Tag Archives: China

     Following is a question by the Hon Gary Zhang and a written reply by the Secretary for Labour and Welfare, Mr Chris Sun, in the Legislative Council today (December 6):
 
Question:
 
     Regarding measures to support persons with hearing impairment (HI), will the Government inform this Council:
 
(1) as a non-profit-making organisation has estimated that there are about 100 audiologists in Hong Kong, and their ratio to the population is 1:73 330, which is far below the ratios in neighbouring regions and countries (e.g. the ratio in Singapore being 1:51 136), whether the Government has regularly reviewed Hong Kong’s manpower requirement for audiologists, and whether it will consider including audiologists in the Talent List to attract overseas professionals to practise in Hong Kong;
 
(2) as it is learnt that public hospitals and clinics under the Hospital Authority (HA) may arrange sign language interpretation services for persons with HI seeking consultation, whether the Government knows the number of cases of scheduled sign language interpretation services in each of the past five years, and if HA has received complaints about such services; if HA has, of the specific contents of such complaints; whether the Government knows the average waiting time for cases of emergency sign language interpretation services (e.g. provision of services for patients with HI in cases of their emergency admission to hospitals) in the past five years;
 
(3) of the number of persons with HI employed by the Government and its percentage in the total number of persons employed by the Government in each of the past five years; and
 
(4) in order to encourage more people to enter the profession of sign language interpretation for taking forward support services for persons with HI, whether the Government will consider creating additional civil service or non-civil service contract staff posts of sign language interpreters?
 
Reply:
 
President,
 
     Having consulted the Health Bureau and the Civil Service Bureau on the Member’s question, I set out below a consolidated reply:
 
(1) According to the 2019 Health Manpower Survey, it is estimated that Hong Kong has a total of around 90 audiologists. The Hong Kong Institute of Audiologists (HKIA) is the recognised body for audiologists under the Department of Health’s Accredited Registers Scheme for Healthcare Professions. As at June 2023, a total of 60 audiologists was registered under the HKIA. The Hospital Authority (HA) currently employs around 40 audiologists. Their attrition rate and vacancy are both lower than other grades. The HA will keep the service level under regular review, and on a need basis, employ additional manpower for service provision. The Health Bureau will closely monitor the manpower situation of different healthcare professions, and review the need for including other healthcare professions (including audiologists) into the Talent List where appropriate.
 
(2) In order to cater for patients with special needs, the HA has been arranging free sign language interpretation services for patients in need at its public hospitals and clinics through a service contractor and freelance interpreters for the Judiciary Administration. The HA also has guidelines in place for its staff on the arrangement of sign language interpretation services.
 
     Patients in need may request the hospital and clinic concerned to arrange interpretation services in advance. For scheduled services, interpreters generally could arrive on time to provide the services. As for non-scheduled circumstances (such as hospital admission during emergency), the HA staff will, according to the need, immediately arrange interpreters to provide video-call or on-site interpretation services as soon as possible. In the past five years, for non-scheduled services, sign language interpreters have arrived at the relevant premises to provide interpretation services within one hour on average.
 
     The case numbers of sign language interpretation services provided by the HA in the past five years are as follows:
 

Year	Sign language interpretation services (number of cases)
2018-19	1 049
2019-20	991
2020-21	1 351
2021-22	1 582
2022-23	1 563

 
     In the past five years, the HA has received two complaints regarding sign language interpretation services for individuals with hearing impairments. Both cases were related to inpatients alleging that the hospital failed to actively arrange for sign language interpretation services. With a view to enhancing support to hearing-impaired patients, posters have been printed and displayed at hospitals and clinics to enable patients to learn more about the interpretation services. Apart from provision of sign language interpretation services, the HA has also produced standard response cue cards, disease information leaflets and patient consent forms, which include information on common diseases, treatment procedures and the HA services to assist individuals with hearing impairments, as well as enhanced training for frontline healthcare staff on relevant services.
 
(3) and (4) Currently, persons with disabilities can choose whether to declare their disabilities when they apply for government jobs. The same applies to serving civil servants. The Government does not and has no plan to require serving civil servants and job applicants to declare their disabilities. The Civil Service Bureau collects statistical information from bureaux/departments (B/Ds) on employment of persons with disabilities in the Government each year. B/Ds collect relevant information through different channels, such as when job applicants declare their disabilities on a voluntary basis and request for special arrangements in attending the selection test/interview having regard to their disabilities, or when serving employees apply for financial assistance to purchase technical aids to assist in their performance of duties. Given that declaration of disabilities is on a voluntary basis, the actual figure may be greater than the statistical figure.
 
     The number of newly recruited civil servants known to have hearing impairment and its respective percentage in the newly recruited civil servants from 2018-19 to 2022-23 are set out in the table below :
 

Year	Number of newly recruited civil servants known to have hearing impairment	Percentage in newly recruited civil servants of the year
2018-19	17	0.15
2019-20	24	0.22
2020-21	9	0.10
2021-22	19	0.21
2022-23	11	0.15

 
     At present, the Government does not have civil service posts providing sign language interpretation services. B/Ds can consider the most appropriate way to provide/use sign language interpretation services after taking into consideration their operational needs and resources. read more

     â€‹Following is a question by the Hon Benson Luk and a written reply by the Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism, Mr Kevin Yeung, in the Legislative Council today (December 6):
 
Question:
 
     It is learnt that Hong Kong’s neighbouring tourism competitors have proactively rolled out measures to revitalize the tourism industry after the epidemic, including stepping up publicity, facilitating visa issuance, and constructing or developing new tourist attractions and facilities. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
 
(1) as the Government has indicated in the 2023 Policy Address that it will publish the Development Blueprint for Hong Kong’s Tourism Industry 2.0 next year, whether the Government will formulate specific strategies in the Blueprint for integrating major cultural and sports events into tourism projects; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that;
 
(2) whether it has formulated new short, medium and long-term strategies to attract travellers to visit Hong Kong in the light of the campaigns launched by competitors in the region to boost the development of their tourism industries; if so, of the details and the implementation timetable; if not, the reasons for that;
 
(3) given that, apart from M+ and the Hong Kong Palace Museum which opened in recent years, other local tourism facilities have already been in operation for quite some time since their commissioning, whether the Government has plans to construct new tourism facilities in the coming five years; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; and
 
(4) of the mega events to be held in Hong Kong for the first time in the coming five years, and the details of such events?
 
Reply:
 
President,
 
     In respect of the question raised by the Hon Benson Luk, the reply is as follows:

(1) and (2) Since the complete lifting of inbound travel restrictions in February this year, Hong Kong’s tourism industry has been recovering steadily and is largely the same with that of other regions. However, there are many challenges, including the global economic conditions, competition from other neighbouring regions, changes in travel patterns of visitors, air capacity limitation, etc. Under these challenges, we have launched the “Hello Hong Kong” large-scale global promotional campaign to send a welcoming message to the world and entice visitors to come and experience Hong Kong’s diverse appeals in person. The Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB), other than organising various large-scale events, has also distributed around two million “Hong Kong Goodies” visitor consumption vouchers, each with a value of $100, to warmly welcome visitors.
 
     In the coming year, the HKTB will make every effort to attract visitors to Hong Kong:
 

1. promoting tourism through mega events and reinforcing Hong Kong’s position as the Events Capital of Asia by leveraging Chinese and Western festivals and year-round mega events, as well as integrating the development of culture, sports and tourism; 
2. continuing to develop Hong Kong into an international tourism hub and core demonstration zone for multi-destination tourism by leveraging the city’s role as a “super-connector” and “super value-adder” connecting the Mainland with the rest of the world;
3. developing more special tourism products and experiences in collaboration with the travel trade focusing on potential markets and visitor segments, to attract visitors from different source markets to come to Hong Kong; and 
4. attracting high value-added visitors and stepping up the development of cruise tourism to elevate Hong Kong’s competitiveness as Asia’s cruise hub by tapping into Hong Kong’s advantage as the “World’s Meeting Place”.

     Apart from the above strategies, the Government and the travel trade will continue to implement measures to enrich tourism resources in Hong Kong, with a view to attracting more visitors. 
 
     In recent years, we have launched a number of projects enriched with art, heritage, creative and green tourism characteristics, such as “Sai Kung Hoi Arts Festival”, “Design District Hong Kong”, “City in Time” and “Enhancement of Hiking Trails”, and we are working at full steam to roll out another phase of these projects. In addition, we continue to work with relevant government departments to diversify and promote green tourism in Hong Kong through upgrading the facilities in the Hong Kong Wetland Park, and exploring the development of a hiking hub at Pak Tam Chung.
      
     For promoting the development of tourism, the Government has announced in the 2023 Policy Address that the Cultural and Heritage Sites Local Tour Incentive Scheme will be transformed into the Characteristic Local Tourism Incentive Scheme (CTIS) to provide more in-depth itinerary design, training, etc., with a view to encouraging the trade to develop more thematic tours. The CTIS will be rolled out in the first quarter of 2024.
      
     Besides, the Tourism Commission (TC) and the HKTB have been reviewing the light and sound show, “A Symphony of Lights”. We target to devise a plan next year with a view to bringing a fresh experience to visitors. In addition, we will promote cultural and eco-tourism in Sha Tau Kok so that more locals and visitors can learn about the history, culture, and natural geological features of Sha Tau Kok and nearby outlying islands. In the long run, we will also explore with the Shenzhen Municipal Government the feasibility of establishing a Hong Kong Sha Tau Kok and Shenzhen Shatoujiao cultural tourism zone.
      
     National planning documents promulgated in recent years provided guiding directions for tourism development of Hong Kong. The Culture and Tourism Development Plan for the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (the Plan) sets out the guiding directions for the overall cultural and tourism development of the Greater Bay Area (GBA) and guides the development of GBA into an exchange hub for culture of the East and the West and a world-class tourism destination. The Development Blueprint for Hong Kong Tourism Industry (Blueprint) promulgated in 2017 well echoed with the guiding directions laid down in the national planning documents.
      
     The current-term Government has set up the Culture, Sports and Tourism Bureau (CSTB) to promote the in-depth integration of culture, sports and tourism and collaboration among the three parties. Some examples are set out at Part 4 of this reply.
      
     The Government announced in the 2023 Policy Address the formulation of the Blueprint 2.0 for making enhancements in various aspects to complement tourism development. The Blueprint 2.0 will be published next year after trade consultation. In the process of updating Blueprint 2.0, the Government will consult the trade and strive to reflect their concerns with a view to implementing more measures to foster collaboration among culture, sports and tourism for promoting the development of the tourism industry.

(3) The Government and the travel trade have been considering adding culture, sports and tourism facilities, including the Kai Tak Sports Park to be completed by 2024, East Kowloon Cultural Centre to be opened by phases in 2024, Heritage Conservation and Resource Centre targeted to be opened in 2028, New Territories East Cultural Centre targeted to be opened in 2030, etc. We have also been striving to enhance the attractiveness of existing tourism attractions and facilities. Peak Tram has completed its upgrading plan and reopened in August last year. Ngong Ping 360 launched its “Crystal+” cabin last December, offering 360-degree panoramic view to visitors. Hong Kong Disneyland Resort (HKDL) has been actively taking forward its multi-year expansion plan under which the Castle of Magical Dreams as well as brand new daytime and nighttime shows have been rolled out progressively from 2020 to 2022. In addition, the world’s first ever and largest World of Frozen was officially opened on November 20 this year. HKDL will continue to take forward the remaining “Marvel” super heroes themed area project under the Plan in an orderly manner, in tandem with the pace of tourism recovery.
 
     As for Ocean Park, the all-weather indoor-and-outdoor Water World and the Fullerton Ocean Park Hotel Hong Kong were officially open in 2021 and 2022 respectively, creating synergy to enhance Ocean Park’s appeal as a resort destination. The Government and Ocean Park Corporation are actively implementing various initiatives under the future strategy for Ocean Park, including those relating to the development of new tourism facilities, like taking forward outsourcing arrangement for the Adventure Zone in the upper park of Ocean Park, conducting investigation and design studies for the pier projects at Tai Shue Wan and Deep Water Bay, etc.
      
     The TC is also taking forward the Lei Yue Mun (LYM) Waterfront Enhancement Project which will improve the facilities along LYM waterfront and enhance its connectivity with a view to further enhancing the attractiveness of LYM as a popular tourist attraction. Works under the project include the construction of a public landing facility, and the development of a waterfront promenade and related improvement works. The first phase of the works have been open to the public since early 2023 and the remaining works are expected to be completed in phases by end 2024.

(4) In 2023, the CSTB organised and supported many large-scale events, many of which were held for the first time or re-organised in physical form after being suspended for many years. In addition, there were many commercial concerts, exhibitions and performances. To consolidate Hong Kong’s position as the “Events Capital of Asia”, we will continue to organise these events and explore different types of large-scale events in coming years, to draw more high value-added overnight visitors to Hong Kong, offer them new experiences, and present Hong Kong’s charm to the world again. 
 
     The CSTB and the Hong Kong Arts Development Council will organise the first-ever “Hong Kong Performing Arts Expo” (HKPAX) in Hong Kong from October 14 to 18, 2024. The HKPAX includes international showcases, pitching sessions, talks, exhibitions and networking activities. It will promote collaboration and trading of the performing arts industry, while at the same time, gather world-class performing arts programmes in Hong Kong and attract visitors to Hong Kong. We estimate that around 800 to 1 000 artists from overseas and 500 local artists will participate in the HKPAX and the programmes will attract around 30 000 audiences (including visitors).
      
     The CSTB and the Leisure and Cultural Services Department (LCSD) will organise “Chinese Culture Festival” on a regular basis from 2024 onwards, with a view to providing audiences with more opportunities to enjoy special programmes on Chinese culture, which include Chinese Opera, selected performing arts programmes, outstanding local works recognised by the China National Arts Fund, and activities such as film screenings. In addition, the “World Cultures Festival” will be organised regularly to showcase the essence of culture and arts from different countries and regions. Programmes include stage performances, film screenings, exhibitions, etc., allowing participants to experience the unique style of each country or region.
      
     In addition, Hong Kong will host the “Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area Culture and Arts Festival” for the first time in 2024. The LCSD will co-ordinate high-quality productions and selected programmes of local arts groups and artists of the 9+2 Greater Bay Area cities, ranging from music, dance, Cantonese Opera, theatre, arts exhibition, literature and film screenings, to promote the integration of arts and culture. The “Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area Culture and Arts Festival” will be held immediately after the “Hong Kong Performing Arts Expo” to achieve better synergy.
      
     The Mega Arts and Cultural Events (ACE) Fund, officially launched by the CSTB in April 2023, aims to attract and support international and large-scale arts and cultural events to be held in Hong Kong, with a view to developing Hong Kong into an arts and cultural metropolis. As of now, six events have been successfully organised (including Art Basel Hong Kong 2023, Art Central 2023, etc.), and the remaining four approved events will be held in the coming months. 
      
     Meanwhile, the CSTB is committed to developing Hong Kong into a centre for major international sports events and supporting local national sports associations (NSAs) in hosting major international sports events through the provision of matching fund and direct grant under the “M” Mark System. Since April 2023, there are 13 major international sports events being awarded “M” Mark status, of which 11 events have been held, including the Aramco Team Series Hong Kong, the FIA World Rallycross Championship and the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge (Hong Kong Section) Half Marathon staged in Hong Kong for the first time. The WDSF Breaking for Gold World Series will be held in Hong Kong for the first time in mid-December 2023, whereas the Women’s U20 World Lacrosse Championship and WBSC Baseball5 World Cup are being planned to be staged in Hong Kong for the very first time in 2024. We will continue to assist NSAs and other private or non-governmental organisations in launching more new major sports events.
      
     For MICE events (i.e. Meetings, Incentive travels, Conventions and Exhibitions), the HKTB recently won IBTM, the world’s leading MICE event brand, to organise its inaugural MICE trade show IBTM Asia Pacific 2025, in Spring 2025 in Hong Kong. The event is expected to attract more than 1 500 travel trade and MICE professionals to come to Hong Kong for attending it. Between April and October this year, the HKTB had successfully bid or subsidised the staging of over 430 international MICE events in Hong Kong, involving over 300 000 MICE visitors and showcasing Hong Kong’s strengths and appeal as an international MICE capital. These events include high-end international conferences hosted by internationally renowned business media and attended by A-list speakers from around the world, namely Tatler Gen. T Asia Summit (Note 1), Technology for Change Asia (Note 2), and Fortune Innovation Forum (Note 3), as well as 42 large-scale international MICE events such as the Jewellery & Gem WORLD Hong Kong held in September, the upcoming Insurtech Insights Asia 2023 to be held in December and the 63rd Orient & Southeast Asian Lions Forum to be held in 2026.
      
     We will continue to attract more international and large-scale cultural, arts and sports events, tourism happenings and MICE activities to be held in Hong Kong through the Mega ACE Fund, “M” Mark and other resources. We will announce once the events are confirmed.

Note 1: Tatler Asia will stage three editions of the Tatler Gen. T Asia Summit in Hong Kong between 2023 and 2025. The first edition took place in November 2023.
 
Note 2: The Economist will stage three editions of the Technology for Change Asia in Hong Kong between 2024 and 2026 with the first edition taking place in February 2024.
 
Note 3: Fortune will stage the Fortune Innovation Forum in Hong Kong in March 2024. read more

     Following is the speech (translated from Chinese) by the Chief Secretary for Administration, Mr Chan Kwok-ki, in presenting the Government Minute in response to the Annual Report of The Ombudsman 2023 in the Legislative Council toda… read more

     Following is the speech by the Secretary for Innovation, Technology and Industry, Professor Sun Dong, at the InnoHK Summit 2023 today (December 6):

Professor Tsui (Chairman of the InnoHK Steering Committee, Professor Tsui Lap-chee), Mr Albert Wong (Chief Executive Officer of the Hong Kong Science and Technology Parks Corporation), å�³ç¨‹å‰¯éƒ¨é•· (Deputy Director-General of the Department of Educational, Scientific and Technological Affairs of the Liaison Office of the Central People’s Government in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, Ms Wu Cheng), distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen, 

     Good morning. Welcome to Hong Kong. It is my great pleasure to join you all today at the InnoHK Summit 2023.

     The Chief Executive just highlighted the importance of international collaboration. Now I wish to say a few more words about why Hong Kong is the best place for doing that.

     Promoting the development of innovation and technology, I&T in short, is very high on our Government’s policy agenda. InnoHK is our flagship I&T initiative to foster global research collaboration. We have established two InnoHK research clusters, one on healthcare, another one on artificial intelligence (AI) and robotics. InnoHK so far has brought together over 30 world-renowned universities and institutions from 11 economies to set up so far a total of 29 research centres. You will hear from them today about the latest achievements resulting from their collaborative research. 

     The Policy Address two months ago announced the establishment of a new InnoHK research centre focusing on Generative AI. That is our 20th InnoHK research centre. Furthermore, we will start to make preparations next year for the establishment of a third InnoHK research cluster focusing on advanced manufacturing, materials, energy and sustainable development. We welcome scientists from around the globe to work with our local universities and set up research centres under this broad theme.

     Hong Kong has always been an open and cosmopolitan city with a diverse community. It remains the only place in the world where global connectivity and the China advantage come together in one city. With the staunch support from the motherland’s National 14th Five-Year Plan, and the opportunities brought by the development of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, Hong Kong is well positioned for I&T development.

     Imagine that you wish to create a positive impact through innovations based on your scientific findings. You will need to assemble a team of talented researchers to carry out further R&D (research and development). Hong Kong is the perfect place for that. We have the highest concentration of top-quality universities globally, with five of them ranking in the world’s top 100. We also provide a variety of funding opportunities for different disciplines.

     When you are ready to translate your R&D outcomes into applications with real-world impact, you will be supported by various government schemes. For instance, the US$1.28 billion-Research, Academic and Industry Sectors One-plus Scheme will fund, on a matching basis, hundreds of research teams from local universities with good potential to become successful start-ups. The recently announced another US$1.28 billion for New Industrialisation Acceleration Scheme will also fund the downstream application of new industrialisation by enterprises in the fields of life and health technologies, AI, data science, advanced manufacturing and new energy technologies.

     Once your start-up is up and running, you will find that Hong Kong is a business-friendly environment to raise capital with a wide range of I&T-focused funding from both public and private sources. We have a mature legal system supported by a robust IP (intellectual property) protection regime. In Hong Kong, you will have unrivalled access to the markets in Mainland China and Asia. At the same time, you will stay closely connected with the international market and capital. This makes our city an ideal destination for start-ups and enterprises to grow and succeed. Hong Kong is now home to more than 4 000 start-ups, and has given birth to nearly 20 unicorns so far.  

     No matter what stage you are at on your journey of innovation, Hong Kong is here to support you every step along the way – from conducting collaborative research to making real-world impact. We welcome scientists, researchers and entrepreneurs to join us in developing a world-class I&T centre in the heart of Asia.

     Taking this opportunity, I would also like to thank the eminent speakers for sharing their knowledge and insight with us. May I wish you all a fruitful experience at the InnoHK Summit 2023.

     Before I close, December 10 is the polling day of the District Council Ordinary Election in Hong Kong. May I invite all eligible voters to cast your vote on the coming Sunday for a better community in Hong Kong. Thank you very much. read more

     Following is a question by the Hon Chau Siu-chung and a written reply by the Acting Secretary for Transport and Logistics, Mr Liu Chun-san, in the Legislative Council today (December 6):
 
Question:

     It is learnt that serious marine industrial accidents occur in Hong Kong from time to time, with four fatal accidents recorded last year and at least four accidents occurring this year. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:

(1) of the staffing establishment and strength of the Marine Department (MD)’s personnel responsible for inspecting vessels engaged in works to ensure the occupational safety and health of the workers concerned, as well as the number of cases of contravention of requirements found, in each of the past five years; among such cases, the respective numbers of those in which the MD issued warning letters to and instituted prosecutions against the persons involved;

(2) of the respective numbers of cases of conviction for contravening the Merchant Shipping (Local Vessels) (Works) Regulation (Cap. 548I) and the Shipping and Port Control (Works) Regulation (Cap. 313X) in each of the past five years; among such cases, (i) the number of those in which a fine was imposed and the average amount of fine imposed, as well as (ii) the number of those in which imprisonment was imposed and the average term of imprisonment imposed;

(3) as there are many views that the penalties for marine industrial safety-related offences are too light and an example is that the maximum penalty for contravening the provisions relating to the general duties of persons in charge of works and employers under the relevant legislation is only a fine of $25,000, which is far lighter than the maximum penalties for contravening the provisions of a similar nature under the Occupational Safety and Health Ordinance (Cap. 509) and the Factories and Industrial Undertakings Ordinance (Cap. 59), whether the Government will expeditiously amend Cap. 548I and Cap. 313X, so as to raise the penalties for contravening marine industrial safety-related legislation, thereby enhancing the deterrent effect; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; and

(4) whether the MD has plans to step up inspection and law enforcement work as well as publicity activities for enhancing marine industrial safety; if so, of the details; if not, of the reasons for that?

Reply:

President,

     The Marine Department (MD) has been attaching great importance to marine industrial safety and conducting frequent inspections and enforcement actions, as well as publicity and promotional activities to enhance the awareness of the maritime industry on marine safety and minimise the occurrence of accidents. Replies to various parts of the Hon Chau’s question are as follows:

(1) and (2) Enforcement of marine industrial safety in Hong Kong is undertaken by the Marine Industrial Safety Section of the MD. The establishment and strength of the relevant section stood at 14 and 12 respectively. Statistics on inspection and enforcement actions, warnings or directions issued to the persons involved, prosecutions instituted by the MD, convictions and the amount of fines in the past five years are shown in the Annex.

(3) and (4) Safety matters relating to marine works and cargo operations of local vessels in the waters of Hong Kong are regulated by the Merchant Shipping (Local Vessels) (Works) Regulation (Cap. 548I) and the Shipping and Port Control (Works) Regulation (Cap. 313X). In addition to the aforementioned legislation, specific works are regulated by the MD pursuant to the Merchant Shipping (Local Vessels) Ordinance (Cap. 548) and the Shipping and Port Control Ordinance (Cap. 313). For instance, under section 41 of Cap. 548 and section 40 of Cap. 313, no owner or coxswain/master of, or other person having control over, a vessel shall, except with the written permission of the Director of Marine, carry out, or cause to be carried out, any repairs to, or break up, the vessel. Offenders are liable to a fine at level six ($100,000) and to imprisonment for two years.

     Since marine works are vastly different from the works at factories, construction sites, etc, in terms of scale, number of persons involved, operating environment, coverage of works area, work techniques, etc, and cargo operations of river-trade vessels from the Mainland and Macao in Hong Kong are also subject to the same regulation under the relevant marine legislation, no direct comparison can therefore be made between the provisions and penalties of the legislation regulating marine works and those under the Factories and Industrial Undertakings Ordinance (Cap. 59) and the Occupational Safety and Health Ordinance (Cap. 509). The penalty level under the existing marine legislation has already had deterrent effect for the maritime industry.

     In addition, with a view to effectively enhancing marine industrial safety, the MD will continue to strengthen inspections and enforcement actions on marine works, and remind both employers and employees in the maritime industry to pay attention to marine industrial safety. The MD will also investigate all marine incidents that occur in the Hong Kong waters (including marine industrial incidents), for the purpose of determining the details and the causes of the incident, so as to enhance the safety of life at sea and avoid similar incidents in future. Meanwhile, the MD will also put forward safety suggestions in the investigation report to relevant individuals or organisations and follow up on the implementation of such suggestions. Furthermore, the MD will issue Marine Department Notices to promulgate the lessons learnt by the industry from the incidents so that the industry can draw lessons from it and take precautionary measures.

     The MD will also continue to step up its publicity efforts targeting at the industry, encourage the industry to actively participate in safety seminars organised by marine construction contractors and the Occupational Safety and Health Council, and distribute promotional materials during routine inspections on vessels to remind the industry of the safety matters when handling cargoes, etc. In addition, the MD will continue to organise marine industrial safety seminars to share incident cases with the industry and put forward safety suggestions to minimise the occurrence of similar incidents. read more