Following is a question by the Hon Chu Hoi-dick and a written reply by the Secretary for Food and Health, Dr Ko Wing-man, in the Legislative Council today (December 14):
 
Question:
 
     It has been reported that the estimated number of patients with mental illness in Hong Kong ranges between 1 million and 1.7 million at present, with around 200 000 of them suffering from severe mental illness (SMI).  Besides, there are about 48 000 people diagnosed as having schizophrenia and such number shows an upward trend.  The Social Welfare Department (SWD) re-organised its mental health support services in October 2010 by setting up 24 Integrated Community Centres for Mental Wellness (ICCMWs) in various districts across the territory.  Moreover, since April 2010, the Hospital Authority (HA) has implemented in phases the comprehensive case management programmes in different districts across the territory for patients with SMI considered suitable for treatment in community settings.  However, some mental illness concern groups have pointed out that the community support services cannot cater for the needs of patients, especially those who suffered from schizophrenia.  Such patients, during convalescence, usually take oral medication to control their conditions over a long period of time.  Since some of them do not take medication on time, nor do they attend regular follow-up consultations at clinics, the treatment procedures become less effective and the patients relapse.  Those concern groups have also pointed out that in recent years, quite a number of overseas places have administered the second generation anti-psychotic injection drugs (injection drugs) which have effectively reduced the chances of relapse and relieved the pressure on the healthcare facilities and services related to mental illness.  Regarding the provision of support services for patients with mental illness, will the Government inform this Council:
 
(1) of the following information in respect of each of the ICCMWs in each of the past three years: (i) the staffing establishment and the number of staff, broken down by rank, (ii) the amount of funding received, (iii) the number of members broken down by type of mental illness (including schizophrenia), (iv) the number of cases handled and (v) the respective numbers of family members and carers of patients with mental illness for whom services were provided;
 
(2) given that SWD in the past did not have information on cases handled by ICCMWs in respect of patients with SMI or general mental illness, whether SWD will expeditiously collect such information to facilitate follow-up actions; if SWD will, of the details; if not, the reasons for that;
 
(3) whether it knows the following information in respect of each of the comprehensive case management programmes implemented by HA in each of the past three years: (i) the staffing establishment and the number of staff, broken down by rank, (ii) the amount of funding received and (iii) the number of cases handled broken down by type of mental illness;
 
(4) whether it knows, among the existing patients with schizophrenia at convalescence stage, the number and percentage of those who have relapsed and the relevant reasons; the percentage of cases in which the relapse is attributable to discontinuation of follow-up treatment or medication on patients' own initiative in the total number of relapse cases; whether HA has put in place specific measures to ensure that patients receive follow-up treatment on a regular basis and take medication on time; if HA has, of the details; whether HA has assessed the effectiveness of such measures; if HA has assessed, of the criteria adopted;
 
(5) as HA's guidelines provide that (i) patients with schizophrenia will first be prescribed new oral medication, (ii) and if they are found to have failed to take medication according to instructions, they will be prescribed the first generation injection drugs, (iii) but if they suffer from prominent side effects after taking the first generation injection drugs, they will be prescribed the second generation injection drugs which have less side effects, whether the Government knows, among the patients with schizophrenia at convalescence stage in the past three years, the number and percentage of those who were prescribed the second generation injection drugs on a regular basis; whether it has studied if that percentage is lower than those in advanced countries; if it has studied and the outcome is in the affirmative, of the reasons for that;
 
(6) whether it knows the expenditures incurred by HA in the past three years on prescribing the second generation injection drugs; whether HA has assessed (i) the clinical outcome and (ii) the short, medium and long term cost-effectiveness, of prescribing that type of injection drugs; if HA has, of the details; if not, the reasons for that;
 
(7) whether it knows if HA will allocate additional resources so that all patients with schizophrenia at convalescence stage may be prescribed the second generation injection drugs; if HA will, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; whether HA will include the second generation injection drugs in its Drug Formulary so that more patients can receive appropriate treatment; and
 
(8) whether it has plans to conduct studies on the mental health conditions of members of the public; if it does, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?
 
Reply:

President,
 
     My reply to the various parts of the question is as follows:
 
(1) According to the information provided by the Labour and Welfare Bureau, in each of the the past three years, the resources allocated to Integrated Community Centres for Mental Wellness (ICCMWs) by the Government is as follows:
 

	2013-14 (Actual)	2014-15 (Actual)	2015-16 (Revised Estimate)
Amount of Funding ($ million)	221.6	254.8	281.1

     According to the Funding and Service Agreements of ICCMWs, the essential staffing requirements of ICCMWs include social workers, psychiatric nurses and occupational therapists.  The existing manpower of a notional team of ICCMW comprises 26 posts, including 17 social workers, two psychiatric nurses, one occupational therapist and six supporting staff.  However, under the Lump Sum Grant Subvention System, ICCMWs have the flexibility to deploy the subvention in arranging suitable staffing, which includes essential staff to ensure service quality to meet service needs.  As the size of population served by the 24 ICCMWs varies, the team size and the allocation that they obtain are therefore different.
      
     The statistics on the number of members, number of cases and number of family members/carers served by the 24 ICCMWs in the past three years are tabulated below:
 

24 ICCMWs	2013-14	2014-15	2015-16
Number of members served *	24 294	25 662	26 524
Number of cases served (as at the end of March of the financial year)	12 108	12 593	12 435
Number of family members/carers served	3 395	2 587	3 069

* The Social Welfare Department (SWD) does not maintain information on members classified by the types of their mental illnesses
 
(2) The caseworkers at ICCMWs will collect information on service users' diagnosis in handling cases, seek information from the Hospital Authority (HA) on their medical conditions to facilitate assessment, and formulate appropriate care and follow-up plans according to the background and needs of the service users.  ICCMWs will continue to collect such information for caseworkers to follow up individual cases.  As ICCMWs can, on the basis of the aforementioned information collected and make reference to the number of psychiatric cases in Hong Kong (including figures on both general and severe mental illness cases) provided by HA, follow up individual cases and service planning, the SWD does not have plan to separately collect information on cases in respect of patients with severe mental illness or general mental illness handled at ICCMWs.
 
(3) and (4) Since the 2010-11 financial year, the HA has rolled out the Case Management Programme (CMP) in different districts of Hong Kong by phases for patients with severe mental illness.  Under the Programme, case managers (including psychiatric nurses, occupational therapists and registered social workers, etc.) work closely with other service providers, particularly ICCMWs set up by the SWD, in providing intensive, continuous and personalised support for patients with severe mental illness.  In the 2014-15 financial year, the Programme was extended to cover all 18 districts across the territory to benefit more patients.  As at March 31, 2016, the HA employed a total of 327 case managers to provide personalised and intensive community support for over 15 400 patients with severe mental illness.
 
     The respective numbers of case managers and cases handled under the CMP in the past three years are tabulated below:
 

Financial year	Number of case managers (as at March 31 of the year)	Number of cases handled (as at March 31 of the year)
2013-14	260	14 600
2014-15	301	15 600
2015-16	327	15 400

     As at March 31, 2016, the staffing establishment of case managers for the CMP is tabulated below:
 

Professional discipline	Number of staffs
Psychiatric Nurses	240
Occupational Therapists	62
Registered Social Workers	24
Others	1

     From the 2015-16 financial year onwards, the HA introduced a peer support element into the CMP to enhance community support for patients with severe mental illness.  The HA currently employs a total of 10 rehabilitated ex-service users to serve as peer supporters, who help patients with severe mental illness achieve their individual rehabilitation goals and acquire the skills to manage their mental health problems.

     As some of the resources for the CMP is shared with other services, the relevant expenditure for the services provided under the CMP cannot be calculated separately.
      
     On the other hand, the HA has established a psychiatric advisory hotline, namely Mental Health Direct, since January 2012 to further enhance mental health services and strengthen support for ex-mentally ill patients and their carers.  The hotline is operated 24-hour by professional psychiatric nurses, who answer calls from patients with mental illness, carers, relevant stakeholders and the public, to provide professional advice on mental health issues and arrange timely referrals for them.  Aside from advisory service, the Mental Health Direct also provides telecare service whereby psychiatric nurses will approach rehabilitated ex-mentally ill patients to follow up their conditions and help them better adapt to community life.  Moreover, for those patients with mental illness failing to show up for scheduled consultations, a follow-up service under the Mental Health Direct has been rolled out in phases in all hospital clusters, through which such patients will be approached and new appointment for follow-up consultation will be made for them.  The service has now been extended to most of the psychiatric specialist out-patient clinics.
 
     The HA provides continuous and personalised follow-up services for patients with severe mental illness.  As the needs of these patients may vary in different stages and there is no single clinical definition of "relapse", the HA does not have relevant figures of relapse cases.
      
     The HA will continue to review and monitor its services to ensure that they suit the needs of patients.
 
(5), (6) and (7) Over the years, the HA has been making every effort to increase the use of new generation psychiatric drugs which have proven effectiveness with fewer side effects, including antipsychotic drugs, antidepressant drugs, and drugs for dementia and attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder.  Taking the patients' wish into account, psychiatrists will provide necessary drug treatment for patients as appropriate, having regard to their clinical needs and in accordance with the clinical treatment protocol.  The number of patients prescribed with the new generation antipsychotic drugs at public hospitals has increased from about 39 200 in the 2010-11 financial year to 67 000 in the 2014-15 financial year, representing an increase of 70 per cent.
 
     In the 2014-15 financial year, the HA repositioned the new generation oral antipsychotic drugs (save for Clozapine due to its more complicated side effects) from the special drug category to the general drug category in its Drug Formulary so that all these drugs could be prescribed as first-line drugs.
      
     The new generation long-acting antipsychotic ampoule is currently incorporated into the special drug category of HA's Drug Formulary.  Psychiatrists will provide necessary drug treatment for patients as appropriate, having regard to their clinical needs and in accordance with the clinical treatment protocol.  The number of patients who received the new generation long-acting antipsychotic injections at public hospitals in the past three years and the expenditure involved are tabulated below:
 

Financial year	Number of patients who received the new generation long-acting antipsychotic injections	Expenditure involved ($ million)
2013-14	1 500	43
2014-15	1 900	56
2015-16	2 200	72

     Besides, the HA has put into place an established mechanism under which experts will examine and review regularly the treatment options and drugs for patients with adjustments made as appropriate, taking into account factors like scientific evidences, clinical risks and treatment efficacy, technological advancement and views of patient groups, etc.  The HA will continue to closely monitor the latest development of the clinical and scientific evidences of new psychiatric drugs.  It will also continue to review and introduce new drugs, and formulate guidelines for clinical use of such drugs in accordance with the established mechanism having regard to the principle of optimising the use of limited public resources and providing appropriate treatment for as many needy patients as possible.
 
(8) In January 2016, the Department of Health (DH) launched a three-year territory-wide public education and publicity programme named Joyful@HK.  Joyful@HK Campaign aims to increase public engagement in promoting mental well-being and to enhance their knowledge and understanding on mental health.  Under the Campaign, the DH commissioned the Department of Psychiatry of the Chinese University of Hong Kong to conduct a Mental Health and Well-being Survey, with a view to examining the mental health status of the public, the public's awareness of symptoms of common mental health problems, willingness towards seeking help, and the attitude and practice of the public on pro-mental well-being lifestyle activities.
 
     The DH will continue to promote mental health among various groups of citizens and conduct health education on common mental health problems through the Joyful@HK Campaign.  The aim is to enable members of the public to integrate three key elements of the Campaign, namely "Sharing", "Mind" and "Enjoyment", into their daily lives for enhancing their mental well-being, and encouraging them to seek help from professionals when necessary.

The following is issued on behalf of the Judiciary:

     In response to a weekly magazine report today (December 14) which mentioned that the Chief Justice of the Court of Final Appeal, Mr Geoffrey Ma Tao-li, is a supporter of Mr John C Tsang, the Chief Justice said that, being the Chief Justice of the Court of Final Appeal, he is politically neutral.

     A woman was fined $4,000 at the Kowloon City Magistrates' Courts today (December 14) for contravening the Clubs (Safety of Premises) Ordinance.

     The courts heard that in May this year, officers from the Office of the Licensing Authority (OLA) of the Home Affairs Department conducted an inspection at a club on Hau Fook Street in Tsim Sha Tsui, which had been operating with a certificate of compliance (CoC). 

     OLA officers posed as customers and patronised the club for food and drinks without being asked to show their membership status or being invited to join the club as members. The club was found to have a layout that deviated from the registered drawings and the number of people at the club had exceeded the maximum allowable capacity as stipulated in the CoC. Also, the club had operated beyond the licensed area. Conditions 3, 6, 18 and 19 of the CoC were breached.

     The woman, being the manager of the club, was charged with contravening section 21(1)(a) of the Ordinance.

     A spokesman for the department reminded all CoC holders to comply with the conditions as stipulated therein. Enforcement action will continue to be taken against illegal club operations.

     Following is a question by the Professor Hon Joseph Lee and a written reply by the Secretary for Food and Health, Dr Ko Wing-man, in the Legislative Council today (December 14):

Question:

     It has been reported that the consultancy firm commissioned by the Hospital Authority (HA) recommended earlier to raise the charges for the services of the accident and emergency (A&E) Departments of public hospitals. However, some members of the public have pointed out to me that while raising A&E charges will increase the financial burden on low-income people, it may not be effective in reducing the number of persons seeking consultation in the A&E Departments in the long run. Those members of the public have also pointed out that the pressure on the services of A&E Departments should be alleviated through improving the triage system for patients and encouraging private medical institutions to strengthen their outpatient services. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
 
(1) whether it knows if HA has regularly reviewed (i) the triage system of A&E Departments and (ii) the target waiting times for patients under the various triage categories; if HA has, of the details; if not, the reasons for that;

(2) whether it knows, among the patients under the various triage categories in each of the past five years, the respective percentages of patients who were treated within the relevant target waiting times; whether HA has explored the reasons why some patients were not treated within the target waiting times; if HA has, of the details; if not, the reasons for that;

(3) as it has been reported that some patients triaged as non-urgent were not treated until they had waited for nearly 10 hours, whether the Government knows if HA will allocate additional resources and manpower to increase the quota for general outpatient clinics and extend their service hours, so as to alleviate the pressure on the services of A&E Departments; if HA will, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; and

(4) whether it knows if HA will discuss with private doctors and private hospitals to encourage them to expand the scale of their operations and extend their service hours, particularly those of evening outpatient services, in order to reduce the demand for the services of the A&E Departments of public hospitals; if HA will, of the details; if not, the reasons for that? 

Reply:

President,

     My reply to the question raised by Professor Hon Joseph Lee relating to the accident and emergency (A&E) services of public hospitals is as follows: 
 
(1) and (2) To ensure that patients in serious conditions will receive timely treatment, Hospital Authority (HA) adopts a triage system which classifies patients attending the A&E Departments into five categories, namely critical, emergency, urgent, semi-urgent and non-urgent, according to their clinical conditions. 
 
     For patients triaged as critical, emergency and urgent, the HA has set performance pledges on their waiting time for treatment. According to the performance pledges, all patients who are triaged as critical patients will be treated immediately, 95 per cent of patients triaged as emergency patients will be treated within 15 minutes and 90 per cent of patients triaged as urgent will be treated within 30 minutes. The table below sets out the percentage of patients received treatment within the target waiting time in A&E Departments under the HA over the past five years.
 

Triage categories	Target waiting time	Percentage of A&E patients being treated within target waiting time
		2011-12	2012-13	2013-14	2014-15	2015-16
Triage I (Critical)	Immediate	100%	100%	100%	100%	100%
Triage II (Emergency)	15 minutes	98%	97%	96%	97%	97%
Triage III (Urgent)	30 minutes	91%	84%	75%	75%	78%

     The above table shows that in the past five years, the A&E Departments under the HA were able to provide immediate treatment for all critical patients and the waiting time of emergency patients also met the performance pledges. This shows that the majority of patients with pressing medical needs received timely medical treatment under the triage system. As regards patients triaged as urgent, their vital signs are relatively stable as compared with those triaged as critical and emergency. Nevertheless, the HA will continue to improve the service quality of its A&E services, with a view to offering treatment to all A&E patients within the target waiting time. Measures being taken include inviting doctors who are about to leave the HA or who have retired to work part-time in the A&E Departments to increase manpower, implementing the A&E Support Session Programme and deploying additional staff to rationalise patient flow and crowd management when long waiting time for patients is required.

     The Coordinating Committee (COC) in A&E of the HA is responsible for reviewing the triage system of A&E Departments on a regular basis for continuous improvement to the system. In August this year, the COC in A&E updated the internal guidelines for the triage system according to the service needs. The areas updated include the clinical symptoms and triage procedures for different categories of patients. In addition, the HA's Key Performance Indicator (KPI) Review Working Group and COC in A&E regularly review the KPIs of the HA, including the target waiting time of different triage categories of patients for A&E services.
     
 (3) The general out-patient (GOP) services provided by the HA are primarily targeted at the elders, the low-income individuals and patients with chronic diseases. Patients under the care of GOP clinics comprise two major categories: chronic disease patients in stable medical condition, such as patients with diabetes mellitus or hypertension, and episodic disease patients with relatively mild symptoms, such as those suffering from influenza, cold or gastroenteritis. Patients with severe and acute symptoms should go to A&E Departments of hospitals where necessary staffing, equipment and ancillary facilities are in place for appropriate treatment and comprehensive care.

     To meet the rising service demand, the HA endeavours to improve the GOP services, including renovating and modernising the facilities of ageing clinics to streamline patient flow, improve clinic environment for waiting patients and increase clinical space. The HA also actively recruits staff to enhance service capacity. With the implementation of various measures, the total GOP attendances increased by nearly 600 000 between 2012-13 and 2015-16, and the consultation quota of GOP clinics will be further increased in 2016-17. To cope with increasing public demand for GOP services, the HA will take into account the actual operation and service demand and continue to seek resources through its annual planning exercise under the established mechanism, so as to increase the overall consultation quota of GOP clinics. 

     The HA will continue to closely monitor the operation and service utilisation of its clinics, and flexibly deploy manpower and other resources to ensure that primary care services could be appropriately provided for the target groups. 

(4) To offer more choices to patients and facilitate the continuous development of our primary care services, the Government and the HA attach great importance to private out-patient services. The HA maintains contact with various doctors' associations such as the Hong Kong Medical Association (HKMA). For example, it has appealed to private practitioners via the HKMA to open their clinics during long holidays and extend their daily clinic hours to meet the possible upsurge in service demand during the winter influenza surge this year. The relevant information is displayed on the HKMA's website, which will be linked to the HA website for public reference.

     The HA has also launched public-private partnership (PPP) programmes proactively, which provide choice for a part of suitable patients to receive treatment from service providers in the private sector and thus relieve the pressure on public hospitals. As one of the clinical PPP programmes currently managed by the HA, the General Outpatient Clinic Public-Private Partnership Programme was extended to 12 districts in phases in the third quarter of 2016. It will be gradually extended to all 18 districts from 2017/18 to 2018/19. Under the programme, each eligible patient can select a participating private doctor as his family doctor. Each patient will receive up to 10 subsidised consultations per year, including medical consultations covering both chronic and episodic illnesses.

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

     The Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) released today (December 14) the key analytical accounts of the Exchange Fund at the end of November 2016.
      
     Foreign assets, representing the external assets of the Exchange Fund, increased during the month by HK$17.4 billion to HK$3,102.7 billion.
      
     The Monetary Base, comprising Certificates of Indebtedness, Government‑issued currency notes and coins in circulation, the balance of the banking system and Exchange Fund Bills and Notes issued, amounted to HK$1,620.9 billion.
      
     Claims on the private sector in Hong Kong amounted to HK$242.9 billion.
      
     Foreign liabilities, representing fees payable to the Exchange Fund's external managers, amounted to HK$0.4 billion.
      
     The analytical accounts of the Exchange Fund are released in accordance with the International Monetary Fund's Special Data Dissemination Standard (SDDS) and are referred to as the Analytical Accounts of the Central Bank under SDDS (Annex).
      
*********************************************************
 
     At present, four press releases relating to the Exchange Fund's data are issued by the HKMA each month.  Three of these releases are issued to disseminate monetary data in accordance with the International Monetary Fund's Special Data Dissemination Standard (SDDS). The fourth press release, on the Exchange Fund's Abridged Balance Sheet and Currency Board Account, is made in accordance with the HKMA's policy of maintaining a high level of transparency. For the month of December 2016, the scheduled dates for issuing the press releases are as follows:
    

December 7 (Issued)	SDDS International Reserves (Hong Kong's Latest Foreign Currency Reserve Assets Figures)
December 14	SDDS Analytical Accounts of the Central Bank (Analytical Accounts of the Exchange Fund)
December 30	SDDS Template on International Reserves and Foreign Currency Liquidity
December 30	Exchange Fund Abridged Balance Sheet and Currency Board Account

     Following is a question by the Hon Shiu Ka-chun and a written reply by the Secretary for Labour and Welfare, Mr Matthew Cheung Kin-chung, in the Legislative Council today (December 14):
      
Question:
 
     In recent years, the International Labour Organization has been promoting the Decent Work Agenda and has expressed concerns about the employment opportunities for and the low-income problem of young people.  Decent work means productive work in which the rights of workers are protected, which generates an adequate income, with adequate social protection and sufficient work.  On the other hand, the unemployment rate of young people aged 15 to 19 for the second quarter of 2016 was as high as 17.4 per cent, which was five times the overall unemployment rate (3.5 per cent).  In this connection, will the Government inform this Council if it knows:

(1) given that young people who have not completed senior secondary education may study the basic craft courses offered by the Construction Industry Council or the various types of programmes offered by the Hotel and Tourism Institute, the Chinese Cuisine Training Institute, the International Culinary Institute, the Maritime Services Training Institute, the Youth College and Pro-Act Development and Training Centres under the Vocational Training Council to obtain qualifications such as being registered as a semi-skilled worker, a Certificate of Basic Craft Studies, a Certificate of Vocational Education, a Certificate of Technician Foundation Studies, a Diploma of Foundation Studies or a Diploma of Vocational Education (vocational qualifications), (i) the respective numbers of persons who studied the aforesaid courses and (ii) the respective numbers of persons who completed such courses and obtained the relevant vocational qualifications, and the respective percentages of such numbers in the total number of trainees who studied the relevant courses, in each of the past five years (set out in a table);

(2) among the young people who obtained the relevant vocational qualifications in each of the past five years, the number of those who were engaged in work relevant to their vocational qualifications at the end of the subsequent sixth month (set out in a table);
 
(3) among the young people who obtained the relevant vocational qualifications in each of the five years, the respective numbers and percentages of those (i) who were employed in full-time jobs, (ii) who were employed in part-time jobs, (iii) who pursued further studies, and (iv) who were unemployed, within the subsequent six months (set out in tables of the same format as the table below);

Year:    

Vocational qualifications	(i) Number of persons (%)	(ii) Number of persons (%)	(iii) Number of persons (%)	(iv) Number of persons (%)
Registered semi-skilled worker
Certificate of Basic Craft Studies
Certificate of Vocational Education
Certificate of Technician Foundation Studies
Diploma of Foundation Studies
Diploma of Vocational Education

(4) the number of young people who obtained the relevant vocational qualifications and were employed within the subsequent six months in each of the past five years, with a breakdown by the salary income group to which their monthly salaries belong (set out in tables of the same format as the table below):

Year:            

Monthly salary ($)	Number of registered semi-skilled workers	Number of persons holding a Certificate of Basic Craft Studies	Number of persons holding a Certificate of Vocational Education	Number of persons holding a Certificate of Technician Foundation Studies	Number of persons holding a Diploma of Foundation Studies	Number of persons holding a Diploma of Vocational Education
Below 2,000
Between 2,000 and 3,999
Between 4,000 and 5,999
Between 6,000 and 7,999
Between 8,000 and 9,999
Between 10,000 and 14,999
Between 15,000 and 19,999
Between 20,000 and 29,999
30,000 or above

 
(5) given the persistently high unemployment rate of young people, whether the authorities have studied measures to boost the training places and employment opportunities for young people, so as to smoothen their transition from school to work; and
 
(6) whether the authorities have studied the formulation of measures to facilitate young people to obtain decent work; if they have not, whether they will conduct a study expeditiously?

Reply:
 
President,
 
     The Government attaches great importance to youth employment and is committed to providing comprehensive training and employment support to assist young people in entering the job market. Because of the lack of working experience, higher job mobility and more time required in job search etc., youth unemployment rate is higher than the overall figure. This phenomenon is also common for many economies as pointed out by the International Labour Organisation. Hong Kong's latest unemployment rate for young people aged 15 to 19 for the three-month period from August to October 2016 has dropped to 10.7 per cent.
      
     My reply to the question raised by Hon Shiu Ka-chun is as follows:
 
(1) The information sought is provided as follows:
 

Vocational Qualification	Year	Number of persons who study the Basic Craft Course of the Construction Industry Council (CIC)	Number of persons who study and subsequently completed the relevant course, and obtained the registered semi-skilled worker status	Percentage of the total number of persons who study the relevant course
Registered semi-skilled worker	2011	323	230	71%
	2012	423	266	63%
	2013	452	236	52%
	2014	518	483	93%
	2015	461	390	85%

     Hotel and Tourism Institute, Chinese Culinary Institute and International Culinary Institute of the Vocational Training Council (VTC) offer full-time post-secondary 3 (PS3) certificate programmes for students without completing senior secondary schooling.  These certificate programmes, in general, are of durations of two to three years.  Prior to 2013/14 academic year (AY), some certificate programmes offered were of a shorter duration from 22 weeks to one year.  Maritime Services Training Institute, another member institution of the VTC, also offers a full-time PS3 certificate programme with a duration of 23 weeks.  The numbers of enrolled students, graduates and relevant percentages of the full-time PS3 certificate programmes offered by these four institutions from 2010/11 AY to 2014/15 AY are as follows: 
 

Vocational Qualification	Academic Year	Total Number of Enrolled Students (Including graduating and non-graduating classes)	Number of Enrolled Students of Graduating Classes	Number of Graduates	Percentage of Number of Graduates over Number of Enrolled Students of Graduating Classes
Certificate	2010/11	939	554	385	69%
	2011/12	956	705	497	70%
	2012/13	750	375	267	71%
	2013/14	759	303	213	70%
	2014/15	790	351	229	65%

     Moreover, Youth Colleges and Pro-Act Training and Development Centres of VTC also offer full-time PS3 Diploma of Vocational Education (DVE) programme for students without completing senior secondary schooling.  The PS3 DVE programme adopts a credit-based system.  Based on their level of study when joining the programme as well as their own needs, students can choose from an array of modules.  Upon accumulation of requisite credits, full-time students will be eligible for being awarded the Certificate of Basic Craft Studies (BCC), Certificate of Technician Foundation Studies (TFC) and Diploma of Vocational Education (DVE) (not including Certificate of Vocational Education) at different exit points.  Students spend different time to acquire different exit awards.  It normally takes three to four years for a Secondary 3 school leaver to complete the DVE programme and acquire the DVE qualification.  Besides, some full-time DVE students may transfer to part-time studies when they intend to join the workforce.  The enrolment of full-time students of PS3 DVE programme from 2010/11 AY to 2014/15 AY are as follows:
 

Academic Year	2010/11	2011/12 (Note 1)	2012/13 (Note 1)	2013/14	2014/15
Total Number of Enrolled Students (Including students of all years)	2 767	4 015	4 842	5 312	5 405

Note 1: The figures of 2011/12 AY and 2012/13 AY include some students of Diploma in Vocational Studies under the Old Academic Structure.

     Owing to different progress of credit accumulation and choices of exit points of DVE students, the relevant graduation percentage is not available.  The number of graduates at different exit points from 2010/11 AY to 2014/15 AY are shown as follows:
 

Academic Year	Number of Graduates with DVE award	Number of Graduates with TFC award	Number of Graduates with BCC award
2010/11	- (Note 3)	27	183
2011/12 (Note 2)	139	104	252
2012/13 (Note 2)	444	103	245
2013/14	599	60	159
2014/15	761	57	100

Note 2: The figures of 2011/12 AY and 2012/13 AY include some graduates of Diploma in Vocational Studies under the Old Academic Structure.
Note 3: The first cohort of graduates of the DVE graduated in the 2011/12 AY.

(2)  The information provided by CIC is:
 

Vocational Qualification	Year	Among the above youngsters who obtained the registered semi-skilled worker status, number of persons who are engaged in work related to the qualification after six months.	Percentage of the total number of the above persons obtained the registered semi-skilled worker status
Registered semi-skilled worker	2011	187 (Note 4)	81% (Note 4)
	2012	234 (Note 4)	88% (Note 4)
	2013	212	90%
	2014	430	89%
	2015	340	87%

Note 4: CIC can only provide the employment data of their graduates in 2011 and 2012 after three months of graduation.

     The VTC conducts a graduate employment survey every year to, enquire the graduates' employment status within the six months after graduation.  In the survey, no question is set for asking graduates whether the vocational qualification (Certificate, BCC, TFC or DVE) that they acquired is related to the jobs they are working in.  Hence, no available data could be provided.

(3) Regarding the employment/education/unemployment situation among the young people within the subsequent six months after they obtained the relevant vocational qualifications in each of the past five years, CIC does not have the relevant statistical data whereas the information provided by VTC is in Appendix 1. 

(4) The statistical data on the salary distribution for the young people who obtained the relevant vocational qualifications and were employed within the subsequent six months in each of the past five years is provided in Appendix 2.

(5) To promote youth employment, the Government provides youths with comprehensive training and employment support through the VTC, the Employees Retraining Board (ERB) and the Labour Department (LD).
 
     The mission of VTC is to provide a valued choice to secondary school leavers and in-service practitioners.  Both pre-employment and in-service training programmes of the VTC can help learners acquire the values, knowledge and skills for lifelong learning and enhanced employability.  It is worth mentioning that with funding from the Government, the VTC has implemented the Pilot Training and Support Scheme since the 2014/15 AY to provide young people with a clear career progression pathway by integrating structured classroom learning with on-the-job training.  Apprenticeship training for targeted industries will be provided to students alongside a guaranteed level of salary and incentive allowance.  The total commitment of the Scheme is $288 million, benefitting about 4 000 students of four cohorts.  In addition, the Government has provided recurrent subvention of about $18 million to the VTC since the 2014/15 AY for providing industrial attachment opportunities for 9 000 students each year and hence improving their employability.
    
     ERB provides dedicated training courses for young people aged 15 or above, including the "Youth Training Programme", "Squad '3S' Programme", "Youth Management Trainee Programme", etc.  These courses are full-time placement-tied courses, rendering training and placement follow-up services to young trainees.  Eligible young people may enroll in ERB's courses for the general public according to their interest and occupational aspiration.  ERB will determine the training places of each course flexibly taking into account the market demand.  Training bodies may also apply to ERB for allocating additional training places as appropriate.
      
     The LD launches the Youth Employment and Training Programme (YETP) which provides one-stop pre-employment and on-the-job training for young school leavers aged 15 to 24 with educational attainment at sub-degree level or below to enhance their employability.  YETP offers diversified services with no pre-set quota.  Enrolment is on a year-round basis without any minimum academic requirements so as to allow participation of any young person who aspires to receive training or to seek employment.  The services offered under YETP include pre-employment training courses, workplace attachment, on-the-job training, off-the-job vocational training course and examination allowance, customised career guidance and employment support services offered by registered social workers.  Through the provision of training allowance, the LD encourages employers to employ young people joining YETP and provide them with on-the-job training.
 
     The LD has also set up two youth employment resource centres entitled "Youth Employment Start" (Y.E.S.) to provide one-stop and integrated employment and self-employment support services to young people aged 15 to 29.  Y.E.S. offers a wide range of services to assist young people to enhance their employability and facilitate their access to the latest employment market information so that they can secure a firm footing in the employment market and sustain in their development.  These services include assessments on their career potential, career guidance, professional counselling service, recruitment activities and training programmes etc. Y.E.S. works closely with schools to assist secondary school students to understand the world of work.
      
     The Government will continue to monitor closely the employment market trends, manpower needs of different sectors and career interests of young people, and review the existing measures basing on the actual situation so as to help young people transit from school to work.
            
(6) The LD provides comprehensive and free employment services to all job seekers (including young people) in their job hunt.  To enhance job seekers' employment opportunities, the LD maintains close liaison with employers of various industries to canvass vacancies suitable for job seekers with a diverse range of educational background and working experience.  The relevant information is widely disseminated through its network of 13 job centres, the Interactive Employment Service website, its mobile application and vacancy search terminals installed in numerous locations across the territory.  The LD also organises job fairs to expedite the dissemination of employment information. As set out in part (5) of the reply, the LD has launched the YETP and set up Y.E.S. to further assist young people in gaining employment.
 
     The LD also endeavours to safeguard and improve employees' rights and benefits.  For example, the Employment Ordinance provides eligible employees including young people with various protection and benefits including payment of wages, restrictions on wage deductions, rest days, paid statutory holidays, paid annual leave, sickness allowance, severance payment and long service payment, etc.  The Employment of Young Persons (Industry) Regulations regulate the working hours and general conditions of employment of young persons (i.e. persons aged 15 but below 18) in industrial undertakings, and prohibits employing young persons to work in dangerous trades.
      
     The Government will continue to review labour policies from time to time with a view to progressively improving the rights and benefits of employees (including young people) while striking a reasonable balance between employers' and employees' interests and having due regard to the pace of Hong Kong's socio-economic development.

     Following is a question by the Dr Hon Elizabeth Quat and a written reply by the Secretary for Development, Mr Paul Chan, in the Legislative Council today (December 14):
 
Question:
 
     Some environmentalists have pointed out that with the intensification of global warming and the growth in the world population, water resources have become increasingly scarce. They consider that although Hong Kong currently does not have the problem of scarcity of water resources, the Government should step up its management of the precious water resources, and it should attach importance to drinking water safety, which has a direct impact on public health. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
 
(1) given that in recent years, countries such as the United States, Germany, Switzerland and Singapore and more than 30 Mainland cities have adopted the "sponge city" concept (i.e. to collect rainwater for use by a city and improve the city's flood relief capacity through enhancing the water storage capacity and water recycling system of the city) in their urban planning, and that the Secretary for Development indicated in August this year that the Government was actively taking forward this concept, whether the Government has conducted in-depth studies in this regard; if so, of the details; whether it has adopted such a concept in its planning for development of new towns and redevelopment of old districts; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that;
 
(2) given that the government departments currently involved in water resources management include the Water Supplies Department (WSD), the Drainage Services Department (DSD), the Environmental Protection Department, the Buildings Department and the Housing Department, whether the Government will, by making reference to Singapore's practice, set up a dedicated department to take up the responsibility of water resources management; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that;
 
(3) given that reservoirs overflow occurred in 10 of the past 11 years, resulting in the discharge of drinking water into the sea, and that the WSD and the DSD are implementing an Inter-reservoirs Transfer Scheme to transfer the overflow from the Kowloon Group of Reservoirs to Lower Shing Mun Reservoir, of the latest progress of the Scheme and the commencement and completion dates of the works; whether it has formulated new measures to reduce occasions of drinking water being discharged into the sea; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that;
 
(4) given that an environmental group had found perfluorinated chemicals, which are hazardous to human health, in the samples of drinking water taken from five reservoirs, and that such substance is currently not one of the regular parameters for monitoring drinking water quality, whether the Government will make reference to the practice of advanced countries and include such chemicals as one of the regular monitoring parameters, and whether it will publish, on a regular basis, monitoring reports on hazardous chemicals in drinking water; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that;
 
(5) of the date on which the Government last conducted a review on the system for conducting tests on drinking water from reservoirs and other details;
 
(6) as the Director of Audit's Report (the Report) published last month pointed out that for 63 of the 71 river monitoring stations situated in water control subzones, the average levels of Escherichia coli recorded in 2015 had exceeded the relevant water quality objectives, whether the Government has specific measures in place to improve the water quality of rivers; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that;
 
(7) given that one of the causes of pollution to watercourses is the failure to properly manage septic-tank-and-soakaway (STS) systems in rural areas, and that the Report pointed out that the 78 existing private desludging operators had not been issued with the relevant licences, whether the Government has measures in place to strengthen its regulation of STS systems and such type of operators; if so, of the details, including whether it will amend the legislation to impose heavier penalties on unlicensed engagement in such business; if there is no such measure, the reasons for that;
 
(8) given that currently the Government has added fluoride to drinking water to reduce the risk of dental decay in the community, but some medical research reports have pointed out that the intake of an excess level of fluoride will do harm to children's brain development, whether the Government has studied if fluoridation of drinking water (i) does more good than harm; and (ii) has impacts on children's brain development; if so, of the details; whether the Government will consider using instead other chemicals which have lower health risks; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; and
 
(9) of the per capita water consumption and the total water consumption in each of the past 10 years, as well as the relevant details; whether it has studied how Hong Kong's per capita annual water consumption compares with the figures of other advanced cities in the world; of the new measures in place to encourage the public to conserve water; whether it has set a target for water conservation; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?
 
Reply:
 
President,
    
     The Government promulgated the Total Water Management Strategy in 2008 to address the challenges brought by climate changes. The strategy advocates containing growth of water demand by promoting water conservation and effective water mains leakage management. The strategy also seeks to develop a new water supply framework by exploring new water resources that are not susceptible to climate changes featuring the primary water sources of rainfall, Dongjiang water and seawater for flushing, and ancillary water sources covering desalination, reclaimed water, grey water reuse and rainwater harvesting. In this connection, the Water Supplies Department (WSD) commenced a consultancy study at the end of 2014 to evaluate the effectiveness of the current measures and project the long-term supply and demand of water up to 2040, with a view to making appropriate adjustments and enhancements to the current measures and formulating new policies and plans for water resources management.
 
     The Government attaches great importance to the quality of drinking water supplied by the WSD to the general public. Under the current water quality monitoring scheme of the WSD, over 160 000 water samples are collected each year from catchment areas, impounding reservoirs, water treatment works, service reservoirs, trunk mains and consumers’ taps for an array of physical, chemical, bacteriological, biological and radiological tests to ensure that the water quality complies with the health-based guideline values of the World Health Organization (WHO). The relevant water quality monitoring data are regularly uploaded to the WSD's website for information of the public.
 
     The following is our reply, after consultation with the Food and Health Bureau and the Environmental Protection Department (EPD), to the nine parts of the question:
 
(1) The Government has adopted the "sponge city" concept of "following the nature with flexibility" in designing the drainage improvement works completed in recent years. For instance, the engineered wetland of the Yuen Long Bypass Floodway can perform natural purification for the water bodies in the wetland effectively. Ho Chung River in Sai Kung and Lam Tsuen River in Tai Po are also designed to simulate natural river courses and adopt natural river bed substrate to facilitate infiltration of river water. The Government has also incorporated elements that simulate the natural water cycle in its large-scale drainage improvement works and drainage planning for new development areas, such as green rooftops, porous road surfacing and rainwater harvesting systems. The objective is to facilitate the infiltration, natural purification and reuse of rainwater with a view to enhancing our city's resilience to flooding.
 
     At present, the Government is actively seeking opportunities, including suitable new development areas, for re-using harvested rainwater for non-potable uses. Taking the Anderson Road Quarry Development project as an example, the Government plans to construct an artificial lake that will feature the functions of flood prevention, providing leisure space and rainwater harvesting. During most of the time, the lake can serve as a leisure area for public enjoyment; at times of heavy rainstorms, it can impound rainwater and help reduce flooding risk downstream; part of the lake water can also be used for irrigation and other non-potable uses locally after treatment, serving triple purposes.
 
(2) Diverse models for water resources management are adopted in different parts of the world. The governments need to determine the most efficient framework for water resources management in the light of their own situation. At present, our primary water sources (i.e. rainwater collected locally, Dongjiang water and seawater for toilet flushing) and related facilities are managed by the WSD while stormwater drainage systems and facilities for collection, treatment and discharge of sewage are under the purview of the Drainage Services Department. The EPD is primarily responsible for monitoring the water quality of Hong Kong's marine, beaches and rivers, and enforcement of the Water Pollution Control Ordinance to regulate discharge and protect the waters from pollution. The Government has no plan to make any changes in this respect for the time being.
 
(3) Rainfall in Hong Kong varies greatly between dry and rainy seasons. As such, reservoirs are needed as buffers to cope with the seasonal imbalance in the supply and demand of water resources. In designing water catchment areas and reservoir capacities, our primary consideration is whether the water collected in the catchments and stored in reservoirs can meet the demand of the supply zones in dry years. Construction of a reservoir requires huge investments in terms of land and capital. If we focus on years with exceptionally high rainfall and construct an over-sized reservoir, the storage capacity would be wasted most of the time. This is neither an ideal way to utilise our land nor a cost-effective approach. Therefore, our reservoirs are generally of moderate size and may overflow during occasional persistently heavy rainfall.
 
     In this connection, we are proactively taking effective measures to reduce overflow from reservoirs. Before the onset of the rainy season each year, we will make reference to the information provided by the Hong Kong Observatory to reduce total storage of reservoirs to allow more storage space for rainwater and, hence, reduce the chance of overflow.
 
     The quantities of reservoir overflow have been reduced to 40.2 million cubic metres, 23.1 million cubic metres and 3.3 million cubic metres in 2013, 2014 and 2015 respectively. We will continue to study ways to further reduce reservoir overflow and convert the overflow into usable water resources.
 
     When the Lai Chi Kok Transfer Scheme was formulated for reducing the flood risks in the West Kowloon region, the Government took advantage of the opportunity it presented to take forward the Inter-Reservoirs Transfer Scheme (IRTS) concurrently. Under the IRTS, a tunnel connecting the Kowloon Byewash Reservoir and the Lower Shing Mun Reservoir will be built to transfer the overflow from the Kowloon Group of Reservoirs to Lower Shing Mun Reservoir to achieve the dual objectives of reducing the run-off flowing into the Lai Chi Kok drainage system and converting the overflow into potable water resources. Currently, the Government is reviewing the detailed design, method statements and related environmental impact assessments of the IRTS in order to enhance its cost-effectiveness and prepare the implementation schedule.
 
(4) The 2011 edition of the WHO's Guidelines for Drinking-water Quality has not established any guideline values for perfluorinated chemicals (PFCs). Notwithstanding this, the WSD has been monitoring the levels of PFCs in raw water and drinking water under the Stockholm Convention's Persistent Organic Pollutants Monitoring Program. In this connection, the WSD has started to test for perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS) since July 2012. The sample test results also include data related to perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA). The past monitoring results indicated that the levels of PFOA and PFOS in the reservoir waters were under the reporting values of 0.01µg per litre and 0.005µg per litre respectively, which were below the health advisory levels of the United States Environmental Protection Agency (Note 1) and the guidance levels of the United Kingdom's Drinking Water Inspectorate (Note 2). Therefore, the risk of reservoir water being polluted by PFCs is very low. The WSD has no plan to incorporate the PFCs into its routine monitoring programme. As for the other chemical compounds identified to be harmful to human health in the 2011 edition of the WHO's Guidelines for Drinking-water Quality, the WSD has kept them under regular monitoring and published the findings on its website.
 
(5) The WSD conducts annual review to formulate water quality monitoring programmes (including testing parameters for water quality and frequency) for reservoirs for the following year. The last review, concluded in February, covered sampling locations as well as testing parameters and frequency. Its findings confirmed that there was no need to revise the water quality monitoring programmes.
 
(6) The EPD has implemented the Water Pollution Control Ordinance and the Livestock Waste Control Scheme since the 1980s and formulated 16 Sewerage Master Plans for the whole territory. The above-mentioned legislation and various plans have brought about steady improvements to the water environment of Hong Kong. All gazetted beaches in Hong Kong have achieved the bacteriological water quality objectives since 2010. The Cross Harbour Race has also resumed since 2011. Moreover, 82 per cent of our rivers attained the grading of "Good" or above in 2015, as compared with only 35 per cent in 1986. The levels of Escherichia coli of our rivers have also been reduced by 80 per cent, when compared with those in the 1980s.The pollution load of most major rivers has also dropped significantly and up to a maximum of 96 per cent. The EPD will continue to pursue a multi-pronged approach to improve the river water quality in the most cost-effective manner. It will step up efforts to vet the design and performance of septic-tank-and-soakaway (STS) systems for new village house at the planning stage and take enforcement actions against the polluting STS systems. Village sewerage programmes will be implemented in the light of available resources and the local situation. Provision of dry weather flow interceptors at high risk or polluting areas and public toilets at unsewered rural areas will also be considered. The surface drainage systems will also be cleansed.
 
(7) The STS system is a cost-effective installation commonly used at village houses in Hong Kong and other countries. With proper design, operation and maintenance, the STS system can effectively curb pollution. To help residents of village houses operate their STS systems properly, the EPD has issued the Guidance Notes on Discharge from Village Houses, setting out guidelines on the operation and maintenance of the STS systems. Upon receipt of a pollution complaint, the EPD will inspect the STS system concerned and require the owner to make improvements. If the problem persists with evidence indicating pollution of nearby water bodies, the EPD will consider taking legal actions.
 
     The EPD has introduced licensing regimes for the collection of chemical wastes and clinical wastes, with due regard for the different nature. But private desludging service providers are not required to obtain such collection licenses as the sludge in septic tanks are not hazardous wastes. As such, these service providers will not be held liable for operating without licence under the Waste Disposal Ordinance. Notwithstanding this, desludging service providers should stand vigilant and provide proper services to avoid adversely affecting environmental hygiene. The operators involved in illegal dumping of sludge from septic tank will be prosecuted. Under the Waste Disposal Ordinance, a person is liable to a maximum fine of $200,000 and imprisonment for six months on the first occasion on which he is convicted of unlawful disposal of waste. With regard to the Audit's recommendation for strengthening the regulation of desludging services, the EPD and the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department will review in detail the relevant provisions of the Waste Disposal Ordinance and, where necessary, consult the trade on the way forward.
 
(8) According to the Department of Health (DH), it is the consensus of international health authorities (including the WHO, World Dental Federation and American Dental Association) that water fluoridation is a safe and effective public health policy. Maintaining a suitable and low level of fluoride in the oral cavity can lower the risk of dental decay in both children and adults. According to the WHO's Guidelines for Drinking-water Quality, the guideline value for fluoride in drinking water is 1.5 mg per litre. The current level of fluoride in drinking water recommended by the DH in the light of the local situation is 0.5 mg per litre, which is far below the WHO's guideline value.
 
     According to the DH's public health surveillance, water fluoridation plays an important role in maintaining the good oral health status of the Hong Kong population. The WSD has also closely monitored the fluoride content in the treated drinking water to ensure that the average fluoride content in drinking water complies with the DH's recommended level and is fit for consumption. The DH and WSD will continue to review the arrangement regularly.
 
     As for the medical research of the effect of fluoride on neurodevelopment of children, the medical profession is still divided over the methodology, data analysis, etc. For instance, the fluoride concentrations in water adopted in the studies were significantly higher than the WHO's guideline value. The features of sampling locations of these studies were also different from the sources of drinking water. Therefore, the DH considers that there is no sufficient evidence to prove that adding appropriate amount of fluoride in drinking water will undermine people's health, including children's neurodevelopment.
 
(9) The annual total water consumption and per capita water consumption in Hong Kong in the past 10 years are shown in Annex 1.

     Annex 2 sets out the the domestic per capita water consumption in some developed cities in 2014 as shown in the International Statistics for Water Services 2016 released by the International Water Association in the same year.
 
     Over the past 10 years, the domestic per capita water consumption of Hong Kong fluctuated between 177 to 184 litres per day and, when compared with other major cities, falls within the middle strata. Since sea water is widely used for flushing purpose in Hong Kong, our actual per capita fresh water consumption is around 130 litres per day.
 
     The WSD has adopted a multi-pronged approach to encourage the public to save water. It has rolled out an array of software and hardware measures to promote water conservation and set the target of saving 10 litres of water a day per person by reference to overseas experience in 2014.
 
     On the software measures, the WSD has put emphasis on encouraging our young generation to develop water saving habits. It launched the "Cherish Water Campus" Integrated Education Programme for primary schools in the 2015/16 school year. As at November 2016, around 210 schools have joined the programme. The water conservation education will be further extended to kindergartens in the school year of 2017/18. Furthermore, a large scale five-day educational campaign, the Water Conservation Week 2016, was held from November 17 to 21 to help the public understand the challenges in relation to water resources that are brought by climate changes and encourage them to use less water. Over 20 000 people participated in the Water Conservation Week.
 
     As regards the hardware measures, the WSD has given out flow controllers to nearly 140 000 households for participating in the "Let's Save 10L Water" Campaign. It has also completed the installation of flow controllers on water taps and showers at about 80 000 public housing households. It also plans to further promote the use of water saving devices by mandating the use of devices with the Water Efficiency Label in new developments and building renovation projects.
 
     Furthermore, the WSD is constructing a new Water Resources Education Centre in Tin Shui Wai scheduled to commence operation in 2019 to enhance the knowledge of the public about water resources and water conservation.
 
Note 1: The United States Environmental Protection Agency has established health advisory levels for the total concentrations of PFOA and PFOS, which are perfluorinated chemicals found to cause significant human health effects, at 0.07µg per litre (70 nanogram per litre) respectively.
 
Note 2: The Drinking Water Inspectorate of United Kingdom has established 0.3µg per litre (300 nanogram per litre) as the guidance values for both PFOA and PFOS in drinking water.

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

     The Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) wishes to alert members of the public to a press release issued by Public Bank (Hong Kong) Limited on suspicious Apps, which has been reported to the HKMA.  Hyperlink to the press release is available on the HKMA website for ease of reference by members of the public.

     Anyone who has provided his or her personal information to the Apps concerned or has conducted any financial transactions through the Apps should contact the bank concerned using the contact information provided in the press release, and report to the Police or contact the Cyber Security and Technology Crime Bureau of the Hong Kong Police Force at 2860 5012.

     Following is a question by the Hon Hui Chi-fung and a written reply by the Secretary for Development, Mr Paul Chan, in the Legislative Council today (December 14):
 
Question:

     Regarding issues involving changes in the planned uses of sites, will the Government inform this Council:

(1) in respect of the approved cases in the past five years in which sites planned for "Government, Institution or Community", "Open Space" and "Green Belt" uses (collectively referred to as "public use" below) were rezoned for residential, industrial or commercial use (collectively referred to as "non-public use" below), of the details of such cases including the locations, areas and the new uses of the sites concerned; whether the authorities, after changing the planned uses of the sites concerned, have implemented the following compensatory measures: (i) rezoning other sites within the relevant districts for public use, and (ii) requesting the owners of the sites rezoned for non-public use to incorporate recreational, leisure and greening facilities in the developments on the relevant sites; if they have, of the details; if not, the reasons for that;

(2) in respect of the cases in which the authorities are planning to change the planned uses of sites from public use to non-public use in the coming two years, of the details of such cases including the locations, areas and the new uses of the sites concerned; whether the authorities, after changing the planned uses of the sites concerned, will implement the two compensatory measures mentioned in (1) above; if they will, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; and
 
(3) whether there is any existing policy requiring the authorities to implement the two compensatory measures mentioned in (1) above after public use sites are rezoned for non-public use; if so, of the details of the policy; if not, whether the authorities will formulate such a policy, so as to ensure that changes in the planned uses of sites will not result in a reduction of recreational, leisure and greening facilities available for use by residents?

Reply:
 
President,

     Under the multi-pronged strategy to increase land supply, the Government has been carrying out land use reviews to identify more developable land for housing and other uses in the short to medium term, with a view to optimising the use of land resources. Such land use reviews conducted by the Planning Department (PlanD) have already covered land currently unleased or unallocated, under short term tenancy or other short-term uses, and other government land currently with no development plan. These include land with development potential that are in the fringe of the built-up areas in existing urban areas and new towns, adjacent to existing roads and other infrastructures, and with relatively low conservation value and buffering effect, including suitable land within the "Government, Institution or Community" (G/IC), "Open Space" (O) and "Green Belt" (GB) zones.

     In examining the suitability of a site for housing or other developments, the Government, as always, will holistically consider various relevant factors, including whether the site is no longer needed for the originally planned use, the development programme of the originally planned use, whether suitable sites are available as alternatives, the location and size of the site, local characteristics, traffic, environment, air ventilation, ecology, infrastructures, recreational and community facilities, urban design, etc. The PlanD will also consult relevant government departments to confirm that rezoning of the site concerned for housing and other developments will not create insurmountable technical difficulties or unacceptable impacts on traffic and environment, etc..

     Through aforementioned on-going land use reviews, the Government has identified some 190 sites with housing development potential in the short to medium term over the last few years (including the some 150 sites announced in the 2014 Policy Address and another 42 sites for residential development in the short to medium term identified under the various initiatives to increase land supply announced in the 2013 Policy Address). Among these 190 sites, about a third were originally zoned GB; another  one-third originally zoned G/IC; about a tenth originally zoned O; and the rest were in other land use zones. In addition, the PlanD has also, on an on-going basis, conducted land use reviews and rezoned suitable sites for industrial and commercial uses to meet the needs of our continual economic development.

     If the sites proposed for rezoning are currently zoned for G/IC or O, the PlanD and relevant departments will consider the district's existing and future demand for G/IC facilities or open space to ensure that the provision of the relevant facilities or open space in the district after rezoning will still comply with the Hong Kong Planning Standards and Guidelines, and that the rezoning will not bring about unacceptable impact on the district in terms of environment, community services and infrastructural support. Where necessary and with the support of relevant bureaux or departments, the Government will mandate the reprovisioning or provision of necessary public facilities such as refuse collection points, community halls or social welfare facilities in the development projects concerned, or identify other suitable sites for reprovisioning or providing such facilities. The Government will also seek the views of the District Council (DC) and the local community on the proposed change of land use and the reprovision of the relevant facilities.

     Regarding GB zones, the Stage 1 GB review completed by the PlanD in 2012 mainly focused on devegetated, deserted or formed GB sites. In 2013, the PlanD completed the Stage 2 GB review, which covers sites in the fringe of built-up areas close to existing urban areas and new towns. These sites mainly fall on the fringe of GB zones or are close to developed areas or public roads. Though vegetated, they have relatively less buffering effect and lower conservation value. Moreover, as these sites are close to supporting infrastructure facilities such as transport, water supply and sewerage, they are considered as having good potential to be rezoned for housing purposes, and are clear choices for urban expansion.

     In rezoning GB zones, besides assessing the development proposal in accordance with the established mechanism mentioned above to ensure no unacceptable impact on the area, the authority concerned will, in cases where natural trees or precious trees with conservation value are found within individual sites (including rezoned GB sites), request the project proponent (including the Government and private developers) to preserve or relocate the existing trees with conservation value, or replant trees in accordance with the established greening guidelines and tree preservation mechanisms.

     Having consulted the PlanD and the Lands Department, my consolidated reply to the three-part question is as follows.

     In the past five years (i.e. from December 2011 to November 2016), a total of about 86 G/IC, O and GB sites were approved by the Town Planning Board (TPB) for rezoning to residential use (including about 70 sites identified in the above-mentioned land use reviews), while 12 G/IC, O and GB sites were rezoned to commercial or industrial uses upon approval by the TPB. In addition, the TPB received a total of 34 applications for amendments to plans relating to rezoning G/IC, O or GB sites for residential, industrial or commercial uses, of these five were agreed/partially agreed by the TPB. Details of the 98 sites agreed by the TPB for rezoning and the five planning applications agreed/partially agreed by the TPB are set out in Annex I and II respectively.

     As mentioned above, a holistic approach will be adopted to take into account all relevant factors when considering the rezoning of G/IC, O and GB sites for other development uses. The Government will also consult relevant bureaux and departments to ensure that the developments will not bring any unacceptable impact to the areas, and make necessary reprovisioning/provision of certain facilities on a need basis. We do not keep these statistics.

     Regarding the Government's plans on rezoning G/IC, O and GB sites in the coming two years, detailed planning and technical assessments will have to be conducted before the sites' actual size, development parameters, estimated numbers of residential units or commercial or industrial floor space to be produced, etc., can be ascertained. The PlanD will provide further details of individual sites when seeking to amend the statutory plans concerned and consult DCs and the public in accordance with the established procedures.

     Following is the transcript of remarks by the Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury, Professor K C Chan, at a media session after attending the Vocational Training Council Graduation Ceremony this afternoon (December 14):
 
Reporter: Will the resignation of the Financial Secretary affect the Government's work, especially the coming Budget?
 
Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury: I have to say that the budget process itself is a long process. Right now it is a very busy time as we are trying to budget for all the new initiatives that should be announced in the Policy Address, plus we have to make some analyses about the economy, our fiscal position and so on. It is a long process. It is going to happen now and next month. We are definitely in a very busy time at this point.
 
Reporter: ... effect ...?
 
Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury: We have to be very honest, my colleagues are going to be working very hard, including myself. We will be working very hard and we have to meet all the deadlines.
 
(Please also refer to the Chinese portion of the transcript.)
 

     The spokesperson for Castle Peak Hospital made the following announcement today (December 14):
 
     One male patient and two female patients (aged 9 to 16) in a ward of Child and Adolescent Mental Health Centre located in Tuen Mun Hospital had presented with respiratory symptoms since December 11. Appropriate viral tests were arranged for the patients and their test results were positive for Rhinovirus. The patients concerned are being treated under isolation and are in stable condition.
    
     Admission to the ward has been suspended and restricted visiting has been imposed. Infection control measures have already been stepped up according to established guidelines. All other patients in the ward are under close surveillance.
 
     The cases have been reported to the Hospital Authority Head Office and the Centre for Health Protection for necessary follow-up.
 
 

     Police today (December 14) appealed to the public for information on a man who went missing in Tseung Kwan O.

     Yuen Chun-kit, aged 38, went missing after he left his residence in King Lam Estate on December 8 morning. His family made a report to Police yesterday (December 13).

     He is about 1.6 metres tall, 54 kilograms in weight and of thin build. He has a square face with yellow complexion and short straight black hair. He was last seen wearing a blue jacket, grey trousers and light-coloured sport shoes.

     Anyone who knows the whereabouts of the missing man or may have seen him is urged to contact the Regional Missing Person Unit of Kowloon East on 3661 0316 or email to rmpu-ke-2@police.gov.hk, or contact any police station.

     Following is a question by the Hon Paul Tse and a written reply by the Secretary for Food and Health, Dr Ko Wing-man, in the Legislative Council today (December 14):

Question:

     According to the information of the Department of Health (DH), one out of every 10 people in Hong Kong suffers from diabetes.  One out of every five patients with diabetes is diagnosed at a young age (i.e. diagnosed before turning 40).  Patients with diabetes have become increasingly younger.  In 2007, 2.6 out of every 100 000 children under the age of 19 suffered from the disease, with 12-fold increase in the number of such type of children with diabetes in a period as short as 10 years between 1997 and 2007, which is a shocking rate of increase.  Close to 36% of the members of the public have soft or sugary drinks at least once or more a day.  Drinks available in the market have a very high sugar content, e.g. a glass of red bean icy drink and a glass of iced lemon tea contain eight and four teaspoons of sugar respectively.  To avoid children's exposure to a higher risk of diabetes due to excessive consumption of drinks with a sugar content, some countries have imposed a sugar levy on drinks with a sugar content.  In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:

(1) given that patients with diabetes have become increasingly younger, whether the Government will review the effectiveness of the current practice of health education alone for raising the awareness of diabetes prevention among parents, adolescents and children, in the hope that they will consume less drinks with a high sugar content; if it will, of the details;

(2) given that the number of people with diabetes seeking consultation from the Hospital Authority in recent years has risen from 296 000 in 2009-2010 to 390 000 in 2014-2015, whether the Government has projected, on the basis of this rate of increase, the additional manpower and resources required in the public healthcare system in the current financial year as well as each of the next five years to cope with the situation in which the number of diabetic patients keeps increasing;

(3) whether it will, from the perspective of "prevention is better than cure", consider following the practice of countries such as France, the United Kingdom, Denmark, Norway, etc. to introduce a sugar levy to raise the prices of drinks with a sugar content, so as to dampen the public's desire (especially that of children) to buy such drinks, and subsidise public healthcare expenditure with the revenue from the sugar levy;

(4) as a number of people with diabetes have relayed that it is often difficult for them to find suitable food with a low sugar content when dining out, whether DH has reviewed the effectiveness of the EatSmart@restaurant.hk Campaign, which has been implemented for years; whether it will formulate a policy to encourage restaurants to include in their menus dishes that are suitable for people with diabetes; and

(5) of the effectiveness of the work at the present stage of the Committee on Reduction of Salt and Sugar in Food established by the Government last year, as well as its work progress?

Reply:

President,

     Like other non-communicable diseases, the risk of diabetes can be significantly reduced by maintaining healthy body weight through regular physical activity and a healthy diet.  We have been implementing strategies to prevent non-communicable diseases in Hong Kong.  In October 2008, the Government published a strategic framework document to prevent and control non-communicable diseases titled Promoting Health in Hong Kong: A Strategic Framework for Prevention and Control of Non-communicable Diseases.  The document tackles unhealthy lifestyle habits which have significant impact on the health of Hong Kong people but are preventable or modifiable.  A cross-sectoral and multi-disciplinary steering committee chaired by the Secretary for Food and Health was set up to monitor the development direction and implementation progress of the strategy. 

     Successful implementation of the strategy depends on close collaboration among the Government, the public and private sectors, the community and the public in fostering an environment which promotes healthy lifestyles. 

     Regarding relevant parts of the question, we provide our response as follows:

(1) The Department of Health (DH) has been sparing no efforts in employing different methods to raise public awareness of the prevention and management of diabetes. Among others, for people who are aged 45 or above, or whose immediate relative(s) has/have diabetes, overweight (body mass index (BMI) 23 to 24.9), obese (BMI 25 or above) or centrally obese (with a waist circumference of 90 centimetres or above for males, or 80 centimetres or above for females), the DH advises them to have regular body checks for diabetes.  Diabetic patients should follow the medical advice of doctors, including taking prescribed drugs properly, controlling blood pressure and refraining from smoking.  The World Health Organization (WHO) selects an important public health topic as the theme for the World Health Day on April 7 every year, and this year's theme is diabetes.  Echoing the theme of World Health Day 2016, the DH has launched a series of publicity and public education campaigns since April this year, in collaboration with various bureaux/departments and supporting organisations, to increase public awareness of the prevention and management of diabetes.  In particular, with a view to encouraging the general public to engage in regular physical activity, the DH has invited the Physical Fitness Association of Hong Kong, China to design the Ten-minute Exercise, a moderate-intensity physical activity suitable to be done at the workplace and at home.  Through websites and booklets, the DH also promotes to the public 39 diabetes-friendly recipes designed by dietitians.  A booklet named Managing Diabetes Made Easy was published in collaboration with Diabetes Hongkong to help new diabetic patients to better understand their body condition, enrich their knowledge of diabetes, and monitor and control the disease in order to prevent complications.  Moreover, the DH published two books titled Living at Ease with Diabetes and Healthy Dining with Diabetes.  Written by a multi-disciplinary team of health professionals, the two books explain the proper management of diabetes and offer practical advice on diet modification, exercises, travelling, life skills and psychological adjustment.  They also encourage patients to manage their condition and delay complications by optimising blood sugar control so as to enjoy years of healthy life.

     In addition to the above promotional activities, the DH has also been encouraging and supporting, through a life-course and setting-based approach, people of all ages to have a healthy diet, engage in regular physical activity and maintain normal body weight in family, school, workplace and community settings.  Specific measures include: 

(i) The DH endeavours to promote, protect and support breastfeeding to prevent childhood obesity.  The Family Health Service (FHS) under the DH assists parents in choosing the appropriate food for their infants, young and pre-school children through various means, including leaflets on healthy eating, on-line health education information and individual guidance by healthcare personnel in Maternal and Child Health Centres.  In particular, parents are encouraged not to provide sugar-added drinks and snacks for their children.  The FHS also advocates maintaining an adequate amount of physical activity among children, and cultivating a healthy diet and lifestyle in young children to prevent childhood obesity. 

(ii) An EatSmart@school.hk Campaign with emphasis on the promotion of healthy eating was launched in primary schools in the 2006/07 school year.  Under the campaign, primary schools developed policies and implemented measures on healthy diets through home-school co-operation, with a view to effectively implementing the nutritional requirements laid down by the DH in supplying lunches and snacks.  This serves to ensure that school children can learn and are nurtured in a "nutrition friendly" environment.  Riding on the success of the campaign, the DH launched the StartSmart@school.hk Campaign in January 2012 to promote healthy eating and physical activity among preschoolers across the territory with a view to preventing childhood obesity.

(iii) The workplace is also an ideal setting for developing a healthy lifestyle.  The DH launched the Health@work.hk Pilot Project in 2010 and the second phase of the Health@work.hk Project in 2012.  In August this year, the DH launched the Joyful@Healthy Workplace Programme in collaboration with the Occupational Safety and Health Council.  The programme enables employers and employees to create a healthy and joyful working environment together through a series of activities.  It focuses on three main areas, namely healthy eating, physical activity and mental well-being.

(iv) At the community level, the DH launched the "I'm So Smart" Community Health Promotion Programme in June 2012 to mobilise community partners to promote healthy eating and physical activity in the community.

     Apart from the above health promotion measures, the Student Health Service of the DH checks enrolled students' body weight during annual health assessments, counsels students with sub-optimal weight, and makes referrals to specialists if further management is considered necessary.  The DH has also developed, updated and promoted the use of a reference framework for diabetes care to provide an evidence-based reference for healthcare professionals in primary care settings so that they are in a better position to provide continuous and comprehensive care for patients with diabetes.  Given that the age of patients with diabetes is getting younger, the DH will continue to review the effectiveness and directions of the measures to further enhance public awareness of prevention of diabetes.

(2) In planning for its services, the Hospital Authority (HA) will take into account a number of factors, including population growth, demographic changes, growth rate and projected demand for specialist services, as well as the HA's long-term objectives and strategies for its overall service development.  The aim is to work out the directions for the overall healthcare development in the future so as to meet the demand for healthcare services and manpower in the next 10 to 20 years.  The HA will not make assessment of manpower and resource requirements regarding individual diseases.  It will, however, continue to monitor the development of different disease areas and the service demand to ensure that the provision of services meets the needs of patients.

(3) and (5) As regards the encouragement and promotion of healthy eating, one of the key policies of the Government is to encourage and facilitate the public to reduce the intake of salt and sugar in food on an ongoing basis.  The Government has made reference to measures taken by different countries and regions in facilitating, encouraging healthy eating and preventing diabetes.  These measures include enhancing public education, heightening health awareness, encouraging the industry to offer healthy food options, enhancing nutrition information for food items, and introducing fiscal or regulatory measures.  The Government notes that there are divergent views held by various local and overseas stakeholders on the effectiveness of introducing fiscal measures as a means to reduce the intake of sugar from food among the general public.

     The Government has been working closely with the Committee on Reduction of Salt and Sugar in Food (CRSS) established last year.  Considering the actual circumstances of Hong Kong, both the Government and CRSS are of the view that a step-by-step approach should be adopted, starting from aspects which are more achievable first before tackling the more difficult ones.  We consider that, through the industry's voluntary participation to progressively lower the content of salt and sugar in food, the public will gradually adapt to the changes in flavour and be receptive to a relatively healthier diet.  This will also allow time for the industry to make adjustment accordingly, thus reducing the impact of the measures on their actual operation.  

     The CRSS has convened many meetings and focused discussions to solicit the views of relevant stakeholders including food manufacturers and the catering industry. Building on existing measures and policies, the CRSS recommends the Government to further implement pragmatic measures on salt and sugar reduction that are appropriate to Hong Kong's situation.

     To draw up specific proposals for reducing salt and sugar intake, the CRSS focuses on two main directions, namely "starting from an early age" and "starting from information transparency", with the view to building up a culture of low-salt-and-sugar diets, and making use of consumers' influence to expedite the pace of the industry in reducing the salt and sugar content in food.

     On "starting from an early age", the CRSS proposes to capitalise on the DH's StartSmart@school.hk Campaign targeting at pre-primary institutions, to organise more training courses for chefs of the institutions to teach them ways to prepare tasty low-salt-and-sugar meals; to strengthen the understanding and training for teachers on salt and sugar; and to provide more low-salt-and-sugar recipes for the institutions, while encouraging them to share their recipes among themselves and encouraging parents and children to cook low-salt-and-sugar dishes or snacks together.

     As regards "starting from information transparency", the CRSS is considering a front-of-pack low-salt-and-sugar labeling scheme for pre-packaged food, which will help consumers identify low-salt-and-sugar products easily.  It is also hoped that the scheme will serve as a catalyst for the industry to provide more varieties of low-salt-and-sugar products for consumers.  The CRSS and the Centre for Food Safety will liaise with the industry to work out the guidelines and details of the scheme, with a view to ensuring that the industry's concerns for operational and technical matters are taken into account.

     Besides, in response to the CRSS's recommendations and with the support and concerted efforts of the HA, more than 80% of the staff canteens of public hospitals, i.e. 20 canteens, have implemented the "calorie" indication pilot scheme and indicated the calorie of selective dishes on their menus.  Implementing the "calorie" indication scheme in the staff canteens of public hospitals in the first place has the positive effect of encouraging other restaurants to join the scheme as some operators of these canteens are leading restaurant chain groups.  These restaurant chain groups may leverage on the experience from the staff canteens which they operate and implement similar measures in the other restaurants.  This will lay the foundation for further expansion of the "calorie" indication pilot scheme. 

     The Government will continue to make reference to the recommendations of the CRSS and the WHO, as well as the relevant measures and experience relating to reduction of salt and sugar in food in other places (including the effectiveness of the measures, the response from the industry and consumers' receptiveness), and give full and thorough consideration to the local situation in order to explore and formulate salt and sugar reduction measures that are suitable for Hong Kong.

(4) The DH launched the EatSmart@restaurant.hk Campaign in April 2008 to encourage and assist restaurants to provide dishes with more fruit and vegetables or with less oil, salt and sugar.The Task Force on EatSmart@restaurant.hk Campaign comprises representatives from the catering industry, academia, professional groups and government departments.  It reviews the directions, operation and promotional strategies of the campaign and provides recommendations accordingly.  To enhance the effectiveness of the campaign, the DH launched a free EatSmart Restaurant mobile application in 2015 to facilitate the public to locate the EatSmart Restaurants in Hong Kong.  Moreover, the "EatSmart Restaurants" e-Coupon Promotional Activity was launched in June this year to allow the public to enjoy promotional offers when ordering EatSmart dishes at participating EatSmart Restaurants.

     Each diabetic patient has his/her own dietary needs depending on the type of diabetes he/she suffers and his/her physical condition.  It would be difficult for restaurants to provide dishes that cater for the needs of all patients with diabetes.  We need to explore the feasibility of such an idea carefully. 

     The Centre for Health Protection (CHP) of the Department of Health (DH) is today (December 14) investigating a case of probable botulism , and again reminded the public that botulinum toxin injection should only be prescribed and performed by registered doctors.

     A female patient, aged 29 with good past health, developed drooping eyelids, blurred vision and generalised weakness since December 12. She attended the Accident and Emergency Department of Kwong Wah Hospital on December 13 and was found to have ptosis on admission on the same day. The clinical diagnosis was suspected iatrogenic botulism. The patient has been in stable condition and discharged against medical advice today.

    According to the patient, she attended a beauty premises alone near Yau Ma Tei and received multiple injections of suspected to be botulinum toxins over her face on November 8 and December 6 respectively. According to the patient, the injections were not given by a doctor. She could not recall the name and address of the beauty premises.

    Epidemiological investigations are ongoing. 

    "Botulism is a statutorily notifiable infectious disease. Clinicians must report to the CHP in case patients have symptoms or history of suspected botulism," a spokesman for the DH said. 

    "Due to the weakening of associated muscles, patients receiving the injection may have problems with chewing or even swallowing, speaking or breathing, which may happen in hours, days or weeks. Botulinum toxin may spread and affect other areas beyond the injection site, resulting in hoarseness, drooping of the eyelids, double vision or blurred vision," the spokesman said.

     The DH urged the public to observe health advice below before receiving botulinum toxin injections: 

• Injections should only be performed by locally registered doctors;
• Understand the procedure, potential risks and complications before receiving injections. Consult a doctor for an informed decision;
• Do not receive an injection in case of history of allergy to botulinum toxin, or infection or inflammation on the injection site;
• Request the full name of the doctor in writing if referred by a beauty service provider for the procedure, as well as the professional qualifications and relevant experience; and
• If symptoms develop, such as fever or feeling unwell, seek medical attention immediately.

     The public may visit these pages for more information: the differentiation between medical procedures and beauty services, the Drug Database of the Drug Office, and the CHP's botulism page.

     In response to media enquiries on the consultation on retirement protection, a spokesperson for the Labour and Welfare Bureau (LWB) today (December 14) said that the consultant responsible for the consultation would submit the draft consultation report to the Commission on Poverty for consideration this Friday (December 16).
 
     In November 2015, LWB commissioned SEE Network Limited (the Consultant) to arrange consultation sessions for the public engagement exercise on retirement protection, and to record and analyse the public views gathered from the exercise. The consultation period ended on June 21, 2016.
 
     "The Consultant submitted the first draft consultation report to the LWB in September 2016.  LWB exchanged views with the Consultant on the draft report upon receipt of its first draft. This was a normal interactive process", the spokesperson for the LWB said.
 
     The spokesman stressed that LWB has never written another report and has not requested the Consultant to add its name on it.  LWB has not required the Consultant to amend any part of the draft report for the reason that it is being not in line with the Government's stance. As the Consultant has pointed out in its response to media enquiries, the consultation report is independently made.

     Hongkong Post today (December 15) announced that Hongkong Post and the Education Bureau are together holding a letter-writing competition for young people in Hong Kong in support of the Universal Postal Union (UPU) 46th International Letter-Writing Competition. The theme of the competition is "Imagine you are an advisor to the new UN Secretary-General; which world issue would you help him tackle first and how would you advise him to solve it?"
 
     Established in 1874, the UPU is a specialised agency of the United Nations which provides an important co-operation platform for postal administrations worldwide. Hong Kong participates in the UPU as part of the Chinese delegation. The UPU has held the International Letter-Writing Competition annually since 1971. The objective of the competition is to encourage young people to express themselves and share their thoughts with others through letter writing. In response to the UPU's 46th International Letter-Writing Competition, Hongkong Post and the Education Bureau are holding the Hong Kong contest. One selected entry will compete in the national contest organised by China Post and will stand a chance of representing China to compete against the entries submitted by other UPU members for international awards.
 
     Hong Kong secondary school students up to the age of 15 are eligible to participate in the Hong Kong contest. Entries must be written in Chinese and the word limit for each letter is 1 000. The closing date for entries is February 10, 2017.
 
     Entry forms and details of the contest are now available for download from Hongkong Post's website at www.hongkongpost.hk. For enquiries, please email upuletterwriting@hkpo.gov.hk.

     The Chief Executive, Mr C Y Leung, today (December 15) accepted the resignation of Mrs Regina Ip from the Executive Council (ExCo). Mr Leung expressed his gratitude to Mrs Ip for her valuable advice and contribution on policy-making since she joined the ExCo in October 2012.

Attention TV/radio announcers:

Please broadcast the following as soon as possible:

Here is an item of interest to swimmers.

     The Leisure and Cultural Services Department announced today (December 15) that due to big waves, red flags have been hoisted at Silverstrand Beach and Clear Water Bay Second Beach in Sai Kung District. Beach-goers are advised not to swim at these beaches.

     The Public Records Office (PRO) of the Government Records Service (GRS) will launch "Great scenery along the way: Exhibition of street scenes at bus stops on Hong Kong Island in the 1970s" tomorrow (December 16) at the Exhibition Hall of the Hong Kong Public Records Building.

     By displaying around 60 photographs and documents from a series of traffic survey files, the exhibition will showcase scenes of bus stops along the coast of Hong Kong Island. Under the themes of buildings, businesses, everyday life and transport, the exhibition will enable people to revisit the unique and interesting scenes along the bus routes on Hong Kong Island in the 1970s, including the General Post Office Building, Haw Par Mansion, a tram trailer car and students carrying trendy school bags.

     Most of these records were created in the 1970s by the Traffic and Transport Survey Division of the then Public Works Department, documenting the study of different bus routes conducted at that time. These records provide valuable information for the study of Hong Kong's transport development and changes of the cityscape. A "Then and Now" element is also included in the exhibition so that the public can learn more about the changes in the streetscape.

     To enrich the exhibition, the PRO has also specially developed an online Reference Resources Page, comprising "Introduction to Traffic Survey Files", "Image Gallery" and "Reference List". These are useful educational resources for the public, in particular teachers and students pursuing subjects like Liberal Studies, History and Civic Education. Members of the public may view more than 200 photos of scenes near the bus stops by clicking on an interactive map of Hong Kong Island in the "Image Gallery". The "Reference List" shows the archival materials and library items relating to buses, enabling the public to search for related materials at the PRO.

     From tomorrow, members of the public will be able to access the online Reference Resources Page via the GRS website (www.grs.gov.hk).

     As the designated government archives of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government, the PRO is committed to acquiring and appraising records and materials of enduring value and making them available for public access. The "Great scenery along the way" exhibition will be held at the Exhibition Hall, 2/F, Hong Kong Public Records Building, 13 Tsui Ping Road, Kwun Tong, Kowloon. Opening hours are from 9am to 5.45pm, Mondays to Fridays (except public holidays). All are welcome and admission is free.

     In addition, roving exhibitions of "Great scenery along the way: Exhibition of street scenes at bus stops on Hong Kong Island in the 1970s" will be held at Ping Shan Tin Shui Wai Public Library (from April 2 to 29, 2017), Chai Wan Public Library (from June 5 to 18, 2017), Sha Tin Public Library (from September 2 to 29, 2017) and Hong Kong Central Library (from October 19 to 24, 2017). Please refer to the Reference Resources Page for details.

     For enquiries or group visits, please contact the PRO at 2195 7700.

     The Secretary for Education (SED), Mr Eddie Ng Hak-kim, will, on invitation, attend the 30th anniversary celebration of the Henry Fok Education Foundation and the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macau forum on education co-operation, innovation and entrepreneurship in Nansha, Guangzhou, at noon today (December 15).

     In addition to Mr Ng, representatives from the Ministry of Education as well as education officials of Guangdong and Macau will attend the forum. Also present will be higher education academics and young entrepreneurs from the three places.

     Mr Ng will also visit Nansha Bay, the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology Fok Ying Tung Research Institute and Fok Ying Tung High School to look into the latest developments in education, research and industries there as well as opportunities for young persons of the three places.

     Accompanying Mr Ng on his visit to Nansha will be the Administrative Assistant to the SED, Mr Edward Yu. They will return to Hong Kong tonight.