Tag Archives: China

     Local catering establishments are invited to participate in the Catering Industry Safety Award Scheme jointly organised by the Labour Department (LD) and the Occupational Safety and Health Council. Entries will be accepted from today (July 4) until July 19.
 
     Launched in 1999, the scheme aims to enhance the occupational safety and health (OSH) awareness of employers, employees and stakeholders in the catering industry as well as the general public. By commending good OSH performance of catering establishments, supervisors and workers, the scheme aims to inculcate a good OSH culture in the catering industry.  
 
     All catering establishments in Hong Kong are welcome to join the competition, which is divided into four categories: the Catering Establishment Award, Supervisor Award, Safe Worker Award, and Safe Use of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) Award. The last award is newly launched this year to encourage proper use of PPE by workers and recognise their OSH performance.
 
    The Catering Establishment category will be divided into seven sub-categories: Chinese restaurants, restaurants (non-Chinese), hotels with kitchen, fast food shops serving Western food, fast food shops serving Chinese and general categories of food, cafés, and light refreshment eating places and canteens.
  
     Participating establishments are required to hold valid licences issued by the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD) on or before August 9 and throughout the competition period, and their licences should not have been suspended by the FEHD for whatever reason in the 12 months preceding August 9 and until the announcement of the competition results. Also, they should not have recorded any serious or fatal industrial accidents or received any Suspension Notices issued by the LD in the 12 months preceding the enrolment deadline.
 
    Two special awards, namely the Group Safety Performance Award and Safety Awareness Award will continue to be featured this year. The former is open to catering groups with more than one eligible outlet taking part in the preliminary assessment of the same sub-category of the Catering Establishment Award. To encourage participation of small-scale establishments, those catering establishments with no more than three outlets and which have undergone preliminary assessment in the Catering Establishment category but do not win any awards, will be presented Safety Awareness Awards.
 
     Each of the seven sub-categories of the Catering Establishment Award and the Group Safety Performance Award will have gold, silver, bronze and meritorious prizes. Winners of the Safety Awareness Awards, the Supervisor Awards, the Safe Worker Awards and the Safe Use of PPE Awards will also be awarded.
 
     Preliminary assessment of entries, covering mainly the physical condition of the workplace, will take place from late July to mid-August. Final assessment, which covers the safety management systems of catering establishments, will be conducted from late August to early September.
 
     To enhance the OSH awareness of the public and reduce the number of industrial accidents in the catering industry, the scheme will also feature a number of publicity functions, including a safety quiz for members of the public aged over 15 as well as catering establishments and related training bodies in the industry. The deadline for enrolment in the quiz is August 2.
 
     The Catering Industry Safety Award Scheme is co-organised and sponsored by the Occupational Deafness Compensation Board. Other co-organisers are the Hong Kong Catering Industry Association, the Hong Kong Hotels Association, the Hong Kong Federation of Restaurants and Related Trades, the Association of Restaurant Managers, the Institution of Dining Art, the Association for Hong Kong Catering Services Management, the Food and Beverage Management and Professional Staff Association and the Eating Establishment Employees General Union.
 
     Enrolment forms and brochures of the scheme and the safety quiz can be obtained from the LD’s Occupational Safety and Health Branch offices and the Occupational Safety and Health Council on 19/F, China United Centre, 28 Marble Road, North Point, or downloaded from the LD’s website www.labour.gov.hk. Enquiries can be made on 2852 3567 or 2852 3565. read more

The following is issued on behalf of the Legislative Council Secretariat:

     The agenda of the Legislative Council (LegCo) meeting, scheduled for today (July 4) at 11.30am (or immediately after the meeting for the Chief Executive’s Question Time to be held at 11am) in the Chamber of the LegCo Complex, has been revised.  In addition to the original items, the President of LegCo has given permission for Mr Kwong Chun-yu to move a motion for the adjournment of the Council under Rule 16(4) of the Rules of Procedure.  The motion states: “That this Council do now adjourn for the purpose of debating the following issue: subsidence of viaduct piers of Yuen Long section of MTR West Rail Line.”

     For the latest agenda items of today’s LegCo meeting, please refer to the LegCo Website: www.legco.gov.hk/yr17-18/english/counmtg/agenda/cm20180704.htm. read more

Attention TV/radio announcers: Please broadcast the following as soon as possible: Here is an item of interest to swimmers.      The Leisure and Cultural Services Department announced today (July 4) that due to big wav… read more

     With reference to her remarks at today’s (July 3) pre-ExCo meeting media session on simultaneous interpretation and time in answering reporters’ questions, the Chief Executive, Mrs Carrie Lam, makes the following statement:

     In all my media sessions, I have been answering questions in the language in which they are asked (Cantonese, Putonghua or English), and I will continue to do so. There is no question of the Government or myself attaching less importance to the use of English.  Indeed, since taking office as Chief Executive, I have made sure that important statements are made or released in both languages, such as my announcement (at a pre-ExCo meeting media session on June 12) of the plan to set up a Commission of Inquiry on certain works at the Hung Hom Station of the Shatin Central Link and my speech at the reception to celebrate the 21st Anniversary of the Establishment of the HKSAR on July 1. When a question was asked in English at the media stand-up today, I naturally responded in English. There should be no doubt about my commitment to responding to questions from reporters in the same language that the question is asked.

     My remarks on simultaneous interpretation and time in answering questions made during today’s usual pre-ExCo meeting media session were prompted by the consideration that such sessions, unlike a press conference, are of short duration (normally lasting 10 to 15 minutes before ExCo meeting commences) and during which reporters often have questions on a wide range of topical issues. If reporters ask the same question in different languages (be it Cantonese, Putonghua or English), and the same reply given also in different languages, that would take up time that might otherwise be used for reporters to raise other questions of interest. Those remarks were not targeted at the English language.

     That said, having taken advice from my Information Services Department colleagues, I have no intention to change the way these pre-ExCo meeting media sessions are to be conducted. I apologise for any confusion thus caused. read more

     Following are the opening remarks by the Secretary for the Environment, Mr Wong Kam-sing, at today’s (June 3) press conference on new Development Plans of two power companies:

     The Executive Council (ExCo) approved today the Development Plans (DPs) of the two power companies.

     The new Scheme of Control Agreements (SCAs) reached with the two power companies are the greenest SCAs ever, offering key features on energy efficiency and conservation (EE&C) as well as renewable energy.

     In the new DPs under the SCAs, the power companies have included essential capital projects to change the fuel mix for electricity generation which will help combat climate change and further improve air quality, enhance the reliability and security of local electricity supply and assist in turning Hong Kong into a smart city.

     The new DPs are also expected to provide an opportunity for us to advance our achievement of the carbon intensity reduction target for 2030, and further improve Hong Kong’s air quality.

     To support the EE&C initiatives under the new SCAs, both power companies will introduce smart meters to help customers achieve energy saving by providing them with instant power consumption information and enable implementation of demand response schemes. This project will help turn Hong Kong into a smart city.

     With the increasing use of natural gas for power generation in the coming years, the power companies have planned to jointly build an offshore liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal in Hong Kong waters. This will be crucial to the diversification of their source of natural gas and enhancement of their supply security. It will also help them secure natural gas at a more competitive price and hence mitigate the pressure on tariff increase.

     Unlike in the past two decades when there have been no plant replacements by the power companies, about ten coal units would reach their scheduled retirement life by 2030. The new DPs include key investment proposals to construct two additional new gas-fired generating units (gas units) to replace coal units which have been operating for over three decades. The overall gas-fired generation of the power companies will increase from the present 26% for CLP Power Hong Kong Limited and Castle Peak Power Company Limited (collectively CLP) and about 34% for Hongkong Electric Company Limited (HKE) to over 50% for CLP and about 70% for HKE by 2023.

     Another key project is CLP’s enhancement of the clean energy transmission system (CETS) with China Southern Power Grid and Daya Bay Nuclear Power Station. When completed in 2025, the strengthened network will give us the capability and flexibility to use more zero-carbon energy from the Mainland to manage our local fuel mix, thereby enabling us to advance our achievement of carbon intensity reduction target for 2030 (i.e. reduction of carbon intensity by 65% to 70% as compared to 2005) by as much as five years. In addition, the CETS will delay the plans for and/or reduce the capital investment on new gas units to replace the coal units which are due to retire in 2025 and beyond.

     Possible options of utilising more zero carbon energy will be covered by the Public Engagement exercise on Long-term Decarbonisation Strategy to be carried out by the Council for Sustainable Development later this year.

     The ExCo has also approved the new average tariff rates on commencement of the new SCAs as part of the power companies’ new DPs. CLP’s new tariff adjustment covers 15 months from October 1, 2018 to December 31, 2019 whereas that of HKE covers 12 months from January 1, 2019 to December 31, 2019.

     Both the power companies will reduce their Basic Tariff Rates, CLP by 3.7% and HKE by 7.1%, as a result of the reduction of the permitted rate of return from 9.99% to 8% on commencement of the new SCAs.

     The average Basic Tariff Rate during the entire new DP is projected to increase at an annual rate of 1.4% for CLP and 1.2% for HKE while the average Net Tariff Rate before rebates is projected to increase at an annual rate of 3.5% for CLP and 2.8% for HKE. The actual tariff level payable will depend on a number of factors including the actual fuel cost at the time.

     To help alleviate the impact of tariff increase on households during the transition to a lower carbon future, the Government proposes to grant an electricity charges relief of $3,000 over 60 months (i.e. $50 per month) to each residential electricity account when the new SCA period commences, i.e. from October 1, 2018 for CLP and from January 1, 2019 for HKE.

     The electricity charges relief is expected to roughly cover the projected cumulative tariff increase over the five-year period for about half of the households in Hong Kong.

     The Government plans to seek funding of about $8.7 billion from the Finance Committee of Legislative Council before the summer recess with a view to distributing the electricity charges relief to residential electricity accounts when the new SCA period commences, with a hope to make Hong Kong greener, low carbon while balancing the environmental concerns with the tariff pressures. We hope to have your support. Thank you.

(Please also refer to the Chinese portion of the opening remarks.) read more