The Chief Executive, Mrs Carrie Lam, continued her visit to France in Paris today (June 19, Paris time), where she met with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of France, Mr Jean-Yves Le Drian, and visited innovation and technology (I&T) as well as cultural institutions.

     Accompanied by the Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development, Mr Edward Yau, Mrs Lam met with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of France, Mr Jean-Yves Le Drian in the morning.  She noted that this is her first visit to France as the Chief Executive and the visit covers three cities, reflecting the importance she attaches to the close and multi-faceted relationship between Hong Kong and France.  She expressed the hope that Hong Kong and France will have more collaboration in the future, including in the promotion of free trade and participation in the Belt and Road Initiative.  Noting that Hong Kong will play an important role in the Belt and Road Initiative, she looked forward to collaborating with France at both the government and enterprise levels with a view to grasping future opportunities.

     Mrs Lam and Mr Yau then joined a breakfast meeting hosted by Institut Montaigne, a think tank in France, which was attended by French business leaders, academics, etc.  She briefed the attendees on Hong Kong's latest development, including the successful implementation of "One Country, Two Systems", the highly regarded rule of law and judicial independence, and the adequate protection of people's freedom of speech and freedom of assembly.  She also exchanged views with attendees on such areas as the promotion of free trade, the Linked Exchange Rate System, the healthcare system and development of innovation and technology.

     Accompanied by Mr Yau and the Secretary for Innovation and Technology, Mr Nicholas W Yang, Mrs Lam then visited Ecole Polytechnique to learn about its development and its research projects on biomedical technology.  Ecole Polytechnique is a top institution of higher education in France with over 220 years of history and has many talents in innovation and technology as well as successful entrepreneurs as its alumni.  She was pleased to note that Ecole Polytechnique has started cooperation with universities in Hong Kong and expressed the hope that the exchange will promote the internationalisation of Hong Kong's higher education.  She also pointed out that biomedical technology is one of the priority areas of Hong Kong as its application would help provide better care to patients.

     During the visit, Mrs Lam and other officials also attended a gathering with a group of students of different nationalities.  She encouraged them to visit Hong Kong and consider joining the Working Holiday Scheme which has been popular among young people from Hong Kong and France.  She was pleased to learn that Ecole Polytechnique has started to offer courses in English and looked forward to having Hong Kong students pursuing their studies in it.

     Mrs Lam and other officials then attended a lunch hosted by the Chargé d'affaires of Chinese Embassy in France, Mr Wu Xiaojun, to learn about the bilateral relationship between the nation and France.  She also thanked the embassy for its support in various exchanges between Hong Kong and France.

     In the afternoon, Mrs Lam and other officials visited the Louvre Museum.  She met with the President-Director of the Museum, Mr Jean-Luc Martinez, and toured part of the collection.  She thanked the Louvre Museum for co-organising with the Hong Kong Heritage Museum a large-scale exhibition in Hong Kong last year, providing the opportunity for members of the public in Hong Kong to see the rich collection of the Louvre Museum.

     Mrs Lam will continue her visit to Paris tomorrow (June 20, Paris time).

                    

     In response to the recent media report on June 17 about the excavation works at the Exhibition Centre Station under the Shatin to Central Link project that have raised public concern on the associated works safety at the Exhibition Centre Station, the Highways Department (HyD) have received the written information submitted by the MTRCL last evening (June 19).

     After a review of MTRCL's information, the HyD is deeply dismayed by the fact that the contractor has proceeded with excavation exceeding the allowable depth before installation of the final layer of temporary steel struts, and that MTRCL has allowed the situation to persist for a prolonged period. The Transport and Housing Bureau and the HyD also deeply regret that the attitude of the MTRCL, as a project manager, and the contractor in handling the incident has unsatisfactorily put the public safety at risks. 

     In addition, it is totally unacceptable that the MTRCL has repeatedly failed to timely notify the HyD of incidents related to the construction of Hung Hom Station, To Kwa Wan Station and Exhibition Centre Station. The HyD has not been informed of the incidents until media enquiry were received.

     Regarding the information the HyD received from MTRCL, there are still many questions left unanswered and the HyD will demand a full and proper account of the incident, including a comprehensive review of MTRCL's implementation of the supervision system.

     â€‹The Chief Secretary for Administration, Mr Matthew Cheung Kin-chung, chaired the second meeting of the Youth Development Commission (YDC) today (June 19). At the meeting, members endorsed the YDC youth engagement plan and agreed to regularise the Youth Ambassadors Scheme (tentative name). Details are as follows:
      
     (1) The YDC agreed to organise regular youth engagement activities, including regular visits to schools and district youth organisations for direct dialogue with students and young people of different backgrounds, e.g. young people from low-income families and non-Chinese speaking students, and to maintain close contact with the 18 District Youth Programme Committees. The YDC will organise focus group meetings and invite young people and relevant stakeholders to have in-depth discussions on specific issues related to youth development. The YDC will also hold a youth summit next year to examine the outcome of the YDC’s work with stakeholders and listen to the views of young people. In addition, the YDC will make use of online platforms and social media to strengthen communication with young people.
      
     (2) The YDC will regularise the Youth Ambassadors Scheme (tentative name) and recruit 100 young people each year. The purpose is to identify and nurture more young people who are committed and passionate about serving the community. The scheme will provide training to enhance participants’ understanding of the social and public affairs of Hong Kong, while improving their team spirit, confidence, logical thinking, leadership skills and interpersonal relations. Participants will also have opportunities to take part in a wide range of programmes, including large-scale events and international conferences, international youth exchanges, community services and youth engagement activities. The YDC will announce details of programme specifics and recruitment arrangements in due course.
      
     The meeting took note of the progress reports of the three Task Forces set up under the YDC. The three Task Forces, namely the Task Force on Youth Exchange and Internship, the Task Force on Youth Development Fund and Programmes and the Task Force on Youth Outreach and Engagement, convened their first meetings in June separately and commenced discussion on issues that fell within their respective scope.
      
     The meeting noted that more than 70 000 Hong Kong young people would participate in exchange and internship programmes on the Mainland and overseas to be organised, funded or co-ordinated by the Government on average in one year. The YDC will conduct a half to full-day visit outside Hong Kong (tentatively Shenzhen) during the summer holidays for better understanding of the internship programmes.
      
     The meeting noted that, through co-operation with non-governmental organisations, the Youth Development Fund supported around 190 young people to start their businesses during the first application cycle. The YDC will study how the Youth Development Fund can be enhanced to provide better support to young people to start their businesses, including those outside Hong Kong, e.g. in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Bay Area.
      
     A dedicated website for the YDC was launched today to promote YDC activities to young people and relevant stakeholders in a more effective manner. The dedicated website contains information on youth development activities and programmes that are organised or funded by the YDC or the Home Affairs Bureau. The activities and programmes cover various areas including youth exchange, internship, innovation and entrepreneurship, life planning and life education. For more information, please visit www.ydc.gov.hk.

     In response to media enquiry regarding a news report on the decision of The Ombudsman, Ms Connie Lau, not to renew her contract upon its expiry next year, a spokesman for the Administration Wing made the following statement:
 
     The Ombudsman, Ms Connie Lau, informed the Government in February 2018 that she would not renew her contract upon its expiry in March 2019. 
 
     The Chief Executive respected Ms Lau's decision, which was due to personal reasons.
 
     The Government thanked Ms Lau for her outstanding leadership over the years in providing an effective channel of redress for members of the public. The Ombudsman offers fitting recommendations to help government departments and public organisations improve their governance as well as enhance the efficiency of their operation and responsiveness to public needs. The Government will certainly continue to render its staunch support to Ms Lau and the work of the Office of the Ombudsman. 
 
     The Chief Executive has agreed to identify the next Ombudsman through open recruitment, and has established a Selection Board for the exercise. 
 
     The Selection Board for the new Ombudsman will be chaired by Mr Chow Chung-kong, with Mrs Fanny Law Fan Chiu-fun, Dr Simon Ip Sik-on and the Director of Administration as members.
 
     The Administration Wing will invite executive search consultants to submit proposals for the open recruitment exercise in July. The consultant engaged for the exercise will publish recruitment advertisements in August to invite potential candidates to apply for the post.

     Regarding the incident in which a reinforced concrete wall adjacent to staircases at the To Kwa Wan Station platform under the Shatin to Central Link project was not constructed in accordance with the construction drawings, the Highways Department (HyD) requested the MTR Corporation Limited (MTRCL) on June 11 to submit an incident report with a detailed explanation of the cause of the incident and the rectification plan no later than June 18. The HyD received the report from the MTRCL this morning (June 19), and noted that the MTRCL subsequently made public the report. The department is deeply concerned about the supervision problems revealed in the report. The HyD is scrutinising the details in the MTRCL's report and will request the MTRCL to clarify and provide further information as necessary.