    Police will implement special traffic arrangements on Hong Kong Island and Kowloon to facilitate the Pyrotechnics Display to be held on May 1 (Wednesday).     The following special traffic arrangements will be implemented by phases, unt… read more
​The Summer Music Workshops organised by the Music Office of the Leisure and Cultural Services Department will be held in July and August. The workshops, designed for children and youth aged 4 to 15 without any musical training, aim to encourage them to make good use of their summer vacation, acquire music knowledge and cultivate their interests in music. The first phase of application is now open and will close on May 27.
​Designed for children aged 4 to 6, the “Parent-child Jolly Music Time” workshop will enable students to learn basic music knowledge including note values, music notation and rhythms, and develop their listening skills and sense of rhythm through interactive music lessons. The “Musical Instrument Kaleidoscope” workshop for children aged 6 to 9 will allow participants to learn about the appearance, tone colours and characteristics of various Chinese and Western instruments through demonstrations by the Music Office instructors and get them prepared for future music classes. Participants of both workshops must be accompanied by adults. The tuition fees of the two workshops are $360 and $210 respectively.
​In addition, dedicated to children aged 5 to 12, the “Kingdom of Music Terminology” workshop features the use of masterpieces from famous composers as examples to enrich participants’ knowledge of common musical terms and enhance their music appreciation ability. Participants aged 5 to 8 must be accompanied by adults. The tuition fee of the workshop is $290.
​Another workshop, “iJam Music-making”, is open for youngsters aged 10 to 15 at a tuition fee of $430. Participants should bring their own iPad and pre-install the music app GarageBand to experience the fun of music-making through tablet music software.
​All of the above-mentioned workshops will be conducted in Cantonese. A ballot will be held if the classes are oversubscribed. For classes not fully taken up after the first phase of application, in-person applications will be accepted on a first-come, first-served basis from July 3. Participants achieving an attendance rate of 80 per cent will be awarded a certificate of attendance.
​Interested persons can visit the Music Office website (www.lcsd.gov.hk/en/mo/activities/schoolprogrammes/summer_music_workshop.html) for online applications. For enquiries, please call 2158 6466 or 3842 7776. read more
The Government is amending the lists of jurisdictions on automatic exchange of financial account information in tax matters (AEOI) under the Inland Revenue Ordinance. The Inland Revenue Ordinance (Amendment of Schedule 17E) Notice 2024 will be gazetted on May 3 and tabled at the Legislative Council for negative vetting on May 8.
Hong Kong has since September 2018 conducted AEOI with other jurisdictions as advocated by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). This international tax co-operation initiative seeks to enhance tax transparency and combat cross-border tax evasion. Currently, there are 100 “participating jurisdictions” under the Inland Revenue Ordinance. The list of “participating jurisdictions” was put in place in accordance with the “transitional approach” adopted by the OECD at the early stage of AEOI implementation. It includes all jurisdictions which had committed to adopting AEOI by 2018.
As the OECD considers that the transitional period has expired, in its latest review of Hong Kong’s AEOI legal framework, the OECD recommended that the list of “participating jurisdictions” should only include jurisdictions which have activated exchange relationships for AEOI with Hong Kong. The amendment notice mainly seeks to remove nine jurisdictions from the list of “participating jurisdictions” which have yet to activate exchange relationships for AEOI with Hong Kong, namely Bahrain, Belize, Marshall Islands, Montserrat, Nauru, Niue, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Seychelles, and Trinidad and Tobago; and add 11 “participating jurisdictions” which have already activated exchange relationships for AEOI with Hong Kong, namely Azerbaijan, Ecuador, Jamaica, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Maldives, Nigeria, Oman, Pakistan, Peru and Thailand.
“As an international financial centre, Hong Kong has long been supporting international co-operation in combating cross-border tax evasion. To take forward the OECD’s recommendation, Hong Kong will update the list of ‘participating jurisdictions’ based on the latest status of the activation of AEOI exchange relationships between Hong Kong and relevant jurisdictions. This will enable Hong Kong to comply with the prevailing international tax standard on exchange of tax information,” a Government spokesman said.
Subject to the completion of the legislative procedures, the amendment notice will come into operation on January 1, 2025. read more
The Centre for Food Safety (CFS) of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department today (April 30) released the findings of its food safety report for last month. The results of about 4 500 food samples tested were found t… read more
A spokesman for the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD) said today (April 30) that the department has installed more solar cooling kiosks, equipped with solar-powered facilities, at resting facilities in rural areas this year for the convenience of cleansing workers. The spokesman said that it is an improvement measure following the comprehensive review of the working environment of frontline cleansing workers in urban and rural areas last year to take care of the needs of its workers. Other measures implemented last year include provisions for drinking water, places for short breaks, water for cleansing tools, and toilet facilities.
The spokesman said, “There are some 900 village-type refuse collection points (RCPs)/RCPs with temporary structures under the FEHD, and most of them are located in rural areas and are unable to provide these convenience facilities within the RCPs due to geographical constraints. Despite the fact that no personnel were deployed to be stationed at the RCPs, the department continues to review arrangements and ensure that cleansing workers at work nearby can access drinking water, places for short breaks during hot weather, water for cleansing tools, and toilet facilities in their work zones or within a few minutes’ walk. In addition to the provision of 35 rest facilities in rural areas, the FEHD has installed 60 solar cooling kiosks to further improve the resting environment for rural workers. These kiosks are equipped with solar-powered facilities including air coolers, electric fans and exhaust fans. Furthermore, similar solar-powered facilities have been added to 15 resting facilities in rural areas for cleansing workers. The FEHD will continue to identify more suitable locations to provide resting facilities for workers.”
In fact, the FEHD has always been concerned about the working environment and welfare of frontline workers, and makes appropriate arrangements based on the operational needs of RCPs. Since 2020, in collaboration with the Architectural Services Department, the FEHD has proactively refurbished RCPs. Out of the 49 covered by the scheme, the facelifting or refurbishment works of 17 permanent off-street RCPs have been completed, with works for three more either commenced or set to begin this year. Detailed designs are underway for 22 RCPs, and the remaining seven RCPs are under initial planning. In newly built or refurbished RCPs, the FEHD will provide staff with changing and personal storage spaces, facilities for short breaks and meals, as well as amenities such as cold and hot water dispensers, microwave ovens, electric steamers, refrigerators, electric fans, tables and chairs and power sockets to facilitate staff use. Air conditioning systems will also be installed in the staff dining rooms where feasible. During the improvement works, the FEHD will arrange relevant cleansing workers to use nearby welfare facilities or be redeployed to other RCPs.
Currently, all street cleansing service contract workers and cleansing workers of the department are provided with new uniforms featuring sweat-wicking, breathable, and reflective properties. Portable waist fans have been distributed to all outdoor cleansing workers of the department, aiding in cooling during hot weather. Since 2022, the FEHD has added a new contract clause when tendering service contracts, requiring contractors to provide portable waist fans to outdoor working staff.
Following the Labour Department’s issuance of Guidance Notes on Prevention of Heat Stroke at Work last year, the FEHD conducted assessments for departmental staff in accordance with the criteria provided in the Guidance Notes and requested contractors to do the same. Each assessed staff member has received written notification of the results, which have also been put up at roll-call points in various districts so that staff can be aware of the results. When the Heat Stress at Work Warning is in effect, the FEHD and its contractors must arrange rest breaks for employees based on the adjusted hourly rest time listed on the assessment forms.
Moreover, since April 1, 2019, the Government has implemented a series of measures to better safeguard the remuneration of outsourced non-skilled workers. After a further review in May 2023, the Government introduced enhancement measures relating to the employment of non-skilled workers under government service contracts. Regarding the FEHD’s cleansing service contracts, after the inclusion of relevant measures in tender documents, the proposed committed monthly wage of non-skilled workers offered by tenderers have significantly increased. As at March this year, the current average committed monthly wage of a cleansing worker is 45 per cent higher than the monthly wage of $9,920 calculated based on the latest statutory minimum wage.
These enhancement measures have also strengthened the protection of occupational safety and health of non-skilled workers. Tenderers must submit a certified heat stroke prevention work plan, failing which the tender will not be considered. To ensure effective implementation of the work plan, the Government has expanded the demerit point system to cover non-compliances with the heat stroke prevention work plan for the protection of non-skilled workers. FEHD staff will conduct inspections to ensure that contractors have complied with the work plan. If a contractor fails to implement the measures committed in the work plan, the FEHD could issue a notice of blatant default to the contractor, deduct its monthly service payments and record demerit points under the demerit point system. Contractors accruing three demerit points over a rolling period of 36 months will be debarred from bidding for government non-skilled worker contracts for five years.
