​Correctional officers at Tung Tau Correctional Institution stopped a fight among remand persons in custody yesterday (July 9). At 11.14pm yesterday, 13 male remand persons in custody age… read more
Following is a question by the Hon Jimmy Ng and a written reply by the Secretary for Transport and Logistics, Mr Lam Sai-hung, in the Legislative Council today (July 10):
Question:
In recent years, the Government has launched a number of funding schemes to promote modern logistics development and assist the industry in better grasping the latest trends in smart logistics and e-commerce business, including setting up the Logistics Promotion Funding Scheme (LPFS) and the Professional Training on Smart and Green Logistics Scheme (PTSGLS), as well as enhancing the Pilot Subsidy Scheme for Third-party Logistics Service Providers (the Pilot Scheme). Some members of the logistics industry have expressed concern about the vetting and approval of the aforesaid schemes, while hoping that the Government can further enhance these schemes. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1) of the respective numbers of applications received, approved, rejected and being processed by the authorities since the introduction of enhancement measures to the Pilot Scheme in February this year; among the approved applications, the average funding amount per case and the number of applications which have benefited from the extended scope of funding as a result of the enhancement measures; the latest progress of the authorities’ work in regularizing the Pilot Scheme;
(2) of the respective numbers of applications received, approved, rejected and being processed by the authorities since the launch of LPFS; among the approved applications, the average funding amount per case; whether the authorities will extend the scope of funding under LPFS to cover projects organized outside Hong Kong which are related to the promotion of modern and smart logistics, so that successful applicant organizations can promote the strengths of Hong Kong as an international premier logistics hub to more overseas enterprises; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; and
(3) of the respective numbers of applications received, approved, rejected and being processed by the authorities since the launch of PTSGLS; the number of training courses approved for funding, as well as the theme, number of places and enrolment for each of these courses; the average funding amounts provided by the authorities for each training course and each participant who attended the training course for the first time?
Reply:
President,
The Government attaches great importance to the development of Hong Kong’s logistics industry and has all along been supporting and enhancing Hong Kong’s position as a regional logistics hub through different measures, including the promulgation of the Action Plan on Modern Logistics Development on October 31, 2023, that formulated eight strategies and 24 action measures in five development directions, namely smart development, modernisation, green and sustainability, internationalisation and facilitation, to address the short, medium and long-term needs of the logistics industry, thereby achieving the goal of developing Hong Kong into a sustainable international smart logistics hub focusing on high-value goods and the e-commerce market.
In particular, in terms of the support for the logistics industry to develop towards the directions of smart logistics and green logistics, the Government has launched the Professional Training on Smart and Green Logistics Scheme and the Logistics Promotion Funding Scheme respectively under the Maritime and Aviation Training Fund this year, and enhanced the Pilot Subsidy Scheme for Third-party Logistics Service Providers, so as to strengthen the support towards the logistics industry to undergo digital transformation, adopt smart logistics solutions, as well as achieve environmental, social and governance (ESG) targets so as to promote green logistics.
The reply in response to Hon Jimmy Ng’s question is as follows:
(1) Since implementation of the Pilot Scheme in October 2020, a total of 351 applications were received, of which 249 were approved, involving a subsidy amount of around $150 million. Since February this year, enhancement measures to the Pilot Scheme were rolled out, which included increasing the cumulative funding ceiling for each applicant enterprise from $1 million to $2 million, as well as extending the scope of funding to cover ESG technology solutions and related implementation services (including consultancy services) and project-based trainings associated with technology implementation. Since the implementation of the enhancement measures, as of June this year, a total of 29 applications were received, of which two were approved, 23 are being vetted and four were withdrawn before vetting. The amount of subsidy for each of the two approved applications is below $1 million. The Government will continue to review the effectiveness of the Pilot Scheme and duly explore the possibility of the regularisation of the Pilot Scheme.
(2) The Logistics Promotion Funding Scheme aims to subsidise eligible logistics-related organisations and professional bodies to organise local promotional campaigns and activities, so as to rebrand the modern logistics industry as “smart, innovative and high-end”, with a view to attracting more young people to join the industry as well as promoting the strengths of Hong Kong as an international premier logistics hub to both local and overseas companies. Since its launch in January this year, as of June this year, a total of four applications were received under the Logistics Promotion Funding Scheme, of which two were approved and the other two are being vetted. The amount of subsidy of the two approved applications is $700,000 and $100,000 respectively. The Government will review the effectiveness and coverage of subsidy of the Logistics Promotion Funding Scheme from time to time.
(3) The Professional Training on Smart and Green Logistics Scheme subsidises eligible logistics associations and training/education institutions to organise local training courses related to modern, smart and green logistics with a view to supporting in-service practitioners to equip themselves with up-to-date knowledge of smart and green logistics. Since its launch in January this year, as of June this year, a total of five applications were received under the Professional Training on Smart and Green Logistics Scheme, of which two were approved. The two approved applications are related to sustainable logistics development and green logistics, providing a total of 60 places. As the relevant training courses are still at the admission stage, the number of enrolment and average amount of subsidy are not available yet. The remaining three courses are being vetted. read more
Following is a question by the Hon Shiu Ka-fai and a reply by the Secretary for Labour and Welfare, Mr Chris Sun, in the Legislative Council today (July 10):
Question:
Under the Enhanced Supplementary Labour Scheme (ESLS), wages of imported workers should be at least the median monthly wages (median wages) of comparable positions in the market, and employers are required to pay the Employees Retraining Levy (ERL) of $9,600 in a lump-sum in respect of a two-year contract for each worker. The ERL paid is not refundable even if the contract is terminated prematurely. Many members of the industry have pointed out that with the median wages, ERL and accommodation costs, labour importation has become too costly, thus failing to help enterprises reduce operating costs and enhance competitiveness, and it is learnt that Singapore has not set the minimum wage for foreign workers in some industries. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1) whether it will review the requirement that wages of imported workers should be at least the median wages; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that;
(2) given that in the reply to my question on April 10 this year, the Government indicated that it did not have plans to include the retail and catering sectors in the sector-specific labour importation schemes for the time being, of the reasons for that; whether it will, in the light of the latest market situation, consider afresh including such sectors in the Schemes; and
(3) whether it will consider conducting an interim review of the ESLS one year after its implementation, including regularising the arrangement of accepting labour importation applications for the 26 job categories normally excluded from the Supplementary Labour Scheme, as well as revising the ERL as payable monthly and refunding employers for the overcharged ERL; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?
Reply:
President,
To cope with the challenges brought about by manpower shortage, the Government has enhanced the mechanism for importation of workers. Apart from launching sector-specific labour importation schemes for the construction sector, transport sector, and residential care homes for the elderly and residential care homes for persons with disabilities, the Labour Department (LD) has also implemented the Enhanced Supplementary Labour Scheme (ESLS) since September 4, 2023, to enhance the coverage and operation of the Supplementary Labour Scheme (SLS) in the past, including suspending the general exclusion of the 26 job categories (set out at Annex) as well as unskilled or low-skilled posts from labour importation for two years, with a view to alleviating the manpower shortage of other sectors (including the retail industry and the food and beverage services industry). Nevertheless, any mechanism for labour importation must be operated on the premise of safeguarding the employment priority for local workers.
The reply to the Hon Shiu Ka-fai’s question is as follows:
(1) For the purpose of upholding the employment priority for local workers, the applicant employer of the ESLS must undertake a four-week local open recruitment and give priority to employing suitable local workers to fill the vacancies at a salary not lower than the prevailing median monthly wage of a comparable position in the market. In parallel, employers approved to import workers under the ESLS are required to sign a Standard Employment Contract prescribed by the Government with the imported workers, and shall pay a salary not lower than the median monthly wage of a comparable position. These requirements are important measures to prevent the imported workers from becoming cheap labour and undermining the employment opportunities of local workers. As such, the Government has no plan to change the requirements at this stage.
(2) As compared with the SLS in the past, the ESLS provides employers (including establishments in the retail industry, and the food and beverage services industry) with more flexibility in applying for importation of workers. The ESLS sets no quota on imported workers and accepts applications year-round.
In addition, the LD has been continuously improving the workflow of case processing under the ESLS, including introducing an application form for common posts; deploying staff designated to vet applications submitted by employers to expedite the preliminary screening process; exercising flexibility in the handling of recruitment advertisements placed by employers during local recruitment and expediting the follow-up on interview results, and organising briefings for employment agencies involved in labour importation matters. With the implementation of the aforesaid measures, case processing has become more effective and efficient. From April to June 2024, the numbers of imported workers approved to take up posts in the retail industry, and the food and beverage services industry were 1 035 and 5 917 respectively, which were higher than the numbers of imported workers applied for in the same period (810 and 5 403 respectively). At present, if an employer uses the application form for common posts and provides all required information and documents at the same time, the application will normally be screened-in within a short period of time, after which the employer can proceed with the four-week local recruitment immediately. The Government sees no imminent need to launch sector‑specific labour importation schemes for the retail industry and the food and beverage services industry at this stage.
(3) Since the launch of the ESLS, the Government has been closely monitoring the implementation of the scheme. The LD will review the coverage and operation of the ESLS prior to the lapse of its two-year implementation period.
The Employees Retraining Ordinance (Cap. 423) (the Ordinance) sets out the current arrangement for the payment of the Employees Retraining Levy. Section 14(2) of the Ordinance stipulates that the amount of the levy payable in respect of each imported employee employed by an employer shall be the sum specified in Schedule 3 (i.e. $400) multiplied by the number of months specified in the employment contract between the employer and the imported employee. Section 15(2) of the Ordinance specifies clearly that under no circumstances will the levy paid be repaid or refunded to the employer.
The levy is transferred to the Employees Retraining Fund administered by the Employees Retraining Board for providing training and retraining to local workers. The Government has no plan to alter the levy arrangement which is in line with the policy objective of encouraging the training of local workers. read more
Following is a question by the Hon Chan Siu-hung and a written reply by the Secretary for Transport and Logistics, Mr Lam Sai-hung, in the Legislative Council today (July 10):
Question:
The Transport Department (TD) has installed a new type of pedestrian traffic light countdown device at the signalised junction of Tat Tung Road/Mei Tung Street in Tung Chung, with the countdown starting to display when the “green man” light is on, so as to assist pedestrians to gauge the total time remained for the “green man” light for crossing the junction, thereby enhancing pedestrian safety. The device has started operating and testing since December 2023, and the TD has engaged a local university to conduct survey and study on the impact of the device on pedestrian crossing behaviour. It is expected that the entire test scheme will be completed in the middle of this year. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1) whether the aforesaid test scheme has been completed; if so, of the timetable for announcing the test results (including the effectiveness of the aforesaid device);
(2) of the respective relevant expenditures involved in the aforesaid test scheme (including but not limited to the fees for the design of the system, procurement of components, and engagement of the university to conduct survey and study);
(3) of the differences between the new type of pedestrian traffic light countdown device under the aforesaid test scheme and the pedestrian traffic light countdown device tested by the TD in 2006 and 2018; given that the two studies conducted in 2006 and 2018 concluded that the device concerned brought no material improvement and benefit to pedestrian safety and was therefore not further applied extensively, of the reasons for the TD to relaunch the test scheme of the countdown device last year;
(4) how it assesses the effectiveness of the new type of pedestrian traffic light countdown device under the aforesaid test scheme, and of the criteria to be adopted for determining the installation of the device at other locations; and
(5) whether it will consider, by drawing reference from the experience of other places in the world, conducting a trial on the “vehicular traffic light countdown device” for motorists, or studying the feasibility of applying such device in Hong Kong; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?
Reply:
President,
Having consulted the Transport Department (TD) in respect of traffic light countdown device, my reply to the various parts of the question raised by the Hon Chan Siu-hung is as follows:
(1) and (4) TD has installed a new type of pedestrian traffic light countdown device (the new pedestrian countdown device) at the pedestrian crossing of Tat Tung Road/Mei Tung Street in Tung Chung in 2023 for testing. Unlike the pedestrian countdown device tested in 2006 and 2018 (which started counting down when the “green man” light began to flash), the new pedestrian countdown device starts counting down when the “green man” light is on, such that pedestrians can gauge the total green time remained. The aforementioned new pedestrian countdown device has started operating since mid-December 2023. To objectively evaluate the effectiveness of the countdown device at the above crossing, the TD engaged a local university to conduct study and surveys on its impact on pedestrian crossing behavior. The research team collected data on pedestrian crossing behavior using sensors and conducted on-site questionnaires at the end of 2023 (before the device started operating) and early 2024 (after the device started operating). Preliminary data shows that after the installation of the countdown device, there is an improvement in pedestrians completing crossing the road before the flashing “green man” light ends, showing that it is more effective than the tests conducted in 2006 and 2018. The research team is currently conducting detailed analysis and compiling report based on the collected data from the surveys, so as to summarise the results of the trial in Tung Chung and explore how to further validate the effectiveness of the new pedestrian countdown device.
If the detailed study confirms the positive effects of the new pedestrian countdown device, such as its effectiveness to reduce the proportion of pedestrians who cannot completely cross the road before the flashing “green man” light ends and improve pedestrian safety, the TD will consider selecting further pedestrian crossings with different site conditions (such as pedestrian flow, road width as well as crossing time required, and characteristics of the local population, etc) to test the new pedestrian countdown device for a more comprehensive understanding of its application and performance at other locations in Hong Kong with different characteristics, which will facilitate the setting of direction of the next phase.
(2) The expenditure of the trial on new pedestrian countdown device was about $1.14 million. The breakdown of expenditure is as follows:
| Items | Expenditure ($’000) |
| 1. Software and hardware for the countdown device (including the development/design, procurement, installation and testing of equipment, temporary traffic arrangements, etc) |
573 |
| 2. Study on the effects on pedestrian crossing behavior (including installation of sensors for collecting pedestrian crossing data, conducting analysis and statistics, detailed study, etc) |
571 |
| Total | 1,144 |
​Following is a question by the Hon Chan Hok-fung and a written reply by the Secretary for Education, Dr Choi Yuk-lin, in the Legislative Council today (July 10):
Question:
Regarding the monitoring of the operation of international schools, will the Government inform this Council:
(1) as it has been reported that the parents of students of an international kindergarten originally intended to cease operation at the end of July this year have been notified that the kindergarten may continue to operate with the current governing team in the next school year, whether any international schools and kindergartens, having applied for cessation of operation, have been approved by the authorities to continue operation in the past five years; if so, of the number, details and vetting and approval criteria of such cases;
(2) whether the Education Bureau (EDB) ultimately invoked section 14(1)(i) of the Education Ordinance (Cap. 279) in the past five years to refuse to register an international school due to the fact that the composition of the proposed management committee or incorporated management committee was such that the school might not be managed satisfactorily; if so, of the number and details of such cases;
(3) as it is reported that a number of international schools plan to increase tuition fees by four per cent to eight per cent in the next school year, of the specific role of the EDB in the determination of the rate of tuition fee adjustments and the financial arrangements by such schools and their sponsoring bodies; and
(4) as it has been reported that in January 2020, the Office of The Ombudsman issued a direct investigation report criticising the EDB for not setting up an approval mechanism in respect of the collection of charges other than tuition fees by international schools (e.g. construction fees and the requirement for parents to purchase debentures) over the years, and in June 2020, the then Secretary for Education indicated that international schools had to seek the EDB’s approval for collection of such charges starting from the 2020/2021 school year, of the implementation situation and progress of the relevant measure?
Reply:
President,
The education system in Hong Kong provides parents with diversified and high-quality choices. Apart from publicly-funded schools, private schools (including international schools) in Hong Kong have been playing a unique role in offering local and non-local curricula according to their mission. In particular, the Government is committed to developing a vibrant international school sector to meet the demand for international school places from non-local families living in Hong Kong and families coming to Hong Kong for work or investment. In the 2023/24 school year, there are 54 international schools (including one special school) in Hong Kong which admit 42 100 students, accounting for 6.4 per cent of some 650 000 primary and secondary students in Hong Kong. Apart from international schools, there are about 100 other private schools (Note) in Hong Kong.
(1) According to the Education Ordinance (Cap. 279) (the Ordinance), all schools must be registered with the Education Bureau (EDB). To obtain the registration for offering education, schools must comply with the regulations prescribed in the Ordinance in respect of the premises, safety, management and teaching staff. In the event that a school has ceased operation and cancelled its registration, any relevant persons intending to reopen a school at the old premises must submit application to the EDB for registration of a new school according to the relevant regulations. On the contrary, if a school has not ceased operation or cancelled its registration, there is no need to apply for school registration again. However, applications for a change in the school name and management of the school such as the school supervisor, the school manager and/or the school principal, have to be submitted to the EDB and obtain approval in accordance with the Ordinance before commencing operation.
(2) Schools have to comply with the relevant statutory requirements upon school registration. From our record, the EDB did not exercise the power under the concerned provision of the Ordinance to refuse applications for school registration in the past five years.
(3) In accordance with Regulation 65 of the Education Regulations (Cap. 279A), no change in fees shall be made by all schools (including international schools) without the prior written approval of the EDB. Schools which plan to adjust their school fees in the new school year are required to apply to the EDB. Private schools (including international schools) are self-financing and market-driven in their operation. The EDB will critically consider justifications provided by the schools (e.g. rent increase, salary adjustment of school staff, employment of additional teachers, purchase of teaching materials and major repair works, etc), the schools’ financial position, as well as the schools’ communication with parents on the relevant issues and response to parents’ concerns when examining the applications.
(4) The EDB had been actively following up on the recommendations made in the Ombudsman (OMB)’s report of January 2020 about establishing the more comprehensive application and approval mechanism regarding other charges (such as debentures, capital levies and fees for nomination rights) collected by private schools (including international schools). As it took time to establish a more comprehensive mechanism, the EDB had first introduced the transitional arrangement in the 2020/21 school year, allowing private schools which wished to continue collecting other charges for the 2020/21 school year to submit applications to the EDB. The EDB would examine the information submitted by the schools before granting the time-limited approval.
In the meantime, the EDB established the “Advisory Committee on Processing Applications for Collection of Capital Levies/Debentures/Nomination Rights” (the Committee), with members who were professional accountants, to formulate the more comprehensive application and approval mechanism to regulate the collection of other charges by private schools for long-term school development. The EDB also met with representatives of private schools with a view to understanding their operations. Following the recommendations of the Committee, the EDB issued the circular to private schools on August 22, 2023, to promulgate the implementation details of the application and approval mechanism for collection of other charges by private schools and started handling applications according to the new mechanism with effect from that date. On August 29, 2023, the EDB conducted a briefing session to give details of the mechanism to school representatives. Furthermore, after being informed of our work progress, the OMB concluded that the EDB had implemented the recommendations made in its investigation report.
Note: “Other private schools” refer to private ordinary primary and secondary day schools registered with the Education Bureau. They include day schools offering local or non-local curriculum day courses but not special schools and primary and secondary day courses operated by private schools offering tutorial, vocational and adult education courses. read more