving appliances, speeding and overloading. Coxswains and persons-in-charge of vessels should check again and reconfirm that the operating licence, the certificate of survey and the third-party risk insurance are valid before setting sail.

     MD Notice No. 26 of 2024 on marine traffic control and safety measures has been issued and is available for viewing on the MD's website (www.mardep.gov.hk).

     The Environmental Protection Department (EPD) announced today (February 7) an overview of Hong Kong's air quality in 2023.
      
     The air quality data recorded by the EPD's air quality monitoring stations in 2023 (as detailed in Annex 1) reveal that with the resumption to normalcy of social and economic activities, the emissions of local air pollutants returned to their normal levels. There was a slight increase of 1 to 2μg/m3 in levels of certain ambient air pollutants (namely respirable suspended particulates (PM10), fine suspended particulates (PM2.5), nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and sulphur dioxide (SO2)) as compared to 2022. That notwithstanding, the air quality in 2023 remains the second best since Hong Kong's return to the motherland. Compared to 2021, except for PM2.5 which remained at a similar level, the ambient levels of the other air pollutants improved by 7 to 20 per cent, indicating that the overall improvement trend of Hong Kong's air quality remains unchanged.
      
     Hong Kong's overall air quality in 2023 complied broadly with Hong Kong's Air Quality Objectives. The annual average concentrations of PM10, PM2.5, NO2 and SO2 in the ambient air have reduced by 40 per cent to 69 per cent from 2011. In the same period, the annual average pollutant concentrations at the roadside have reduced by 46 per cent to 58 per cent. The annual average concentration of ozone (O3) has also gradually turned steady in the past few years. The number of hours of reduced visibility in Hong Kong has greatly reduced by 81 per cent from its peak in 2004 (as detailed in Annex 2).
      
     As for relatively high levels of nitrogen oxides (NOx) being recorded in some locations in Hong Kong, such as Mong Kok, Sham Shui Po and Kwai Chung, an EPD spokesman said, "With the Government's continued promotion and implementation of the comprehensive air quality improvement measures put forth in the Hong Kong Roadmap on Popularisation of Electric Vehicles, the Clean Air Plan for Hong Kong 2035 and Hong Kong's Climate Action Plan 2050 announced in 2021, including the promotion of electric vehicles, green transport and net-zero electricity generation, local NOx emissions will be further reduced and the overall air quality in Hong Kong will improve continuously."
      
     In addition, the Government is preparing to tighten the volatile organic compounds (VOCs) content limits of 22 types of regulated architectural paints and extend the VOCs control to seven types of cleaning products; tighten the sulphur content limits of locally supplied marine light diesel and industrial diesel to 0.001 per cent; and control the manufacture and import/export of hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) as well as restrict the supply of products and equipment with HFCs of high global warming potential, with a view to further enhancing Hong Kong's air quality.
      
     On regional collaboration, the three-year study on "Characterization of photochemical ozone formation, regional and super-regional transportation in the Greater Bay Area" has been completed, providing a preliminary understanding of the causes and transport characteristics of ozone within the region. The governments of Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao will work together in four synergistic directions to further improve air quality of the Pearl River Delta Region, including strengthening the joint efforts in reduction of NOx and VOCs emissions; promoting collaboration in control of ozone and PM2.5; co-ordinating joint efforts in control of air pollutants and greenhouse gases; and managing the regional air quality collaboratively.
      
     Meanwhile, the Environment and Ecology Bureau completed a new round of Air Quality Objectives (AQOs) Review in 2023. The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government will further tighten five prevailing AQOs and include three new parameters introduced in the Global Air Quality Guidelines (AQGs) of the World Health Organization (WHO). Among the 15 updated AQOs, seven of them are set at the most stringent levels specified in the WHO AQGs.

  

     The Government announced today (February 7) that the Financial Secretary, Mr Paul Chan, under the authority delegated by the Chief Executive pursuant to the Securities and Futures Ordinance (Cap. 571), has appointed Dr Eric Yip Chee-hang as the Executive Director (Intermediaries) of the Securities and Futures Commission (SFC), for a term of three years from May 2, 2024, to May 1, 2027.

     A spokesman for the Financial Services and the Treasury Bureau said, "Dr Yip is a seasoned financial professional having in-depth knowledge of the operation and regulation of the securities and futures markets in Hong Kong. We are confident that he will contribute towards the effective performance of the SFC's statutory functions to foster market development and regulation."

     Dr Yip has extensive experience in the financial services industry and held senior executive positions in respect of banking, private and public equity.

     Dr Yip was selected through an open recruitment exercise led by a selection panel chaired by the Chairman of the SFC.