The following is issued on behalf of the Hong Kong Monetary Authority:
 
     The Hong Kong Monetary Authority published today (June 21) statistics on Stored Value Facilities (SVF) schemes issued by SVF licensees for the first quarter of 2019.
 
     The SVF scheme statistics (see Annex) include quarterly data on SVF schemes issued by the sixteen SVF licensees (Note 1).
      
     According to the quarterly statistics, the total number of SVF accounts in use (Note 2) was 59.34 million by the end of Q1/2019, representing a 5.8 per cent increase from the previous quarter. The total number of SVF transactions (Note 3) was around 1.6 billion for Q1/2019, or 4.4 per cent lower than the previous quarter. The total value of SVF transactions was HK$47.5 billion for Q1/2019, representing a 1.3 per cent drop from the previous quarter. Of the total transaction value, HK$23.2 billion was related to point-of-sale spending payment, HK$16.8 billion in online spending payment and HK$7.4 billion in P2P funds transfer. The total float and SVF deposit (Note 4) was HK$10.4 billion for Q1/2019, 6.5 per cent higher than the previous quarter. The quarter-to-quarter drops in payment transaction number and value in Q1/2019 are likely due to seasonal factors as a similar pattern was observed in the previous year.
      
     As compared with the end of Q1/2018, the total number of SVF accounts in use at the end of Q1/2019 was up by 21.1 per cent, and the total float and SVF deposit was up by 22.8 per cent. The total number and value of SVF transactions during Q1/2019 were up by 9.7 per cent and 21.7 per cent respectively year-on-year.

Note 1: The SVF scheme statistics are compiled from data on SVF schemes issued by the sixteen SVF licensees. The SVF licensees, in alphabetical order, are 33 Financial Services Limited, Alipay Financial Services (HK) Limited, Autotoll Limited, Bank of Communications (Hong Kong) Limited, Dah Sing Bank, Limited, ePaylinks Technology Co., Limited, HKT Payment Limited, Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation Limited (The), K & R International Limited, Octopus Cards Limited, Optal Asia Limited, PayPal Hong Kong Limited, TNG (Asia) Limited, Transforex (Hong Kong) Investment Consulting Co., Limited, UniCard Solution Limited and WeChat Pay Hong Kong Limited.
 
Note 2: "Total number of SVF accounts in use" refers to the total number of SVF accounts that can be used as at the end of the reporting period.
 
Note 3: SVF transactions include point-of-sale spending payment, online spending payment and P2P funds transfer.
 
Note 4: The following terms follow their definitions in the Payment Systems and Stored Value Facilities Ordinance:
 

• "Float" means the stored value remaining on the facility but does not include any SVF deposit; and
• "SVF deposit" means a deposit placed with the licensee, or another person on behalf of the licensee, for enabling the facility to be used.

     The Town Planning Board today (June 21) announced amendments to the approved Hebe Haven Outline Zoning Plan (OZP).
 
     The amendments mainly involve the rezoning of a site near the junction of Hiram's Highway and Heung Chung Road from "Government, Institution or Community" to "Residential (Group C)4" and a site to the south of Nam Wai from "Green Belt" to "Residential (Group C)5" for private housing development, and other amendments to reflect the as-built conditions. Opportunity is also taken to amend the Notes and Explanatory Statement of the OZP to reflect the above amendments and to update the general information of various land use zonings, where appropriate.

     The draft Hebe Haven OZP No. S/SK-HH/7, incorporating the amendments, is now available for public inspection during office hours at (i) the Secretariat of the Board, (ii) the Planning Enquiry Counters, (iii) the Sai Kung and Islands District Planning Office, (iv) the Sai Kung District Office, and (v) the Sai Kung Rural Committee.

     Any person may make written representations in respect of the amendments to the Secretary of the Town Planning Board on or before August 21. Any person who intends to make a representation is advised to read the revised Town Planning Board Guidelines No. 29B on "Submission and Publication of Representations, Comments on Representations and Further Representations under the Town Planning Ordinance" (TPB PG-No. 29B) promulgated in November 2018 and taking effect in 2019. Submission of a representation should comply with the requirements set out in TPB PG-No. 29B. The Guidelines and the submission form are available at locations (i) and (ii) above and the Board's website (www.info.gov.hk/tpb).

     Copies of the draft Hebe Haven OZP are available for sale at the Map Publications Centres in North Point and Yau Ma Tei. The electronic version of the plan can be viewed at the Town Planning Board's website (www.info.gov.hk/tpb).

     â€‹The Civil Engineering and Development Department (CEDD) today (June 21) invited tenders for the contract for Site Formation and Infrastructure Works for Police Facilities in Kong Nga Po (Contract No. ND/2018/01).
      
     The works are scheduled to commence in November 2019 and will take about 38 months to complete. The works mainly comprise:
      
* site formation of about 19 hectares of land at Kong Nga Po;
* upgrading of the existing Kong Nga Po Road of about 1.7 kilometres long to a 7.3-metre-wide single two-lane carriageway and construction of a new vehicular bridge of about 100m long; and
* associated infrastructure works, including road works, waterworks, drainage and sewerage works, geotechnical works, landscaping works, environmental mitigation measures and other ancillary works.
      
     The CEDD has appointed AECOM Asia Company Limited as the consultant to design and supervise the works. Interested contractors may obtain the forms of tender and further particulars from the company at 8/F, Grand Central Plaza, Tower 2, 138 Sha Tin Rural Committee Road, Sha Tin.
      
     The invitation to tender was gazetted today. The closing time for the tender is noon on August 16, 2019. 
      
     Details of the tender notice are available at the CEDD's website (www.cedd.gov.hk/eng/tender/contract/tender/index.html). For enquiries, please call AECOM Asia Company Limited at 3922 9000 during office hours.

     The Civil Engineering and Development Department (CEDD) today (June 21) invited tenders for the contract for Kwu Tung North and Fanling North New Development Areas, Phase 1: Development of Long Valley Nature Park (Contract No. ND/2019/03).
      
     The works are scheduled to commence in October 2019 and will take about 36 months to complete. The works mainly comprise:
 
* development of a nature park at Long Valley of about 37 hectares and ecological mitigation and enhancement works for the nature park;
* related infrastructure works including roads, drainage, sewerage, waterworks, slopeworks and landscaping works;
* associated park facilities including lodging and storage units;
* translocation works and ecological monitoring of the rose bitterling, an uncommon fish, in the Ng Tung River;
* reprovisioning of two egretry sites in Fanling North New Development Area and enhancement works for an existing egretry site in Kwu Tung North New Development Area; and
* implementation of environmental mitigation measures and an environmental monitoring and audit programme.
 
     The CEDD has appointed AECOM Asia Company Limited as the consultant to design and supervise the works. Interested contractors can obtain the tender forms and further particulars from the company at 8/F, Grand Central Plaza, Tower 2, 138 Sha Tin Rural Committee Road, Sha Tin.
      
     The invitation to tender was gazetted today. The closing time for the tender is noon on August 16, 2019. 
      
     Details of the tender notice are available at the CEDD's website (www.cedd.gov.hk/eng/tender/contract/tender/index.html). For enquiries, please call AECOM Asia Company Limited at 3922 9000 during office hours.

     The Civil Engineering and Development Department (CEDD) today (June 21) invited tenders for the contract for Kwu Tung North New Development Area, Phase 1: Site Formation and Infrastructure Works (Contract No. ND/2019/01).
      
     The works are scheduled to commence in November 2019 and will take about 73 months to complete. The works mainly comprise:
 

• site formation of land under the First Phase of Kwu Tung North New Development Area (including soil treatment works);
• construction of engineering infrastructure including drainage works, sewerage works (including temporary sewage treatment facilities), waterworks (including a fresh water service reservoir and a flushing water service reservoir), roadworks (including carriageway, footpaths, cycle tracks, a subway and junction improvement), pipeworks for a district cooling system, slope works and landscaping works; and
• construction of associated environmental mitigation works including noise barriers/noise enclosures and low-noise road surfacing.

     The CEDD has appointed AECOM Asia Company Limited as the consultant to design and supervise the works. Interested contractors can obtain the tender forms and other particulars from the company at 8/F, Grand Central Plaza, Tower 2, 138 Sha Tin Rural Committee Road, Sha Tin.
      
     The invitation to tender was gazetted today. The closing time for the tender is noon on August 16, 2019. 
      
     Details of the tender notice are available at the CEDD's website (www.cedd.gov.hk/eng/tender/contract/tender/index.html). For enquiries, please call AECOM Asia Company Limited at 3922 9000 during office hours.