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Here is an item of interest to swimmers.
The Leisure and Cultural Services Department announced today (December 10) that due to big waves, red flags have been hoisted at Silverstrand Beach and Clear Water Bay Second Beach in Sai Kung District. Beachgoers are advised not to swim at these beaches.
The Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office, London (London ETO) partnered with Focus Hong Kong to showcase a selection of Hong Kong films at the Glasgow Film Theatre in Scotland, United Kingdom on December 5 to 8 (London time).
The Director-General of the London ETO, Mr Gilford Law, extended heartfelt congratulations to Focus Hong Kong for another exceptional year of celebrating creativity and innovation in the Hong Kong film industry. "With different seasons of Focus Hong Kong capturing the hearts of audiences in London over the past years, the festival has now returned to Glasgow once again, bringing Hong Kong cinema to an even wider audience. It continues to showcase diverse stories, foster collaboration, and inspire creativity across cultures," said Mr Law.
Mr Law emphasised that the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government is committed to promoting film development, which is a vital component of the city's thriving creative sector. "In 'The Chief Executive's 2024 Policy Address', it outlines a series of strategic initiatives to promote our creative industries, for instance, the provision of financial support to the film industry under the Film Development Fund to produce films that promote Chinese culture, for showcasing the fine traditional Chinese culture to the audience," he said.
The Focus Hong Kong film festival presented three Hong Kong films, namely the UK Premiere of "Obedience", followed by "All Shall be Well", and the UK Premiere of the 4K restoration of "July Rhapsody".
The Centre for Food Safety (CFS) of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department announced today (December 9) that a sample of milk flavoured ice cream was found to contain coliform bacteria and total bacterial counts exceeding the legal limits. The CFS is following up on the incident.
A spokesman for the CFS said, "The CFS collected the above-mentioned sample from a light refreshment restaurant in Kowloon Bay for testing. The test result showed that the sample contained 69 000 coliform bacteria per gram and 1 200 000 bacteria per gram, both exceeding the legal limits.
"The CFS has conducted investigation to the food premises immediately, took food samples for laboratory testing, and informed the food premises concerned of the irregularity. Investigation revealed that the ice cream was produced in the food premises concerned. The restaurant has already stopped selling and discarded the affected product according to the CFS's advice. The CFS has also provided health education on food safety and hygiene to the person-in-charge and staff of the restaurant, and requested it to carry out thorough cleaning and disinfection. Prosecution will be instituted should there be sufficient evidence," the spokesman said.
Under the Frozen Confections Regulation (Cap. 132AC), frozen confection for sale should not contain more than 100 coliform bacteria per gram or more than 50 000 bacteria per gram. The maximum penalty for offenders is a fine of $10,000 and three months' imprisonment upon conviction. The fact that the coliform count and the total bacterial count exceeded the legal limits indicated that the hygienic conditions were unsatisfactory, but did not mean that consumption would lead to food poisoning.
​The CFS will continue to follow up on the incident and take appropriate action to safeguard food safety and public health.
The following is issued on behalf of the Legislative Council Secretariat:
The Legislative Council (LegCo) will hold a meeting on Wednesday (December 11) at 11am in the Chamber of the LegCo Complex. During the meeting, the Second Reading debate on the Fire Safety (Buildings) (Amendment) Bill 2024 will resume. If the Bill is supported by Members and receive its Second Reading, it will stand committed to the committee of the whole Council. After the committee of the whole Council has completed consideration of the Bill and its report is adopted by the Council, the Bill will be set down for the Third Reading.
The Second Reading debate on the Stamp Duty Legislation (Miscellaneous Amendments) Bill 2024 will also resume. If the Bill is supported by Members and receive its Second Reading, it will stand committed to the committee of the whole Council. After the committee of the whole Council has completed consideration of the Bill and its report is adopted by the Council, the Bill will be set down for the Third Reading.
Meanwhile, the Protection of Critical Infrastructures (Computer Systems) Bill, the Inland Revenue (Amendment) (Tax Deductions for Assisted Reproductive Service Expenses) Bill 2024, the Protection of the Harbour (Amendment) Bill 2024 and the Road Tunnels (Government) (Amendment) Bill 2024 will be introduced into the Council for the First Reading and the Second Reading. The Second Reading debates on the Bills will be adjourned.
On Government motions, the Chief Secretary for Administration will move three proposed resolutions under the Legal Aid Ordinance and the Criminal Procedure Ordinance respectively. The proposed resolutions are set out in Appendices 1 to 3. The Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development will move a proposed resolution under the Dutiable Commodities Ordinance to resolve that the Dutiable Commodities Ordinance be amended. The proposed resolution is set out in Appendix 4.
On Members' motions, Mr Lee Chun-keung will move a motion on continuing to put forward proposals conducive to the development of the country and the HKSAR (Hong Kong Special Administrative Region) as the 14th Five-Year Plan is coming to a successful conclusion. The motion is set out in Appendix 5. Mr Johnny Ng will move an amendment to Mr Lee Chun-keung's motion.
Mr Chan Yung will move a motion on taking forward red tourism and the panda economy in Hong Kong. The motion is set out in Appendix 6. Mr Kenneth Leung, Mr Stanley Ng and Ms Chan Yuet-ming will move separate amendments to Mr Chan Yung's motion.
Mr Chan Kin-por will move a motion under Rule 49E(2) of the Rules of Procedure to take note of a report of the House Committee on consideration of the subsidiary legislation and other instruments. The motion is set out in Appendix 7.
The Chairman of the Committee on Rules of Procedure, Mr Paul Tse, will present the "Committee on Rules of Procedure of the Legislative Council of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Progress Report for the period January to December 2024" and address the Council.
In addition, the Chairman of Panel on Environmental Affairs, Mr Lau Kwok-fan; the Chairman of Panel on Welfare Services, Reverend Canon Peter Douglas Koon; the Chairman of Panel on Food Safety and Environmental Hygiene, Mr Yang Wing-kit; the Chairman of Panel on Home Affairs, Culture and Sports, Mr Ma Fung-kwok; the Chairman of Panel on Financial Affairs, Mr Robert Lee; the Chairman of Panel on Security, Mr Chan Hak-kan; the Chairman of Panel on Health Services, Ms Chan Hoi-yan; the Chairman of Panel on Commerce, Industry, Innovation and Technology, Mr Jeffrey Lam; and the Chairman of Panel on Education, Professor Priscilla Leung, will present the Reports of the related Panels and address the Council respectively.
Members will also ask the Government 22 questions on various policy areas, six of which require oral replies.
The agenda of the above meeting can be obtained via the LegCo Website (www.legco.gov.hk). Members of the public can watch or listen to the meeting via the "Webcast" system on the LegCo Website. To observe the proceedings of the meeting at the LegCo Complex, members of the public may call 3919 3399 during office hours to reserve seats.
Following is the speech by the Secretary for Justice, Mr Paul Lam, SC, at the Law Society of Hong Kong's Pro Bono and Community Service Award Presentation Ceremony 2024 today (December 9):
Chief Justice (Chief Justice of the Court of Final Appeal, Mr Andrew Cheung Kui-nung), President Roden Tong (President of the Law Society of Hong Kong), distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen,
It gives me great pleasure to join you all today at the 2024 Pro Bono and Community Service Award Ceremony organised by the Law Society of Hong Kong. On this special occasion, we come together not only to celebrate the outstanding contributions of the awardees this year but also to reaffirm our collective responsibility to uphold the rule of law and to ensure equal access to justice for all.
Our society has faced numerous challenges in the past years – the global pandemic, social unrest, as well as economic uncertainties caused in part by geopolitical tensions. These have heightened our sense of vulnerabilities and feeling of insecurity. Sometimes, the most marginalised, disadvantaged and underprivileged of our society may be the first to be affected. It is during these critical moments that we, as part of the legal community, may feel the urge to go the extra mile to provide support to those in need and to advocate for those who do not have the resources to advocate for themselves.
I am sure some, or I hope most, of us here would not merely see being a legal professional as only a job. To me, it is also a commitment to uphold the principles of justice, fairness, and equality that the rule of law promises. In a similar vein, pro bono work is not only about providing legal assistance free of charge. It is about ensuring that everyone, regardless of his background or circumstances, has equal access to the resources he needs to navigate the complexities of the law. By taking up pro bono work, legal professionals demonstrate a deep sense of civic duty and a commitment to uphold the rule of law which, needless to say, is and will always remain the core value of our society and the bedrock of our legal system.
Today, we celebrate the outstanding achievements of the awardees this year who have selflessly dedicated their skills, knowledge, energy and countless hours to help the needy and to serve the community. They are indeed inspiring role models who have set an excellent example for others to follow. However, as the Secretary for Justice, I am proud to say that my colleagues in the Department of Justice (DoJ) also share the same vision of taking up and promoting pro bono work and community service.
For instance, as some of you may already know, the DoJ has launched the Rule of Law Education Train-the-Leaders Programme, which aims to train community leaders from different walks of life to enhance their ability and effectiveness in disseminating correct messages on the rule of law. Recently, we joined hands with an NGO, SidebySide (善導會), to arrange trainees of the Programme to take part in mock trials at the Former North Kowloon Magistracy. Through community engagement activities of this kind, we hope to reach out to different sectors of our society, raise awareness of the principle of justice for all, and provide opportunities for others to take part in pro bono and community work.
The DoJ's role in the promotion of pro bono and community work is by no means limited to that of a facilitator. Our volunteer team in the DoJ has also in the past few months paid visits to NGOs, an elderly centres and transitional housing, to name a few, to show our care and concern to the less privileged of our community. Additionally, I have had the pleasure of personally organising several charity events for underprivileged children at my official residence throughout these past few years, and I am also excited to share that the next charity event will take place this Saturday. These events bring us immense joy as we strive to make a positive impact in the community. We truly believe that the practice of law is not only about the application of legal knowledge and skills in our offices or the courtrooms but also rooted in our integrity, compassion, commitment to serve, and a sense of belonging in our society. These are what guide and sustain us in our long legal career and our pursuit of justice.
In fact, the commitment to serve the community is not only confined to the Department of Justice. It spreads across the entire civil service of the HKSAR Government, which forms the backbone of our administration and Government. Indeed, just not long ago in November this year, the Secretary for Civil Service presented commendation awards to civil servants from different bureaux and departments for their outstanding performance in volunteer service. By engaging with members of the public and meeting them face to face, civil servants could gain a better understanding of their real needs, stand a better chance of coming up with more informed and effective policies, and help cultivate a sense of unity and solidarity in our society.
Before I conclude, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to the Law Society for its contributions to fostering a pro bono culture in the legal community. Throughout the years, the Law Society has played a most critical role in raising awareness, providing trainings and creating opportunities for legal professionals to engage in pro bono work and community service. The initiatives that the Law Society has implemented, including of course the Pro Bono and Community Work Recognition Programme, provide an invaluable platform for legal professionals to make a positive change in society. These initiatives not only benefit those in need but also enrich the professional lives of those who participate.
In closing, may I once again congratulate all the awardees this year on their outstanding achievements and contributions to pro bono work and community service. They have shown us how we could help create a society that is inclusive, compassionate and dedicated to the pursuit of justice for all.
As we are approaching the end of the year, may I also wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. Thank you very much.
