The Centre for Food Safety (CFS) of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department announced today (March 14) that vegetables from a regulated Japanese prefecture were suspected to be in breach of the relevant Food Safety Order when the CFS inspected a consignment of food imported from Japan. The product concerned has been marked and sealed by the CFS and has not entered the market. The CFS is following up on the case.

     A spokesman for the CFS said, "During an inspection of the food label of the concerned consignment of food imported from Japan, the CFS found two packs of potherb mustard (mizuna) from Ibaraki Prefecture which were not accompanied with a radiation certificate and an exporter certificate after the Order was issued. The importer concerned is thus suspected of breaching the relevant Order."

     According to the Order, all vegetables, fruits, milk, milk beverages and dried milk originating from Fukushima are banned from importing into Hong Kong while such foods originating from Ibaraki, Tochigi, Chiba and Gunma prefectures are allowed to be imported on the condition that they are accompanied with a radiation certificate and an exporter certificate issued by the Japanese authority certifying that the radiation levels do not exceed the guideline levels and are fit for human consumption.

     The CFS will continue to follow up on the incident and take appropriate action, including informing the Japanese authorities concerned of the incident. Prosecution will be instituted against the importer concerned should there be sufficient evidence. The investigation is ongoing.

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

     The Hong Kong Housing Authority (HA) is proceeding with the redevelopment of Wah Fu Estate (WFE) on the basis of a phased approach. The proposed developments in the five Pok Fu Lam South sites, namely, Wah King Street, Wah Lok Path, Wah Fu North, Kai Lung Wan South and Kai Lung Wan North, and the existing Wah Fu Estate will serve as major reception resources for the redevelopment of WFE. The HA consulted Southern District Council (SDC) in 2021, local residents and other stakeholders to collect views on the WFE redevelopment and clearance in three phases. The proposal was generally supported. 

       "We have been exchanging views and refining the three-phased clearance proposal with tenants of Wah Fu Estate and relevant stakeholders on different occasions and during the public engagement workshops. In accordance with the latest progress, the anticipated intake date of the Phase 1 Wah King Street site will be advanced from 2027 to 2026 for rehousing tenants of Wah On House and Wah Lok House; the anticipated intake date of Wah Lok Path site in 2027 to 2028 will remain unchanged; whereas for Wah Fu North site, we have encountered an unforeseen underground condition and technical difficulties. It was identified during the construction stage that the rock head level was considerably higher than the design level adopted for the foundation design, the site formation and the project design were therefore required to be revised to reduce the amount of extra rock excavation. However, the rock excavation works could not be significantly speeded up taking into consideration possible nuisances caused to the nearby residents and the adverse impact to the existing traffic. To this end, the Housing Department (HD) and the Civil Engineering and Development Department have been working collaboratively to adjust the project design to mitigate the time and environmental implications. Despite the adjustments made, the anticipated intake date of the development will still be revised from the second half of 2028 to the first half of 2030.
 
     "In view of this situation, in order to commence the redevelopment plan as soon as possible, the original Phase 1 is further divided into two subphases of Phase 1a and Phase 1b. The Wah King Street site will be rephased as phase 1a and the Wah Lok Path and Wah Fu North site will be rephased as Phase 1b.

     â€‹"The anticipated intake date of phase 2 Kai Lung Wan South and Kai Lung Wan North sites will remain unchanged as from 2030 to 2031, and the anticipated intake date of Phase 3 at existing Wah Fu Estate will remain as from 2040 to 2041," said an HD spokesman.
 
     Based on the above phased redevelopment programme, the HA announced today (March 14) the clearance and rehousing arrangements for Phase 1a, which will include two blocks, i.e. Wah On House and Wah Lok House. Affected tenants will have a notification period of about 40 months before the target clearance date in July 2027 when they have to move out of their units. The HA's Subsidised Housing Committee (SHC) and Commercial Properties Committee, at a joint meeting today, approved the rehousing and associated arrangements for domestic and commercial tenants affected by the clearance exercise. 

     "There are about 900 affected households currently living in Wah On House and Wah Lok House at Wah Fu Estate. The public housing development at the nearby Wah King Street site, which will be used as the reception estate, will provide 1 208 units and will be able to accommodate all of them with the anticipated intake at the end of 2026. Affected tenants may also choose to move to refurbished public rental housing (PRH) units in any district of their choice, subject to availability of resources," a spokesman for the HA said. 
 
     "All domestic tenants affected by the clearances will be offered a Domestic Removal Allowance ranging from $10,030 to $31,910, depending on the household sizes, to help meet part of their moving expenses. One-person and two-person households may also opt to receive a Singleton/Doubleton Allowance (SA/DA) in lieu of rehousing to a PRH unit," the spokesman added. "In this regard, the meeting today endorsed the adjustment of the SA/DA rates to $78,530 and $95,790 respectively," the spokesman added. 
 
     "Affected domestic tenants in Wah On House and Wah Lok House who would like to purchase Home Ownership Scheme/Green Form Subsidised Home Ownership Scheme (GSH) flats in lieu of rehousing to PRH units will be accorded priority in flat selection in the upcoming sale exercise(s) of subsidised sale flats launched before the target clearance date. Detailed arrangements will be submitted to the SHC for consideration in due course," the spokesman said.
 
     At present, there are 23 commercial tenants affected by the clearance exercise under Phase 1a for redevelopment of the Wah Fu Estate. At today's joint meeting, members approved that eligible commercial tenants under fixed-term tenancies paying market rent will be offered an ex-gratia allowance equivalent to 15 times the monthly exclusive rent as specified in the tenancy agreement applicable on the date of formal announcement of clearance. They will also be given the opportunity to participate in restricted tender exercises for shop stalls in the HA's markets. Successful bidders will be given a three-month rent-free period under the new tenancy. If the eligible tenants give up the restricted tender opportunity, they will be granted a lump sum payment of $125,000 in lieu. 
 
     As with previous clearance exercises, a Community Service Team will be set up and stationed on-site in the estate to help maintain effective communications between the HA and affected households, in particular those of the elderly, and offer services including assistance in moving out of their existing flats and adapting to their new living environment.
 
     "The five Pok Fu Lam sites would provide a total of about 8 920 public housing units, and the number of flats in Wah Fu Estate is expected to increase from about 9 200 to about 12 200 after redevelopment. Upon completion of the whole redevelopment of Wah Fu Estate, a total of about 21 120 flats will be provided," the spokesman added.

     The Secretary for Health, Professor Lo Chung-mau, and his delegation headed to Dongguan from Guangzhou today (March 14) to continue their two-day visit, meeting Dongguan Municipal Government and health officials, and visiting the Dongguan Tungwah Hospital.

     The delegation first met with Deputy Mayor of the Dongguan Municipal People's Government Ms Li Jun and the Director of the Dongguan Municipal Health Bureau, Ms Zhang Qiaoli. Professor Lo introduced to them the latest healthcare developments in Hong Kong and engaged with them in a thorough exchange on issues such as the Elderly Health Care Voucher Greater Bay Area Pilot Scheme, optimisation of hospital management, improvement of public health and enhancement of healthcare service quality.

     Professor Lo said, "The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government endeavors to keep strengthening and deepening healthcare exchanges and co-operation with Mainland cities to promote healthcare development in Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area cities in a bid to enhance the quality and efficiency of medical and healthcare services, thereby contributing to the major national strategy of 'Healthy China' through concerted efforts."

     The delegation visited the Dongguan Tungwah Hospital in the afternoon. The hospital was included in the Pilot Scheme as one of the pilot medical institutions by the Health Bureau last month. Hong Kong elderly persons who are eligible for receiving Elderly Health Care Vouchers will be able to use the vouchers to pay for outpatient healthcare services they receive at designated medical centres or medical service departments of the Dongguan Tungwah Hospital later this year.

     Deputy Secretary for Health Mr Eddie Lee; the Senior Advisor (Secretary for Health's Office), Dr Joe Fan; and the Deputising Chief Executive of the Hospital Authority, Dr Simon Tang, of the Hong Kong delegation also joined the visit programme today. They returned to Hong Kong afterwards this afternoon.

        

     The Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism, Mr Kevin Yeung, today (March 14) finished a three-day visit to Xi'an and Qingdao. With the expansion of the Individual Visit Scheme (IVS) to Xi'an and Qingdao starting from March 6, Mr Yeung visited the two cities to call on provincial leaders and attend briefing sessions for the media and the tourism sector, where he promoted Hong Kong tourism as well as introducing travelling experiences and the latest tourism developments in Hong Kong.
 
     Mr Yeung said, "We are very grateful for the Central Government's positive response to the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government's proposal of enhancing the IVS. With the number of eligible cities expanded to 51, this will be very conducive to the development of Hong Kong's tourism sector. We have at once launched publicity activities in the newly added cities, Xi'an and Qingdao, with a view to providing travellers from the two cities with quality services."
 
     During the trip, Mr Yeung was accompanied by the Commissioner for Tourism, Ms Vivian Sum, and the Executive Director of the Hong Kong Tourism Board, Mr Dane Cheng. On March 12, Mr Yeung arrived in Xi'an in Shaanxi Province, where he met with Vice Governor of the Shaanxi Provincial Government Mr Xu Mingfei, and the Director of the Department of Culture and Tourism of Shaanxi, Mr Gao Yang, to discuss ways to strengthen and develop tourism activities between Hong Kong and Xi'an. Mr Yeung then continued his visit to Qingdao in Shandong Province on March 13 to meet with the Mayor of the Qingdao Municipal People's Government, Mr Zhao Haozhi, and Deputy Secretary of the CPC Qingdao Municipal Committee Ms Zhang Hui separately to exchange views on driving tourism developments.
 
     In 2022, there were 12.9959 million usual residents in Xi'an, and its Gross Domestic Product (GDP) was RMB1.148651 trillion. Between 2014 and 2023, 1.17 million travellers from Xi'an visited Hong Kong. In comparison, there were 10.3421 million usual residents in Qingdao in 2022 and its GDP was RMB1.492075 trillion, while 0.7 million travellers from Qingdao visited Hong Kong between 2014 and 2023.
 
     Mr Yeung will return to Hong Kong tonight.

     The 2024 Award Scheme for Learning Experiences under the Qualifications Framework (QF) will open for applications from tomorrow (March 15) until May 31. Practitioners from 23 industries implementing the QF (see Annex) are welcome to apply.

     A spokesman for the Education Bureau said that the Award Scheme aims to encourage practitioners who have excelled themselves in continuous learning to broaden their horizons through engaging in learning activities held locally or around the world. These experiences will enable them to keep abreast of the latest developments of the industry and extend their exposure and networks, thereby realising their personal and career goals. The theme for the Award Scheme this year is "Together, go further". This theme signifies that the Award Scheme not only assists awardees in participating in learning activities worldwide but also supports them in achieving their career aspirations.

     Since its inception in 2013, the Award Scheme has attracted more than 2 300 applicants from different industries, over 700 of whom were awarded. Over 60 per cent of the awardees participated in learning activities outside Hong Kong, while approximately 40 per cent engaged in local learning activities. The Award Scheme subsidises practitioners to participate in learning activities and helps reinforce their conviction in lifelong learning. Through continuous learning, they are able to upgrade their knowledge and skills, become lifelong-learning role models for their respective industries, and help promote the QF.

     The spokesman added that the learning activities in which practitioners could participate under the Award Scheme include competitions, seminars, sharing sessions, exhibitions and study tours. Awardees engaging in local learning activities would receive an award of $10,000, while those engaging in learning activities outside Hong Kong would receive an award of $30,000. 

     For details, please visit the website (www.hkqf.gov.hk/AwardScheme) and the Facebook page (www.facebook.com/QFAwardScheme) of the Award Scheme.