Tag Archives: China

     â€‹The Leisure and Cultural Services Department (LCSD) announced today (January 15) that the 2024-25 Pilot Scheme on Subvention for New Sports is open for applications from now until February 23. Local sports organisations could use the subvention to promote the development of new sports, thus providing more opportunities and choices for members of the public to take part in sports activities.
      
     To encourage eligible organisations to step up promotion of new sports, the LCSD will increase the amount of subvention under the Scheme for this year. Each successful applicant sports organisation will be offered a maximum of $180,000 ($150,000 for year 2023-24), or 85 per cent of the total eligible expenditure of the individual activity, whichever is the lower.
      
     A sports organisation wishing to apply for the subvention must be a non-profit making organisation with Articles of Association registered as a company limited by guarantee under the Companies Ordinance (Cap. 622). The new sport under application must be distinct from the sports/disciplines currently solely governed by national sports associations under the Sports Federation & Olympic Committee of Hong Kong, China. The applicant organisation must also be recognised by and affiliated to the international federation/Asian federation/regional federation/recognised by the General Administration of Sport of China, and have successful experience in organising sports development programmes of various levels and types with eager participation by the public in the past two years.
      
      The applicant sports organisations shall provide a comprehensive long-term development and promotion plan as supplementary information. They should also provide relevant information on their competency in organising and arranging programmes; information illustrating a well-established governance structure with transparent and accountable policies, and its credentials as a widely recognised body in the sports sector.
      
     Priority will be given to new applicant sports organisations. As for previous applicant sports organisations, the LCSD will take into consideration their past performance and records when vetting their applications.
      
     For enquiries, please contact the Sports Funding Office of the LCSD at 2601 8756 or email sns@lcsd.gov.hk. Details of the Scheme can be found on the LCSD’s website (www.lcsd.gov.hk/sns).

          

The following is issued on behalf of the Legislative Council Secretariat:
 
     The Legislative Council Commission (LCC) announced today (January 15) that Ms Dora Wai, serving Deputy Secretary General of the Legislative Council (LegCo) Secretariat, had been appointed to succeed Mr Kenneth Chen as Secretary General of the LegCo Secretariat.
 
     The LCC conducted an open cum internal recruitment exercise to fill the post of Secretary General upon the retirement of Mr Chen. The LCC has appointed an executive search company to assist in this exercise. Ms Wai was selected by the LCC for the post of Secretary General. She will assume the post of Secretary General (Designate) from July 1 to 31, 2024, during which she will work together with the incumbent Secretary General, Mr Chen, to facilitate smooth handover. Mr Chen will proceed on pre-retirement leave on August 1, 2024, from which Ms Wai will formally take up the post of Secretary General.
 
     The President of LegCo, Mr Andrew Leung, who also serves as the Chairman of the LCC, said, “Ms Wai has worked in the Secretariat with exemplary performance for a long time and accumulated rich and extensive experience in various aspects of the Secretariat’s services. With a comprehensive and profound understanding of LegCo’s business, the Rules of Procedure and relevant procedural matters, she has rendered professional advice contributing to the smooth operation of the Council. As the current Deputy Secretary General responsible for overseeing nine divisions within the Secretariat, Ms Wai displays outstanding leadership and management abilities, as well as competence and strong passion for guiding staff towards embracing change and delivering high-quality service to LegCo consistently. The LCC and I consider that she best suits the position of Secretary General, and have complete confidence that she will continue to lead the Secretariat with utmost professionalism to serve LegCo in her new role.”
 
     On the retirement of Mr Chen, Mr Leung remarked, “Since assuming the role of Secretary General in 2012, Mr Chen has been leading the Secretariat to overcome many challenges, including those arising from the heightened political tension among Members in the Sixth LegCo, the storming of the LegCo Complex in 2019 and the COVID-19 epidemic from 2020 to 2022, with dedication and professionalism. Throughout his tenure as Secretary General, Mr Chen has made enormous contributions to and played a pivotal role in steering the Secretariat to leverage information technology, re-engineer work processes and redeploy manpower to enhance the operation efficiency of LegCo and the Secretariat. On behalf of the LCC, I would like to express my heartfelt appreciation to Mr Chen for his distinguished service and contribution to the Secretariat over the years, and I wish him a fulfilling and happy retirement after the completion of his service with LegCo in late July.”
 
     The Secretary General is the chief executive of the Secretariat, providing guidance and direction to the organisation’s over 600 staff members in supporting the work of LegCo and managing the facilities and services in LegCo premises. The Secretary General is also Clerk to LegCo as well as the leader of a professional team advising the President on all matters relating to the procedure of the Council. He/she is responsible to the LCC for the effective management of the Secretariat. In addition, he/she is the Controlling Officer of public money appropriated for LCC’s performance of its functions, and is responsible for administering a remuneration and operating expenses reimbursement system for Members of the Council.
 
     A brief biography of Ms Wai is as follows:
 
     Ms Wai joined the LegCo Secretariat in 1993 and advanced to the position of Deputy Secretary General in 2021. She has accumulated diverse and profound knowledge, skills and experience. She has honed her leadership abilities through different roles, including servicing the Council and various committees, organising corporate functions, overseeing the operation of the Public Complaints Office, the Human Resources Office and the Accounts Office. Over the past three years as Deputy Secretary General, she has supervised the work of nine divisions within the Secretariat (covering Council and committee matters, administration, human resources, media and public relations, research, and translation, etc). 

  

     The Government today (January 15) announced the appointment of Mr Dieter Yih Lai-tak as the Chairman of the Quality Education Fund Steering Committee (QEFSC), as well as the appointment of four new members and the reappointment of one incumbent member for a term of two years with effect from January 16, 2024.

     The four newly appointed members are Dr Susan Fan Yun-sun, Ms Lee Yi-ying, Mr James Li Tsz-shu and Ms Wong Yuk-hing. The incumbent member reappointed is Mr Shek Wai-keung.

     The Secretary for Education, Dr Choi Yuk-lin, welcomed the appointments. She said, “Mr Yih has been actively participating in education affairs. He is currently a member of the University Grants Committee, and was a former member of the Education Commission. I am confident that under Mr Yih’s leadership and with members’ professional knowledge and experience, the QEFSC will continue to provide valuable advice to the Government in relation to optimising the use of the Quality Education Fund (QEF) for promoting quality education in Hong Kong, benefitting more students, parents, teachers and school administrative personnel.”

     Dr Choi expressed her heartfelt gratitude to the outgoing Chairman, Dr Gordon Tsui Luen-on. She said, “Dr Tsui has dedicated himself to the development of the QEF and made remarkable contributions over the past years. Under his chairmanship, the QEF has achieved significant progress in supporting innovative education projects and raising the quality of education in Hong Kong.”

     Dr Choi also thanked the outgoing members, Mr Stanley Choi Tak-shing, Ms Joanne Fong Yee-man and Mr Lau Chun-hung, for their valuable contributions to and support for the QEFSC in the past years.

     The QEF was established in 1998 with $5 billion in capital from the Government to fund innovative projects that promote quality education in Hong Kong. The QEFSC advises on the policies and operation of the QEF, and makes recommendations to the QEF Trustee on the funding applications.

     Since its establishment, the QEF has supported about 13 900 projects with total funding amounting to about $6.9 billion.

     The membership list of the QEFSC with effect from January 16, 2024, is as follows:
 
Chairman
————-
Mr Dieter Yih Lai-tak
 
Appointed members
—————————
Ms Rita Chan Yin-nei
Dr Susan Fan Yun-sun #
Dr Daphne Ho Kin-yi
Ms Eva Charisa Hsu
Ms Lee Yi-ying #
Dr Promail Leung Kin-yi
Ms Angela Leung Wai-tuen
Mr David Leung Yiu-fai
Mr James Li Tsz-shu #
Mr Benjamin Ng Yau-keung
Mr Pang Chor-fu
Mr Shek Wai-keung
Dr Winnie Tang Shuk-ming
Mr Addy Wong Wai-hung
Ms Wong Yuk-hing #
Mr Yeung Sai-man
 
Ex-officio member
————————-
Deputy Secretary for Education (5)
 
# New appointee read more

     The Government announced today (January 15) the appointment of two members to the Stamp Advisory Committee (SAC) through the Member Self-recommendation Scheme for Youth (MSSY) for a term from January 15, 2024, to April 30, 2026.
      
     The two newly appointed members are Ms Cheung Kwai-king and Mr Lee Cheong-wai. Ms Cheung is currently pursuing a doctoral degree on Classical Chinese Literature. She also teaches Applied Chinese and Modern Chinese Literature in local tertiary institutions. Mr Lee holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Media and a Master of Arts Degree in Design Management. He is currently working in a financial media company as a Senior Graphic Designer.
      
     Established in 1973, the SAC comprises members from diverse backgrounds. The SAC advises the Postmaster General on stamp themes and designs, and other related issues. Furthermore, the Government regularly recruits young persons aged between 18 and 35 who are eager to serve the community to join the Government’s advisory committees through the MSSY, with a view to providing more opportunities for young people to participate in policy discussions. read more

     A total of 132,246 local companies were newly registered with the Registry in 2023, according to the statistics released by the Companies Registry today (January 15). The total number of local companies registered under the Companies Ordinance was 1,430,758 by the end of 2023, increasing by 39,080 compared to 2022.
 
     During the year, the Registry launched its revamped core information system, the Integrated Companies Registry Information System (ICRIS), on December 27, 2023, together with a new e-Services Portal for customers to access all the electronic services of the Registry round-the-clock with a single logon. Some other new initiatives were also implemented on the same day, including the Unique Business Identifier, whereby the business registration number assigned by the Inland Revenue Department is adopted as the identification number for all entities under the administration of the Registrar of Companies (replacing the former company registration number); Phase 3 of the new inspection regime that further enhanced the protection of sensitive personal information on the Companies Register; and simultaneous business registration application for registration of limited partnership fund (LPF).
 
     In 2023, 960 non-Hong Kong companies that have newly established a place of business in Hong Kong were registered under the Companies Ordinance. The total number of registered non-Hong Kong companies was 14,826 by the end of 2023, up 2.02 per cent year on year.
 
     The number of charges on properties of companies received for registration in 2023 was 12,368, 31.38 per cent down from 18,024 in 2022. The number of notifications of payments and releases received for registration decreased by 12.57 per cent, from 20,185 in 2022 to 17,648 in 2023.
 
     In 2023, a total of 134 prospectuses were registered while the figure recorded in 2022 was 133.
 
     The total number of documents delivered for registration in 2023 increased by 8.29 per cent to 2,997,459, compared to 2,768,120 in 2022.
 
     A total of 4,925,332 searches of document image records were conducted using the Registry’s electronic search services in 2023, an increase of 5.50 per cent from 4,668,742 in 2022.
 
     On the registration of LPF, a total of 188 LPFs were newly registered in 2023. The total number of LPFs by the end of 2023 was 737.
 
     As regards the licensing of trust or company service providers under the Anti-Money Laundering and Counter-Terrorist Financing Ordinance, a total of 429 licences were granted in 2023, and the number of licensees was 6,945 by the end of 2023.
 
     For details of the statistics, please visit the “Statistics” section of the Registry’s website (www.cr.gov.hk).
  read more