A spokesman for the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD) said today (December 29) that the FEHD has introduced online renewal services for some food business licences, restricted food permits and other trade licences (excluding General Restaurant/Light Refreshment Restaurant/Factory Canteen Licence and Karaoke Establishment Permit). Members of the public can visit the FEHD's website (www.fehd.gov.hk/english/es/internet_payment.html) for details on types of licences and permits to which the online renewal services are applicable. Following the instructions stated on the notification letter, relevant licensees or permittees may choose to renew and pay the fee through the "Online Licence Services" website (www.licensing.gov.hk) by using "iAM Smart". After completion of the process, the FEHD will mail the original copy of licence or permit to the correspondence address of the licensees or permittees.

     Online payment accepts credit cards (Visa, JCB, MasterCard and Union Pay) and PPS payment. After completing an online payment, members of the public should print and retain the acknowledgement page, which contains key information about the transaction or a reference number that will allow them to check the transaction status when necessary.

     Meanwhile, licensees or permittees may continue to use the existing renewal methods, which are to visit the Licence Issuing Offices in person, or send by post or pay by e-Cheque.

     The Department of Health (DH)'s Consultant (Family Medicine) Dr Cecilia Fan today (December 29) received the National Outstanding Individuals in the Foreign Medical Aid commendation by the National Health Commission in Beijing, which recognises the contribution and participation of Dr Fan and the DH team as part of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) search and rescue team to support frontline rescue members to save lives in the earthquake-stricken areas of Türkiye early this year. The Director of Health, Dr Ronald Lam, expressed his heartfelt congratulations to Dr Fan and the DH team, and hailed her and the teammates as the pride of the department and role models for colleagues.
      
     Speaking after the award presentation, Dr Fan said that she is very grateful for the country's commendation and it is the greatest pride for her. She also felt honoured to be trusted and nominated by the HKSAR Government and the department. She added that the search and rescue team only got hold of limited information before departure and she needed to prepare suitable medicines, first-aid supplies, emergency medical devices and medical outreach equipment within a short period of time. Therefore, the commendation does not belong to her personally, as it took the co-operation of the whole team for the pre-departure preparation to be completed swiftly and efficiently. She thanked again the three colleagues of the DH medical team for working alongside her in the rescue operation and other colleagues of the DH for their strong support behind the scenes. She has learnt a lot from members of the search and rescue team from other departments who demonstrated professionalism and team spirit at all times. The experience enriched her career and she promised to treasure the honour by passing on the relevant experience. 
      
     Dr Lam said, "Despite the extreme adverse and dangerous environment, Dr Fan and her team demonstrated bravery and professionalism when taking care of the health of the search and rescue team members around the clock. The department is honoured that Dr Fan and her team's effort has been recognised by the country. The search and rescue team's effort and contribution are not only highly praised by the Türkiye Government and their citizens, but they were also commended locally by being awarded the first Chief Executive's Award for Exemplary Performance and the Chief Executive's Commendation for Government/Public Service. Their selfless dedication has also gained support from Hong Kong people. They are the pride of the HKSAR."
      
     Dr Lam pointed out that the participation in the rescue operation showcased DH colleagues' spirit of serving people with professionalism and dedication, which will set a good example and influence and inspire more people. It is commendable that Dr Fan and her team overcame difficulties and danger and worked as a team to accomplish the mission with a passion to save lives and their professionalism. Dr Lam also extended his appreciation to colleagues of the Port Health Division, the Health Administration and Planning Office and the Departmental Administration Division of the DH, who formed an emergency back-up team for the frontline medical team to render round-the-clock support and provide necessary supplies.
      
     The DH sent a four-person medical team to join the 59-strong search and rescue team deployed by the HKSAR Government this February to assist the search and rescue work at the quake-stricken areas in Türkiye. The medical team safeguarded the physical and mental health of the search and rescue team members during the operation. Before departure, the Port Health Division of the DH arranged vaccination for all the search and rescue team members. The medical team comprises two family medicine specialists and two public health nursing officers. Led by Dr Fan, the medical team prepared sufficient medicine, disinfection and first-aid supplies, and implemented the infection control measures to prevent outbreak of infectious diseases and hypothermia among search and rescue team members. The medical team also provided 24-hour medical support to members ensuring that they were in their best condition to carry out the rescue duties. The search and rescue team successfully rescued four survivors from the quake-stricken areas at the end.
      
     This year marks the 60th anniversary of the dispatch of the Mainland foreign aid medical teams, and the 10th anniversary of the promulgation of the Chinese medical team spirit. The spirit of international humanitarianism has been demonstrated by generations of foreign aid medical teams, with their outstanding medical skills and high standard of moral values. They are dedicated to serving the people in need and enhancing the healthcare development and health levels in recipient countries. The Mainland's international medical aid team executes the noble spirit – no fear of hardships, willingness to dedicate, saving lives and great love with practical actions – and jointly builds a shared human health community.

          

     The Secretary for Health, Professor Lo Chung-mau, and the Director of Health, Dr Ronald Lam, attended a national recognition ceremony for outstanding individuals in foreign medical aid in Beijing today (December 29) to witness Consultant (Family Medicine) of the Department of Health (DH) Dr Cecilia Fan being recognised by the country for her participation in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) search and rescue team's work in quake-stricken Türkiye.

     Dr Fan led a four-member medical team of the DH to join the 59-strong search and rescue team formed by the HKSAR government departments to assist in the search and rescue work in the quake-stricken areas in Türkiye in February this year.

     Professor Lo said, "With my heartfelt congratulations to Dr Fan, I am very excited to witness an HKSAR healthcare professional receiving recognition by the country for her fearlessness and dedication to saving lives. This year marks the 60th anniversary of the dispatch of Chinese medical teams abroad. President Xi Jinping said that foreign medical aid illustrates our country's love for peace and cherishment for lives, and also makes greater contributions to the building of a global community of health for all. Healthcare professionals of the HKSAR will continue to give full play to their strengths, serve the country's needs and contribute to the country's foreign medical aid.

     "Dr Fan demonstrated excellent leadership and emergency response ability, facilitating efficient operation. The post-disaster situation on the ground posed great challenges to the search and rescue team, but the medical team led by Dr Fan displayed perseverance, bravery and fearlessness, while holding fast to professionalism, thereby serving as a role model for the healthcare professionals of the HKSAR to participate in the country's foreign medical aid."

     Professor Lo will return to Hong Kong tonight. During his absence, the Secretary for Education, Dr Choi Yuk-lin, acts as the Secretary for Health.

      

The following is issued on behalf of the Environmental Campaign Committee:

     To facilitate the Government's initiative of expanding the food waste collection network, the Environmental Campaign Committee (ECC), through funding from the Environment and Conservation Fund, supported the Environmental Protection Department (EPD) to roll out the Pilot Scheme on Food Waste Smart Recycling Bins in Private Housing Estates (the Scheme). Open for application today (December 29), the Scheme provides eligible large private housing estates with food waste smart bins (FWSBs), including installation and maintenance services, for a period of two years free of charge.

     Starting from today, private housing estates with a total household number of no less than 1 000 units can submit applications to the ECC. Under the Scheme, the EPD will arrange for contractors to install FWSBs in participating housing estates and deliver the collected food waste to centralised treatment facilities every day, for treatment and conversion into electricity and compost. The participating housing estates will be provided with domestic food waste buckets to be distributed to residents for helping them practice food waste separation and collection.

     The FWSBs provided are equipped with overflow prevention and odour abatement devices to maintain a hygienic environment. Moreover, the FWSBs are connected to the EPD's GREEN$ Electronic Participation Incentive Scheme. Not only could residents contribute to environmental protection through food waste recycling, they could also earn GREEN$ points and redeem gifts.

     The ECC has been co-operating with the EPD to launch the Promotion Programme on Source Separation of Waste by distributing three-colour waste separation bins on a free-of-charge basis to domestic housing and commercial and industrial premises since 2008 to facilitate building property management companies in implementing waste separation and recycling. To facilitate the implementation of Municipal Solid Waste Charging on April 1, 2024, the ECC provided funding support to the Scheme to encourage residents to cultivate the habit of food waste recycling, as well as further promoting domestic food waste recycling in Hong Kong.

     For more information on the Scheme, please refer to the ECC's website (www.ecc.org.hk/en/publicity/pilot_fwsb.html).

  

     Twenty-one landlords of subdivided units (SDUs) who contravened Part IVA of the Landlord and Tenant (Consolidation) Ordinance (Cap. 7) (the Ordinance) pleaded guilty and were fined a total of $41,600 today (December 29) at the Eastern Magistrates' Courts. Since the Ordinance has come into force, a total of 79 SDU landlords have been convicted of contravening the Ordinance.  
 
     The offences of these landlords include (1) failing to submit a Notice of Tenancy (Form AR2) to the Commissioner of Rating and Valuation within 60 days after the term of the regulated tenancy commenced; (2) failing to produce copies of the bills and provide an account in writing when requiring the tenants to pay for the reimbursement of the apportioned water and/or electricity charges; and (3) requesting the tenant to pay money other than the types permitted under the Ordinance. One of the landlords who contravened a total of eight offences under (1) and (3) above was fined $7,600.
 
     The Rating and Valuation Department (RVD) earlier discovered that the landlords failed to comply with the relevant requirements under the Ordinance. Upon in-depth investigation and evidence collection, the RVD prosecuted against the landlords.
 
     A spokesman for the RVD hopes that these convictions will send a strong message to SDU landlords that they must comply with the relevant requirements under the Ordinance, and also reminds SDU tenants of their rights under the Ordinance. He also stresses that the RVD will continue to take resolute enforcement action against any contraventions of the Ordinance. Apart from following up on reported cases, the RVD has been adopting a multipronged approach to proactively identify, investigate and follow up on cases concerning landlords who are suspected of contravening the Ordinance. In particular, the RVD has been requiring landlords of regulated tenancies to provide information and reference documents of their tenancies for checking whether the landlords concerned have complied with the requirements of the Ordinance. If a landlord, without reasonable excuse, refuses to provide the relevant information or neglects the RVD's request, the landlord commits an offence and is liable to a fine at level 3 ($10,000) and to imprisonment for three months. Depending on the actual circumstances and having regard to the information and evidence collected, the RVD will take appropriate actions on individual cases, including instigating prosecutions against suspected contravention of the Ordinance.
 
     The RVD spokesman appeals to members of the public to come forward and report to the RVD promptly any suspected cases of contravening the relevant requirements. This would help curb illegal acts as soon as possible. Reporting can be made through the telephone hotline (2150 8303), by email (enquiries@rvd.gov.hk), by fax (2116 4920), by post (15/F, Cheung Sha Wan Government Offices, 303 Cheung Sha Wan Road, Kowloon), or in person (visiting the Tenancy Services Section office of the RVD at Room 3816-22, 38/F, Immigration Tower, 7 Gloucester Road, Wan Chai, Hong Kong, and please call 2150 8303 to make an appointment). Furthermore, the RVD has provided a form (Form AR4) (www.rvd.gov.hk/doc/en/forms/ar4.pdf) on its website to facilitate SDU tenants' reporting to the RVD.
 
     The RVD reminds that pursuant to the Ordinance, a regulated cycle of regulated tenancies is to comprise two consecutive regulated tenancies (i.e. the first-term tenancy and second-term tenancy) for an SDU, and the term of each regulated tenancy is two years. A tenant of a first-term tenancy for an SDU is entitled to be granted a second-term tenancy of the regulated cycle, thus enjoying a total of four years of security of tenure. Since the first batch of regulated tenancies is about to approach their second-term tenancies, the RVD has started a new round of publicity and education work in order to assist SDU landlords and tenants to understand the important matters pertaining to the second-term tenancy, and procedures that need to be followed about two months prior to the commencement of the purported second-term tenancy. In addition, RVD started to issue letters enclosing relevant information to the concerned landlords and tenants of regulated tenancies by batches, according to the expiry time of their first term tenancies, to remind them about their respective obligations and rights under the Ordinance. These landlords and tenants may also visit the dedicated page for the second-term tenancy on the RVD's website (www.rvd.gov.hk/en/tenancy_matters/second_term_tenancy.html) for the relevant information, including a concise guide, brochures, tutorial videos, frequently asked questions, etc. SDU landlords and tenants are also advised to familiarise themselves with the relevant statutory requirements and maintain close communication regarding the second-term tenancy for handling the matters properly and in a timely manner according to the Ordinance.
 
     For enquiries related to regulated tenancies, please call the telephone hotline (2150 8303) or visit the RVD's webpage (www.rvd.gov.hk/en/our_services/part_iva.html) for the relevant information.