â€‹The Home Affairs Department (HAD) held a briefing today (December 3) on the Building Management (Amendment) Ordinance 2024 for District Council (DC) members to introduce to them the main amendments in the Amendment Ordinance. The Secretary for Home and Youth Affairs, Miss Alice Mak, attended the briefing and delivered the opening remarks, calling on DC members to take the initiative to explain the contents of the Amendment Ordinance to owners' corporations (OCs) and property owners in their respective districts.
      
     Miss Mak said in her remarks that DC members were an integral part of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government's initiative in improving district governance, and had the responsibility to proactively assist owners and residents in need to deal with building management issues as part of their district works. While the HAD will continue to make use of various publicity channels to remind the public of the implementation of the Amendment Ordinance, DC members should also help promote good building management in the district to enhance the efficacy of district governance.
      
     The Amendment Ordinance was published in the Gazette on July 12, 2024, and will come into effect on July 13, 2025. The major amendments in the Amendment Ordinance include requiring owners to participate in major procurement decisions; adjusting the threshold for auditing financial statements; and criminalising the failure to keep certain documents concerning building management.
      
     The HAD is launching a series of publicity and public education work initiatives to assist OCs, property owners and property management (PM) companies to understand and comply with the requirements of the Amendment Ordinance, including production of publicity materials such as brochures and posters; organisation of briefings for DC members, OCs and property owners, and PM industry practitioners, etc; producing and broadcasting a TV Announcement in the Public Interest (API) and a radio API; and updating a series of guidelines and booklets including the Code of Practice, Best Practices in Building Management and Checklist on Procedural Propriety on Building Management to help property owners, OCs and PM companies better understand the contents of the amendments.
      
     For the contents of the Amendment Ordinance, please refer to HAD's dedicated webpage (www.buildingmgt.gov.hk/en/Policy_and_Legislation/2_10.html).

    

The following is issued on behalf of the Hospital Authority:

     Regarding an earlier announcement on Candida auris carrier cases, the spokesperson for Kowloon Hospital gave the following update today (December 3):

     Following a contact tracing investigation, one more male patient, aged 74, in the respiratory medicine ward, was identified as a carrier of Candida auris while not having signs of infection. The patient was discharged earlier.

     The hospital will continue the contact tracing investigation of close contacts of the patients in accordance with the prevailing guidelines. A series of enhanced infection control measures have already been adopted to prevent the spread of Candida auris:
 

1. thorough cleaning and disinfection of the ward concerned;
2. enhanced admission screening for patients and environmental screening procedures; and
3. application of stringent contact precautions and enhance hand hygiene of staff and patients.

     The case has been reported to the Hospital Authority Head Office and the Centre for Health Protection of the Department of Health for necessary follow-up.

     Hong Kong Talent Engage (HKTE) actively collaborates with the education sector to provide information about education in Hong Kong to incoming talent to assist their dependant children in attending schools and further studies in Hong Kong. HKTE will participate in two education expos next week which feature nearly 450 local kindergartens, primary schools and secondary schools by setting up booths to introduce its support services and offer consultation services.

     The Director of HKTE, Mr Anthony Lau, said, "Education for children is one of the prime concerns of talent in considering settlement in Hong Kong. Many talents are not familiar with the education system in Hong Kong, and worry that their children may find it difficult to adapt to the local learning environment. HKTE expects that incoming parents can have a better understanding of education in Hong Kong at the two expos, and will continue working closely with the Education Bureau and the education sector in enhancing support to talent."

     This year, HKTE has organised four seminars in collaboration with working partners, covering the local education system, early childhood education, secondary curriculum and study planning. HKTE also publishes information on local education and further studies on its website (www.hkengage.gov.hk/), which contains hyperlinks to information or lists of Hong Kong publicly funded primary and secondary schools as well as the website of International Schools in Hong Kong. If the talent has any related enquiries, HKTE will refer them to the Education Bureau or working partners for follow up as appropriate.

     HKTE will participate in the Greater Bay Area Hong Kong Schools Expo to be held at AsiaWorld-Expo from next Friday to Sunday (December 13 to 15) with nearly 300 participating private, aided and Direct Subsidy Scheme schools. Education experts will share insights on selecting schools and address common misconceptions in applying for admission to schools. Some schools will conduct on-site admission interviews and assessments.

     The Chairman of the Expo's organising committee and the Hong Kong Subsidized Secondary Schools Council, the Principal of Kowloon True Light School, Ms Lee Yi-ying, stated that more dependant children of incoming talent are coming to Hong Kong and they may encounter difficulties in selecting a school. The significant increase in the number of participating schools this year can provide incoming talent with more comprehensive information on education. Education experts will also share tips for children of incoming talent to adapt to the local school environment.

     In addition, HKTE will participate in the Hong Kong Sheng Kung Hui (HKSKH) Education Expo to take place at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre from next Saturday and Sunday (December 14 and 15). The expo will showcase over 140 kindergartens, primary schools and secondary schools of HKSKH.

     The Director of HKSKH Education Service, Mr Peter Kwok, said he expects to engage and exchange with parents at the expo as well as introduce to them the education philosophy and commitment of HKSKH, highlighting how the uniqueness and inclusive approach of each HKSKH school can cater for the needs of students of diverse backgrounds.

  

     To enable the community to have a better understanding of the Constitution, the Basic Law, national security-related legislation, and the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR)'s constitutional basis and order as laid down by the Constitution and the Basic Law, the HKSAR Government and the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in the HKSAR will jointly hold a seminar on Constitution Day tomorrow (December 4), with the Endeavour Education Centre as the supporting organisation.

     On November 1, 2014, the Standing Committee of the 12th National People's Congress (NPC) decided to designate December 4 of each year as Constitution Day and conduct promotion of and education activities on the Constitution through multiple channels to heighten public awareness of the Constitution, promote the spirit of and enhance the implementation of the Constitution, and advance the overall law-based governance of the country. This year's December 4 marks the 10th anniversary of Constitution Day.

     In order to thoroughly implement the spirit of the Third Plenary Session of the 20th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and the Resolution of the CPC Central Committee on Further Deepening Reform Comprehensively to Advance Chinese Modernization, this year's Seminar will be conducted on the theme of "The Constitution and Further Deepening Reform Comprehensively". The seminar will feature a keynote speech and a panel discussion. The keynote speech will be delivered by Professor Mo Jihong, who is the Member of the Academy of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, Director of the Institute of Law of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, Dean of the School of Law of the University of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, and Executive Vice-President of the Association of Constitutional Law of the China Law Society. The panel discussion will be moderated by member of the Management Committee of the Endeavour Education Centre Miss Elsie Leung. Together with Hong Kong member of the Standing Committee of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), and non-official member of the Executive Council and member of the Legislative Council, Mr Martin Liao, and member of the HKSAR Basic Law Committee of the Standing Committee of the NPC, Dr William Wong, SC, they will explore the vital functions of the Constitution in the process of further deepening reform comprehensively and promoting Chinese modernisation, as well as Hong Kong's integral roles in this regard.

     The Seminar will be held in the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre from 11am to 12.30pm tomorrow and broadcast live simultaneously. Members of the public can view it on the website of the Information Services Department (webcast.info.gov.hk), the news.gov.hk's Facebook page (www.facebook.com/govnews.hk) or the Constitutional and Mainland Affairs Bureau (CMAB)'s Facebook page (www.facebook.com/cmab.gov.hk). Radio Television Hong Kong TV 32 will also broadcast the Seminar live. Moreover, the full version of the Seminar will be uploaded to the website of the CMAB (www.cmab.gov.hk/en/home/index.htm).

     A Government spokesman said that the Constitution, the Basic Law, and the national security-related legislation are not only crucial to the steady progress of the "one country, two systems" principle, but are also vital to the social, economic and livelihood development of the HKSAR, as well as the daily life of the public. Therefore, the public is urged to watch the seminar enthusiastically in order to gain a better understanding of the situation. For other information about Constitution Day, please visit its dedicated webpage (www.cmab.gov.hk/en/issues/constitution_day.htm).

The following is issued on behalf of the Hong Kong Monetary Authority:

     Exchange Fund Bills tender results:
 

 
*"Pro rata ratio" refers to the average percentage of allotment with respect to each tender participant’s tendered amount at the "highest yield accepted" level.
 
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     Hong Kong Monetary Authority tenders to be held in the week beginning December 9, 2024: