The Secretary for Education, Dr Choi Yuk-lin, today (March 29) visited Beijing to attend the opening ceremony of the National Security Education Study Tour organised by the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Government. She also led members of the study tour to call on officials of the Hong Kong and Macao Work Office of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee.
      
     It is the first study tour held by the HKSAR Government under the theme of national security. More than 70 students and teachers are participating in the tour. They are mainly students with outstanding achievements and teacher chaperons in the Territory-wide Inter-school National Security Knowledge Challenge, which was jointly organised by the Department of Justice, the Security Bureau, the Education Bureau and the Hong Kong Shine Tak Foundation.
 
     Addressing the opening ceremony, Dr Choi expressed gratitude to the Hong Kong and Macao Work Office of the CPC Central Committee and the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in the HKSAR for attaching great importance to, and supporting, the study tour.
 
     She said that the tour group will visit Beijing, Shanghai and Hangzhou, with national security as the main theme, covering different areas such as the national political system, cultural innovation, as well as historical and cultural heritage. She hoped that with firsthand knowledge of the country's latest developments and achievements gained, students will develop correct national, historical, ethnic and cultural perspectives, foster their patriotic sentiments and increase their awareness of the responsibility to safeguard national security.
 
     Dr Choi and members of the study tour were received by the Deputy Director of the Hong Kong and Macao Work Office of the CPC Central Committee, Mr Nong Rong.
 
     Today, Dr Choi also met officials of the Ministry of Education and visited Beijing Normal University to exchange views on recent education developments of the two places.
 
     Dr Choi will proceed to Shaanxi tomorrow (March 30) and lead a delegation of Chinese history teachers on a study tour to Yan'an.

        

     Part of the permanent exhibition "Extinction·Resilience" at the Palaeontology Gallery at the Hong Kong Science Museum will be temporarily closed from April 6 (Saturday) to the end of April for renewal of exhibits.
 
     The current exhibition features over 100 sets of precious animal and plant fossils of different periods. A total of 75 sets of fossils, including those of a woolly mammoth fossil more than three metres tall, a Qianichthyosaurus and a mummified Psittacosaurus, will soon be returned to the National Natural History Museum of China. Members of the public are urged to grasp the opportunity to visit the exhibition.
 
     During the partial closure of the exhibition, members of the public can still see precious fossils including the stromatolites formed three billion years ago, and interesting interactive exhibits at the gallery. Visitors can also learn about the intricate processes involved in the formation and excavation of fossils.
 
     After the renewal of exhibits, visitors will be able to see some new exhibits and fossils, including one of the earliest land plants on Earth, a Cooksonia barrandei fossil 423 million years ago; the largest land-dwelling arthropods in history, a dorsal exoskeleton fossil of Arthropleura 300 million years ago; and elongated dinosaur eggs in the late Cretaceous 70 million years from now.
 
    The Hong Kong Science Museum is located at 2 Science Museum Road, Tsim Sha Tsui East. For details of the exhibition and its admission fee arrangements, please visit hk.science.museum/en/web/scm/exhibition/pg.html, or call 2732 3232 for enquiries.

            

     â€‹The Director of Food and Environmental Hygiene today (March 29) cancelled the licence of a food factory in Sha Tin, as the operator repeatedly breached the Food Business Regulation (FBR) by extending the business area illegally. The premises concerned have had to cease operation with immediate effect.
      
     The premises are located at Shop C on the ground floor of 32 Chik Chuen Street in Tai Wai.
      
     "Four convictions for the above-mentioned breach were recorded against the shop operator between October last year and January this year. A total fine of $10,100 was levied by the court and 90 demerit points were registered against the licensee under the department's demerit points system. The contraventions resulted in the cancellation of the licence," a spokesman for the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD) said.
      
     The licensee concerned had a record of four convictions for the same offence between April and September last year. A total fine of $6,600 was levied and 60 demerit points were also registered, resulting in a seven-day and a 14-day licence suspension from August to September and December last year respectively.
      
     The spokesman reminded the licensees of food premises to comply with the FBR and other relevant regulations, or their licences could be suspended or cancelled.
      
     Licensed food premises are required to exhibit a sign at a conspicuous place near the main entrance, indicating that the premises have been licensed. A list of licensed food premises is available on the FEHD website (www.fehd.gov.hk/english/licensing/index.html).

Attention TV and radio duty announcers:

     Please broadcast the following special announcement as soon as possible, and repeat it at suitable intervals:

     A fire broke out at warehouses at Pak Sha Tsuen, Yuen Long at 1.16pm today (March 29). The Fire Services Department is conducting a firefighting operation.

     Members of the public who are being affected by the smoke and an unusual odour carried by the wind are advised to close their doors and windows and stay calm.

     The Secretary for Labour and Welfare, Mr Chris Sun, today (March 29) said that the rates of allowance of the Working Family Allowance (WFA) Scheme will be increased starting from the next claim month, further alleviating the burden of grassroots working families, encouraging continuous self-reliance through full-time employment and incentivising more families to join the labour market.

     It was announced in the Policy Address last year that the rates of household and child allowances under the WFA Scheme will be increased by 15 per cent across the board with effect from the claim month of April 2024 (details at Annex), benefiting all households receiving WFA. Taking a four-person household with two eligible children as an example, the maximum monthly WFA they may receive will increase from the current amount of $4,200 to $4,830. Households submitting their WFA applications starting from May 2024 will benefit from the new rates of allowance.

     On the other hand, after the passage of the Appropriation Bill 2024 (the Bill), the Working Family Allowance Office (WFAO) of the Working Family and Student Financial Assistance Agency (WFSFAA) will disburse a one-off extra allowance to WFA recipients as proposed in the 2024-25 Budget. It is expected that the extra allowance will be disbursed one month after the passage of the Bill at the earliest.

     Households which made WFA applications during the applicable period that were eventually approved are eligible for the one-off extra allowance. The applicable period is from the first day of the month in which the Bill is passed by the Legislative Council to the date of passage of the Bill, and the six calendar months before that month. For applications submitted by post, the date of the post-stamp is adopted as the application date.

     In order to be eligible for the extra allowance, new applicants or previous WFA recipients who have yet to submit applications during the applicable period should submit their applications before the applicable period expires (i.e. on or before the date of passage of the Bill). The extra allowance is equal to one half of the average monthly allowance in approved months in a recipient's most recently submitted WFA application, which was submitted within the applicable period and eventually approved. The amount varies from case to case.

     If a WFA household is receiving Comprehensive Social Security Assistance (CSSA) at the date of passage of the Bill, the household is eligible for only one single extra allowance, which will be calculated based on the higher amount the household is eligible to receive under the WFA Scheme or the CSSA Scheme. The rates of allowance of the WFA Scheme are determined on a monthly basis based on the household's income and working hours. The claim period of an application covers the six calendar months immediately before the submission of the application, and an eligible household has to submit an application for every claim period.

     For enquiries, applicants may visit the website of the WFSFAA (www.wfsfaa.gov.hk) or call the 24-hour hotline (2558 3000) of the WFAO.