Author Archives: hksar gov

     The newly established Multi-functional Smart Lampposts Technical Advisory Ad Hoc Committee held its first meeting today (August 12).
      
     The Government Chief Information Officer, who is also the Convenor of the Committee, Mr Victor Lam, chaired the meeting. A number of topics were discussed, including the work plan and modus operandi of the Committee. Members’ views and advice on the personal privacy protection and related information security technology issues relating to the operation of multi-functional smart lampposts were sought. The target is for the Committee to complete the work and come up with a report before the end of this year.
      
     “Members of the Committee are drawn from industry experts and academics. Through their expert views in different technology and application fields and constructive advice, we hope to clarify facts and allay public concern.
      
     “The Committee will also advise on the publicity and engagement strategy to facilitate public understanding over the equipment installed on smart lampposts and their functionalities and potential uses in an open and transparent manner in order to gain greater support from the community,” Mr Lam said.

     The membership of the Committee is as follows:
 
Convenor
———–
Mr Victor Lam
Government Chief Information Officer
 
Members
———-
Mr Vincent Chan
Partner
Ernst & Young Advisory Services Limited
 
Dr K P Chow
Associate Professor, Department of Computer Science
The University of Hong Kong
 
Mr Francis Fong
Honorary President
Hong Kong Information Technology Federation
 
Mr Stephen Ho
Honorary Chairman
Communications Association of Hong Kong
 
Professor Joseph Ng
Professor and Director of the Research Centre for Ubiquitous Computing, Department of Computer Science
Hong Kong Baptist University
 
Mr Ronald Pong
Chairman
IT Governance Committee
Smart City Consortium
 
Dr Lawrence Poon
General Manager
Hong Kong Productivity Council
 
Dr K F Tsang
Associate Professor, Department of Electronic Engineering
City University of Hong Kong
 
Mr Stephen Kai-yi Wong 
Privacy Commissioner for Personal Data
 
Mr Wilson Wong
Chief Executive Officer
Hong Kong Internet Registration Corporation Limited
 
     The Multi-functional Smart Lampposts pilot scheme is a three-year programme to promote smart city development in Hong Kong and support 5G mobile network implementation. Under the scheme, 400 smart lampposts are proposed to be installed in phases in four districts: Central/Admiralty, Causeway Bay/Wan Chai, Tsim Sha Tsui and Kwun Tong/Kai Tak Development Area. Since the end of June, 50 smart lampposts have been installed on Sheung Yuet Road in Kowloon Bay, on Shing Kai Road in Kai Tak and in the Kwun Tong city centre to collect various types of real-time city data such as meteorological, air quality and traffic flow data. The data collected will be released as open data via data.gov.hk, facilitating the development of more innovative applications by the public.
 
     The Government made it clear last month that three applications of the lampposts would not be activated for the time being in view of public concern over privacy. An expert committee will be set up as soon as possible to review the privacy protection of such applications in relation to technology, data handling and operational arrangements.
 
     The applications on hold are the monitoring of illegal dumping at black spots with the aid of cameras by the Environmental Protection Department, the collection and analysis of average traffic speeds and travel times of specific road segments using Bluetooth traffic detectors, and assessment of road use by different types of vehicles enabled by cameras collecting car plate numbers by the Transport Department.
 
     The discussion papers for the Committee are available on the Multi-functional Smart Lampposts thematic webpage at www.ogcio.gov.hk/en/our_work/strategies/initiatives/smart_lampposts/.

  

      Harvest Time Engineering Limited and its director were prosecuted by the Labour Department (LD) for failing to pay wages, annual leave pay and the sums awarded by the Labour Tribunal (LT) to two employees in accordance with the Employment Ordinance (EO). The company and its director pleaded guilty at Kowloon City Magistrates’ Courts today (August 12) and were fined $55,000 and $40,000 respectively for a total of $95,000. In addition, the company and the director were ordered to pay an outstanding sum of about $140,000 to the employees concerned.

     The company failed to pay two employee’s wages and annual leave pay within seven days after the expiry of the wage period and the date of termination of employment, and the full awarded sum within 14 days after the LT Award as required by the EO. The full awarded sum covering the above wages and annual leave pay amounted to about $150,000. The director concerned was prosecuted and convicted for his consent, connivance or neglect in the above offences committed by the company.

     “The ruling helps disseminate a strong message to all employers, directors and responsible officers of companies that they have to pay wages and annual leave pay to employees within the time limit stipulated in the EO, and to pay the awarded sums according to the LT or Minor Employment Claims Adjudication Board,” an LD spokesman said.

     “The LD will not tolerate these offences and will spare no effort in enforcing the law and safeguarding employees’ statutory rights,” the spokesman added. read more

The following is issued on behalf of the Legislative Council Secretariat:        The Legislative Council (LegCo) Panel on Security conducted a visit to the Police Tactical Unit Headquarters in Fanling today (August 12) to obs… read more

     The Government announced today (August 12) that the Financial Secretary, Mr Paul Chan, has re-appointed 11 members to the Financial Leaders Forum (FLF). All appointments are for a term of two years, from August 18, 2019, to August 17, 2021.

     The membership of the FLF is as follows:

Chairman
———–
Financial Secretary

Members
———-
Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury
Mr Bernard Charnwut Chan
Mrs Laura Cha Shih May-lung
Mr Chow Chung-kong
Mr Joseph Yam Chi-kwong
Dr Moses Cheng Mo-chi
Dr David Wong Yau-kar
Mr Tim Lui Tim-leung
Mr Laurence Li Lu-jen
Chief Executive, Hong Kong Monetary Authority
Chief Executive Officer, Securities and Futures Commission
 
     Mr Chan said, “With the knowledge, expertise and vast experience of members, I am confident that the Financial Leaders Forum will continue to provide valuable advice on promoting the development of the financial services industry and enhancing investor protection.” He also paid tribute to Mr Carlson Tong, the outgoing member who completed his tenure as the Chairman of the Securities and Futures Commission, for his valuable contribution over the past two years. 
 
     The Financial Leaders Forum, established in August 2017, is a high-level platform comprising top leaders from the financial community as well as key financial regulators. It is an institutional set-up underpinning the vision of the Government in playing a more active leading role in policymaking and on matters relating to monetary stability, financial safety and regulation to reinforce Hong Kong’s position as an international financial centre. Members of the Forum provide advice from a strategic point of view and offer forward-looking suggestions on key aspects crucial to the development of Hong Kong as a leading international financial centre. read more

     The Labour Department (LD) is highly concerned about the work accident that happened at a construction site at Hong Kong International Airport, Chek Lap Kok, this morning (August 12), in which a male worker operating a bulldozer fell together with it into the sea. He was rescued but certified dead in a hospital. The LD is saddened by the death of the worker and has expressed its deepest sympathy to the victim’s family.
 
     The LD’s spokesman said, “We commenced immediate on-site investigation as soon as we were notified of the accident and will issue suspension notices to the contractors suspending the use of loadshifting machinery for land-filling work. The contractors cannot resume the work process until the LD is satisfied that measures to abate the relevant risk have been taken.”
 
      The spokesman added, “We will complete investigation as soon as possible to identify the cause of the accident, ascertain the liability of the duty holders and recommend improvement measures. We will take actions pursuant to the law if there is any violation of the work safety legislation.”
 
      The general duty provisions of the Factories and Industrial Undertakings Ordinance require employers to provide safe working environments, safe plant and safe systems of work for their employees. Those who contravene the above provisions are liable to a maximum fine of $500,000 and imprisonment for six months.
 
     In regard to today’s accident, the LD will issue a Work Safety Alert through its website and email, giving a brief account of the accident concerned to duty holders, workers’ unions, professional bodies of safety practitioners and others, and reminding the industry of the importance of following safety precautionary measures to prevent recurrence of similar accidents.
 
     The LD will also remind the employer concerned of the liability for employees’ compensation under the Employees’ Compensation Ordinance, assist family members of the deceased to claim employees’ compensation and closely follow up on the case. For those with financial difficulties, the LD will assist them to apply for appropriate emergency funds. Subject to the needs and wishes of family members of the deceased, the LD will also liaise with the Social Welfare Department for financial or other assistance.
 
     For the sake of securing the safety and health of employees at work, the LD appeals to employers to provide plant and systems of work that are safe and without risks to health. Employees should co-operate with their employers, adopt all safety measures and use personal protective equipment provided properly to avoid endangering their own work safety and that of other workers. read more