The following is issued on behalf of the Legislative Council Secretariat:
The Legislative Council (LegCo) Secretariat announced today (September 18) that LegCo's education service for students, including guided educational tours of the Complex and activities at the Children's Corner, will resume tomorrow (September 19).
The Acting Secretary for Labour and Welfare, Mr Caspar Tsui, sent his regards to personnel of welfare service units and district staff of the Social Welfare Department (SWD) today (September 18) for their commitment and duty during the passage of the typhoon, serving members of the public and service users in need with key community support.
Accompanied by the District Social Welfare Officer (Eastern and Wan Chai), Miss Hannah Yip, Mr Tsui went to St James' Settlement in Wan Chai this afternoon to learn more about its contingency arrangements on staff deployment as well as elderly day care and meal delivery services during the passage of Super Typhoon Mangkhut. He noted that the SWD had reminded all District Elderly Community Centres to pay special attention to the needs of the hidden elderly and those living alone during the typhoon period.
He also visited its child care centre in Causeway Bay to show support to social workers and care staff. He thanked them for providing child care services for needy working parents.
Mr Tsui said that district colleagues of the SWD and its Emergency Relief Support Unit have been actively involved in the emergency relief support services across the territory during the typhoon, as well as maintaining close liaison with social welfare organisations and their front-line units before and after the passage of the typhoon to provide necessary services as far as possible, weather and actual situation permitting. He expressed gratitude for the professionalism of front-line personnel as they provided necessary support when public transport services had yet to return to normal.
The following is issued on behalf of the Transport Advisory Committee:
The Transport Complaints Unit (TCU) of the Transport Advisory Committee received 6 816 complaints and suggestions in the second quarter of 2018, with 46 pure suggestions. The total number of cases represents an increase of 23 per cent as compared with 5 543 cases in the previous quarter and an increase of 5.4 per cent when compared with 6 466 cases in the same quarter of 2017.
The complaints and suggestions received during the quarter were mostly related to public transport services (87 per cent), enforcement matters (10 per cent) and traffic conditions (1 per cent).
The number of cases on public transport services increased by 23.2 per cent from 4 811 in the previous quarter to 5 929 this quarter, while complaints and suggestions on traffic conditions increased from 106 to 114. Cases about road maintenance decreased from 29 to 26 and the number of complaints about illegal parking and other enforcement matters increased from 569 to 711.
All the complaints and suggestions received by the TCU in the quarter were referred to the relevant government departments and public transport operators for follow-up action.
During the period under review, investigations into 6 023 cases were completed. Of these, 4 242 cases (70 per cent) were found to be substantiated, 60 cases (1 per cent) were unsubstantiated, and the remaining 1 721 cases (29 per cent) could not be pursued due to lack of evidence.
For the substantiated cases, the relevant government departments and public transport operators have either taken steps to rectify the situation or are considering possible solutions to the problems identified.
During the quarter, the relevant government departments and public transport operators took on board 13 suggestions made by the public to enhance public transport services and improve traffic conditions. A summary of the cases is in the Appendix.
Members of the public may make their suggestions or complaints to the TCU by dialling the hotline 2889 9999 (voice mail service is available outside office hours), by fax to 2577 1858, by email to info@tcu.gov.hk or by filling in a form on the TCU website (www.info.gov.hk/tcu).
The following is issued on behalf of the Transport Advisory Committee:
The Transport Advisory Committee (TAC) was briefed today (September 18) by the Government on the operating arrangements for the Hong Kong Section of the Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong Express Rail Link (XRL).
The XRL will commence operation on September 23. It will connect with the national high-speed rail network, offering direct trains to 44 destinations. During the early stage of commissioning of the XRL, there will be 114 pairs of short-haul trains daily during peak periods. As for weekdays and weekends (i.e. Friday to Sunday), there will be 70 and 82 train pairs respectively. Subject to the market demand, the train schedule can be adjusted based on patronage. There will also be 13 pairs of direct long-haul trains daily.
The TAC Chairman, Mr Larry Kwok, said, "Members note that the XRL will not only provide a faster and more convenient means of cross-boundary transport to and from the Mainland for people in Hong Kong, but also strengthen links between Hong Kong and the Mainland. It will foster commercial and cultural exchanges between Hong Kong and major cities in the Mainland. As an important part of transport network with high connectivity in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, the XRL will enhance the strategic role of Hong Kong as the regional transport hub. With more and more Hong Kong people working, conducting business, studying and retiring in the Mainland, the commissioning of the XRL can enhance long-term development opportunities for promoting sustainable growth in trades including tourism, commerce and professional services, which will bring out enormous economic and social benefits."
The TAC was briefed on the train schedule for short-haul and long-haul services, fares and ticket purchase arrangements, traffic and public transport arrangements to and from the West Kowloon Station, station facilities and more. In addition, the TAC Members also noted that the Government, the MTR Corporation Limited (MTRCL) and the Kowloon-Canton Railway Corporation (KCRC) have signed legal documents to vest the land or interests or other rights in respect of land for the operation of the XRL, and assigned the movable assets of the XRL to the KCRC. The KCRC has formally granted the operating right of the XRL to the MTRCL for 10 years according to the Supplemental Service Concession Agreement.
The following is issued on behalf of the Hong Kong Monetary Authority:
The Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) today (September 18) announces a new service schedule of the two Coin Carts under the Coin Collection Programme, for the period of October 29 to December 30. The schedule and other details of the Programme are shown on the HKMA webpage (coincollection.hkma.gov.hk).
Since the launch of the Programme in October 2014, the two Coin Carts have completed 21 cycles of serving the 18 districts on August 26, 2018. The Carts had carried out 480 000 transactions, collecting 399 million coins with a total face value of HK$547 million during the period. The collected coins are re-circulated to meet demand.
The Coin Carts provide service at locations that are convenient to the public without affecting the normal flow of traffic and pedestrians. Locations that have suitable power supply facilities, such as the Leisure and Cultural Services Department mobile library service locations, are preferred so as to reduce the need for using the Coin Carts' own stand-by generators. This makes the Programme more environmentally friendly. In selecting the service locations, the HKMA has taken into consideration comments and suggestions given by district councils and members of public; and has consulted the Transport Department and the Hong Kong Police Force as necessary.
The two Coin Carts collect coins from members of public in the 18 districts of Hong Kong on a rotating basis. Under normal circumstances each Coin Cart will stay at a location for a week, subject to availability of the parking space and the maintenance schedule of the Cart. Service hours are from 10am to 7pm. Each vehicle is equipped with two coin counting machines and operational staff will be present to provide assistance. An electrical wheelchair lift is available for use. Users can choose to exchange coins for banknotes or adding value to their stored value facilities, such as Octopus Cards or e-wallets (including AlipayHK, Octopus O! ePay, Tap&Go, TNG Wallet and WeChat Pay). There is also a Community Chest donation box inside each vehicle. The coin collection service is free of charge.
The HKMA will review the Programme from time and time and regularly update the service schedule to give advance notice to the public.