The following is issued on behalf of the Hospital Authority:

     The spokesperson for Prince of Wales Hospital (PWH) made the following announcement today (November 23) regarding a hospital facility safety incident:
 
     At around 6pm last evening (November 22), a piece of concrete fragments approximately 70cm length and 50cm width, fell from the ceiling at the X-Ray Department waiting area located on ground floor of the Day Treatment Block. The incident occurred at non-office hours. No one was injured and patient services were not affected.
 
     PWH had immediately cordoned off the area concerned for an urgent inspection and maintenance. After preliminary investigation, the incident did not involve structural safety. It was suspected that the ceiling concrete spalling was caused by water seepage of the outdoor flower trough located at the upper floor of the area concerned. The hospital had inspected the area concerned in March this year and found no abnormalities. The hospital will step up inspections of flower troughs to ensure there is no stagnant water, and will strengthen inspections of the area concerned to ensure safety.
 
     PWH has reported the incident to the Hospital Authority Head Office via the Advance Incident Reporting System.
 

     The Deputy Chief Secretary for Administration, Mr Cheuk Wing-hing, and the Under Secretary for Home and Youth Affairs, Mr Clarence Leung, joined an exchange and visit activity of a youth delegation to the Mainland comprising youth representatives from Hong Kong and Macao in Beijing today (November 22).

     With guidance from the Hong Kong and Macao work office of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of the State Council, the exchange and visit activity was jointly organised by the All-China Youth Federation, the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR) Government, the Macao SAR Government, the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in the Hong Kong SAR and the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in the Macao SAR. The delegation joining the activity comprises 150 youth representatives from different sectors in Hong Kong and Macao. They are visiting Beijing from November 19 to 23 to learn about the country's history and culture through first-hand experiences, and deepen their understanding of national affairs and national development. 

     The Vice Premier of the State Council, Mr Ding Xuexiang, accompanied by the Director of the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of the State Council, Mr Xia Baolong and the First Secretary of the Secretariat of the Central Committee of the Communist Youth League, Mr A Dong, met all members of the delegation at the Great Hall of the People. They took pictures and had an exchange session. Mr Cheuk and Mr Leung also attended.

     Mr Cheuk said, "We encourage young people to engage in exchange programmes and visit more places on the Mainland, so as to become a new generation of young people with an affection for the country and Hong Kong, and are equipped with a global perspective and positive thinking. We will continue to enhance the breadth and depth of internship and exchange programmes on the Mainland to further enhance Hong Kong youth's understanding of the country and proactively integrate into the overall development of the country."

     Mr Cheuk attended a sharing session in the evening and listened to Hong Kong youth representatives sharing their stories during their exchange programme on the Mainland.

     Mr Cheuk will depart for Hong Kong tomorrow morning (November 23).

      

     The Social Welfare Department (SWD) noted today (November 22) that the Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) has announced the completion of investigation on a fraud case in relation to the Traffic Accident Victims Assistance (TAVA) and the laying of charges against concerned persons. The SWD will continue to co-operate with the ICAC on its follow-up work.

     The TAVA Scheme is a social welfare initiative administered by the SWD to provide speedy financial assistance to road traffic accident victims or the surviving dependents of deceased traffic accident victims. An applicant must meet relevant conditions in order to be eligible for assistance payment, including: (1) the accident must have been reported to the Police and determined by the Police as a road traffic accident; and (2) the victim is injured or killed in the accident. In case of injury, the injured victim must be certified by a registered doctor that such injury requires hospitalisation of no less than three days or issued with proof for medical leave of no less than three days.

     To guard against abuse and fraud, the SWD strictly verifies every application, including seeking written confirmation from the Police on whether a traffic accident is involved and maintaining close liaison with the Hospital Authority and the Department of Health to ensure the injuries sustained by the applicants are related to the traffic accidents concerned. The SWD will also refer suspected cases to enforcement agencies for investigations.

     In addition, the SWD also verifies whether the applicants have made any claim for damages or compensation through other means for the same traffic accident and informs insurance companies in writing on the disbursement of payment in a timely manner to avoid double compensation.

     The SWD stresses that obtaining TAVA by deception is a criminal offence. Applicants may be prosecuted under the Theft Ordinance (Cap. 210) and be liable on conviction to imprisonment of a maximum of 14 years.

     The SWD will continue to monitor the implementation of the TAVA Scheme. Any person who possesses information about improper or illegal activities by any person in applying for assistance under the TAVA Scheme may lodge a report to the SWD or the Police.

     The Air Pollution Control Appeal Board (the Appeal Board) today (November 22) dismissed an appeal lodged by the China Concrete Co. Limited against the refusal of its application for renewal of a Specified Process Licence (SPL) for a concrete batching plant (CBP) at 20 Tung Yuen Street, Yau Tong, by the Environmental Protection Department (EPD). The EPD welcomed the ruling by the Appeal Board.
      
     A spokesman for the EPD said that the department has stringent requirements and monitoring regarding the operation of CBPs, and will not tolerate any operation that adversely affects the environment. In previous inspections and monitoring, EPD enforcement officers repeatedly found that the CBP at 20 Tung Yuen Street had serious dust emission incidents that caused air pollution. The plant failed to demonstrate its capability to provide, install and effectively operate the necessary practicable measures for preventing pollutant emissions and nuisances caused to nearby residents. The department thereby refused the application for renewal of the SPL for the plant on April 8, 2022. The plant then lodged an appeal to the Appeal Board on April 28, 2022. According to Section 9(b)(ii) of the Air Pollution Control (Specified Processes) Regulations (Cap. 311F), the CBP's SPL shall be considered as effective until the appeal was disposed of.
      
     The spokesman said that as the Appeal Board had dismissed the CBP's appeal, the CBP's SPL will cease to be in force immediately accordingly to the Air Pollution Control (Specified Processes) Regulations. The EPD has issued a letter to the plant requesting it to cease the cement works (including concrete production) under the Specified Process immediately. The EPD will continue to deploy officers to closely monitor the CBP, and will initiate prosecution actions if evidence is collected. 

     The Civil Service College (CSC) launched the Executive Series on "Connecting with the World – ASEAN". The first seminar on the topic of "Navigating the Changing Multimodal World" was delivered by former Minister for Foreign Affairs of Singapore Mr George Yeo at the CSC today (November 22).
 
     Addressing the seminar, the Head of the CSC, Mr Oscar Kwok, said developing civil servants' international perspective is one of the pillars of the Civil Service College's educational philosophy. The current global geopolitical landscape is a dynamic and complex tapestry of political, economic and social forces that shape relations between countries. A deeper understanding of geopolitical dynamics is no longer just an academic pursuit, but a vital tool for informed decision-making for policy makers, whether it is in anticipating economic trends, assessing future risks, or finding room for diplomacy, etc. An understanding of geopolitics serves as a compass for navigating an increasingly multimodal world. Senior civil servants of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Government must stay attuned to national developments and the changing global environment in order to better support the HKSAR Government in playing the city's unique role in connecting the country with the world.
 
     About 170 senior officials and civil servants in the directorate and senior ranks attended today's seminar.
 
     The Executive Series on "Connecting with the World – ASEAN" was designed to further broaden the international perspective of directorate and senior civil servants. The seminar series will centre around the changing international dynamics and the development of Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) countries, including economies of emerging markets, opportunities and challenges from the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership, the role and positioning of ASEAN, diversity of ASEAN economies, etc. Prominent experts will be invited to deliver the seminars and engage in in-depth discussions with participants.