Following is the speech by the Chief Secretary for Administration, Mr Matthew Cheung Kin-chung, at the Asian Family Summit Gala Dinner today (August 21):

Ms Bas (Director, Division for Inclusive Social Development, Department of Economics and Social Affairs, United Nations, Ms Daniela Bas), Mrs Chu (Co-Chairperson of the Asian Family Summit and Chairperson of the Consortium of Institutes on Families in the Asian Region, Mrs Patricia Chu), Professor Shek (Co-Chairperson of the Asian Family Summit and Chairman of the Family Council, Professor Daniel Shek), Professor Tse (Co-Chairperson of the Asian Family Summit and Professor, Department of Social Work and Social Administration, the University of Hong Kong, Professor Samson Tse), Dr Lee (President of Wofoo Social Enterprises, Dr Joseph Lee), distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen,

     Good evening. I am most honoured to join you all here tonight at the Gala Dinner of the Asian Family Summit and Award Presentation Ceremony of the Wofoo 3A Project. 

     The word "family" represents love, warmth and unity. As an acronym, "FAMILY" can be the short form of "Father and Mother, I love you".

     This year, the Summit has chosen the theme of "Sustainable Development and Family Well-being: Agenda for Action in Asia". I must thank the Organising Committee for bringing together such an impressive line-up of academics, professionals and practitioners from a wide range of economies to Hong Kong on a subject close to the heart of everybody here. Your presence makes this Summit a precious occasion for knowledge exchange and experience relating to family well-being.
 
     Earlier today, the Convenor of the Sub-committee on the Promotion of Family Core Values and Family Education of the Family Council, Mr Lee Luen-fai, spoke on the Family-Friendly Employers Award Scheme and shared his insights on promoting a family-friendly work culture in Hong Kong. Echoing his presentation, let me hasten to add that the Government attaches great importance to creating a more pro-family work environment. 

     We do not have to look far for examples, like the introduction of statutory paternity leave in February 2015. Currently, a prospective father can enjoy three days of paternity leave. To help male employees better discharge their family responsibilities around the time of their children's birth, we propose to extend the leave to five days and introduced an amendment bill into the Legislative Council two days ahead of the last Father's Day. We hope that the bill will be passed before the end of this year.

     As for mothers of newborns, we are conducting a review on the 10-week statutory maternity leave to explore room for further extension. Indeed, statutory requirements are only the basic entitlements and benefits of employees. 

     To call upon greater support as champions of a more family-friendly corporate environment, we have been encouraging employers to, having regard to their unique business nature and operational needs, offer their employees more flexible and favourable arrangements that best fit their family needs. To this end, the Family Council organises the Family-Friendly Employers Award Scheme biennially to recognise corporations and organisations which have adopted and demonstrated commitment in the implementation of impressive family-friendly employment practices.

     In parallel, the Labour Department has been acting as a facilitator to encourage employers to adopt employee-oriented good human resource management practices, such as flexible working hours, five-day work, work from home, counselling service on stress or emotional management, recreational activities for employees and their family members, and more. These family-friendly measures are conducive to fostering employees' sense of belonging to enterprises, thereby enhancing productivity and creating a win-win-win situation for employers, employees and their families.
 
     Without doubt, development of a pro-family society cannot be the sole domain of the Government but the result of the concerted efforts of the whole community. To this end, non-governmental organisations are always our close partners in the provision of instrumental support. First launched in 2010, the Wofoo 3A project is one of the most stunning initiatives put up by the Consortium of Institutes on Family in the Asian Region (CIFA) with sponsorship from Wofoo Social Enterprises. It gives recognition to outstanding and innovative projects with a view to bringing forth pioneering and effective strategies for early detection, prevention and intervention on family problems. Through sharing and exchange, professionals do not need to reinvent the wheel but achieve better results by replicating or adapting the successful model. 

     This year, eight entries from the Mainland, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore and Malaysia have made it to the final round and presented their proposals earlier this afternoon. Their projects span from enhancing family relationships and supporting aggrieved families to rendering support to kids and the elderly. I am sure that the adjudicators must have had a hard time picking the top-winner. Awards and recognition aside, I must commend all of you as the forerunners in the business of promoting family well-being. 

     On this encouraging note, I must extend my warmest appreciation to the CIFA, the Faculty of Social Sciences of The University of Hong Kong and the Hong Kong Council of Social Service, as well as the Family Council and the Social Welfare Department of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government, for staging this visionary Summit. As we approach the third day of the Summit, I look forward to more new thoughts and perspectives on family-related issues that affect us all. I hope you all enjoy the rest of the Summit and have a most stimulating and fruitful experience. To our guests from the Mainland and overseas, have an unforgettable stay in Hong Kong. Thank you.

     Following is the speech by the Chief Secretary for Administration, Mr Matthew Cheung Kin-chung, at the Asian Family Summit Gala Dinner today (August 21):

Ms Bas (Director, Division for Inclusive Social Development, Department of Economics and Social Affairs, United Nations, Ms Daniela Bas), Mrs Chu (Co-Chairperson of the Asian Family Summit and Chairperson of the Consortium of Institutes on Families in the Asian Region, Mrs Patricia Chu), Professor Shek (Co-Chairperson of the Asian Family Summit and Chairman of the Family Council, Professor Daniel Shek), Professor Tse (Co-Chairperson of the Asian Family Summit and Professor, Department of Social Work and Social Administration, the University of Hong Kong, Professor Samson Tse), Dr Lee (President of Wofoo Social Enterprises, Dr Joseph Lee), distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen,

     Good evening. I am most honoured to join you all here tonight at the Gala Dinner of the Asian Family Summit and Award Presentation Ceremony of the Wofoo 3A Project. 

     The word "family" represents love, warmth and unity. As an acronym, "FAMILY" can be the short form of "Father and Mother, I love you".

     This year, the Summit has chosen the theme of "Sustainable Development and Family Well-being: Agenda for Action in Asia". I must thank the Organising Committee for bringing together such an impressive line-up of academics, professionals and practitioners from a wide range of economies to Hong Kong on a subject close to the heart of everybody here. Your presence makes this Summit a precious occasion for knowledge exchange and experience relating to family well-being.
 
     Earlier today, the Convenor of the Sub-committee on the Promotion of Family Core Values and Family Education of the Family Council, Mr Lee Luen-fai, spoke on the Family-Friendly Employers Award Scheme and shared his insights on promoting a family-friendly work culture in Hong Kong. Echoing his presentation, let me hasten to add that the Government attaches great importance to creating a more pro-family work environment. 

     We do not have to look far for examples, like the introduction of statutory paternity leave in February 2015. Currently, a prospective father can enjoy three days of paternity leave. To help male employees better discharge their family responsibilities around the time of their children's birth, we propose to extend the leave to five days and introduced an amendment bill into the Legislative Council two days ahead of the last Father's Day. We hope that the bill will be passed before the end of this year.

     As for mothers of newborns, we are conducting a review on the 10-week statutory maternity leave to explore room for further extension. Indeed, statutory requirements are only the basic entitlements and benefits of employees. 

     To call upon greater support as champions of a more family-friendly corporate environment, we have been encouraging employers to, having regard to their unique business nature and operational needs, offer their employees more flexible and favourable arrangements that best fit their family needs. To this end, the Family Council organises the Family-Friendly Employers Award Scheme biennially to recognise corporations and organisations which have adopted and demonstrated commitment in the implementation of impressive family-friendly employment practices.

     In parallel, the Labour Department has been acting as a facilitator to encourage employers to adopt employee-oriented good human resource management practices, such as flexible working hours, five-day work, work from home, counselling service on stress or emotional management, recreational activities for employees and their family members, and more. These family-friendly measures are conducive to fostering employees' sense of belonging to enterprises, thereby enhancing productivity and creating a win-win-win situation for employers, employees and their families.
 
     Without doubt, development of a pro-family society cannot be the sole domain of the Government but the result of the concerted efforts of the whole community. To this end, non-governmental organisations are always our close partners in the provision of instrumental support. First launched in 2010, the Wofoo 3A project is one of the most stunning initiatives put up by the Consortium of Institutes on Family in the Asian Region (CIFA) with sponsorship from Wofoo Social Enterprises. It gives recognition to outstanding and innovative projects with a view to bringing forth pioneering and effective strategies for early detection, prevention and intervention on family problems. Through sharing and exchange, professionals do not need to reinvent the wheel but achieve better results by replicating or adapting the successful model. 

     This year, eight entries from the Mainland, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore and Malaysia have made it to the final round and presented their proposals earlier this afternoon. Their projects span from enhancing family relationships and supporting aggrieved families to rendering support to kids and the elderly. I am sure that the adjudicators must have had a hard time picking the top-winner. Awards and recognition aside, I must commend all of you as the forerunners in the business of promoting family well-being. 

     On this encouraging note, I must extend my warmest appreciation to the CIFA, the Faculty of Social Sciences of The University of Hong Kong and the Hong Kong Council of Social Service, as well as the Family Council and the Social Welfare Department of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government, for staging this visionary Summit. As we approach the third day of the Summit, I look forward to more new thoughts and perspectives on family-related issues that affect us all. I hope you all enjoy the rest of the Summit and have a most stimulating and fruitful experience. To our guests from the Mainland and overseas, have an unforgettable stay in Hong Kong. Thank you.

     The Tree Management Office (TMO) of the Development Bureau and the Housing Department (HD) were saddened by the branch failure incident at Shun Lee Estate in Kwun Tong this morning (August 21) in which a female foreign domestic helper passed away. The TMO and the HD offered the deepest condolences to the deceased's family and her employer.
 
     Upon receipt of notification of the branch failure incident, staff of the TMO reached the scene immediately to understand the situation. The tree with branch failure is a 15-metre high Ficus elastica with a diameter of around one metre. The tree, aged around 40, is managed and maintained by the HD. The HD completed the tree inspection in June this year and on receiving the contractor's report, has arranged the contractor to conduct crown pruning and removal of dead branches by August 24. The HD's contractor started the pruning work this afternoon to reduce the risk of tree failure.
 
     The TMO and the HD have also checked the condition of nearby trees today and will undertake necessary risk mitigation and preventive measures in order to safeguard public safety.
 
     The HD will conduct detailed investigation into the cause of branch failure and submit a report to the TMO. The preliminary investigation results are expected to be available in two weeks.
 
     The Kwun Tong District Office has contacted the employer of the foreign domestic helper and will render appropriate assistance as necessary.

     The Centre for Food Safety (CFS) of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department today (August 21) announced that a trace amount of malachite green was found in a prepackaged eel sample. Follow-up is in progress.

     Details of the product are as follows:

Product: Not available in English
Distributor: Wellcome Company Ltd.
Use-by date: August 18, 2018

     A CFS spokesman said, "The CFS collected the eel sample from a supermarket in Causeway Bay for testing under its routine Food Surveillance Programme. The test result showed that it contained malachite green at a level of 9.7 parts per billion.

     "Malachite green is a type of industrial dye and has been used for treating infection in fish. Major agricultural economies such as the Mainland, the European Union, Canada and the United States prohibit the use of the chemicals in food fish. According to the Harmful Substances in Food Regulations (Cap 132AF), no food sold in Hong Kong is allowed to contain malachite green. Offenders will be prosecuted and will be liable to a fine of $50,000 and to imprisonment for six months upon conviction."

     The CFS is following up on the unsatisfactory result, including tracing the source of the food in question and taking samples for testing. Investigation is ongoing.

The following is issued on behalf of the Hospital Authority:

     In view of the continual confirmation of local patient cases of Dengue Fever, the Hospital Authority (HA) Central Committee on Infectious Disease and Emergency Responses this (August 21) morning convened another ad hoc meeting again with representatives from the Centre for Health Protection (CHP) to assess the latest risk situation as well as coordinate on the contingency response measures of public hospitals.

    "Public hospitals have raised its alertness and got prepared for the contingency response measures for managing the possible outbreak of Dengue Fever in Hong Kong", Dr Vivien Chuang, HA Chief Manager (Infection, Emergency and Contingency) said after the meeting.

     "The meeting today has deliberated on the enhanced response measures which include the placing extra orders of several thousand sets of Dengue Fever rapid test kits.  Also as an early preparation for the scenario where we have to relieve the burden on Accident and Emergency Departments if the patients with Dengue Fever symptoms are overwhelming, the phased activation of 'Designated Clinics' would then have to be considered to help take care of the suspected cases," Dr Chuang added.

     Following the first ad hoc meeting of the HA Central Committee on Infectious Disease and Emergency Responses last week, a number of enhanced measures have already been implemented to manage the potential risk of spreading of Dengue Fever:
 

• Activation of the "e-Dengue" enhanced surveillance system. Hospitals will report information on suspected cases, rapid test outcome and condition of patients to facilitate real-time review and monitoring by HA, hospitals and Centre for Health Protection (CHP) on the most updated condition of every suspected and confirmed cases through this electronic platform. CHP could also follow up on the investigation of public health accordingly;
   
• Enhanced laboratory services under the seven hospital clusters to provide rapid test for Dengue Fever on a seven-day-a-week basis to facilitate clinical diagnosis;
   
• Enhanced mosquito control measures in public hospitals and clinics as well as their construction sites to minimise mosquito breeding.  The measures include weekly fogging of insecticides at outdoor areas, application of larvicide oil and sand at water drainage, and daily inspection of hospital areas to clear stagnate water.  For those hospitals with admission of confirmed Dengue Fever patients, the hospital will enhance the frequency of fogging insecticides to every other day continuously for one month; and
   
• Enhanced internal communication to enable frontline staff to get familiarised with the enhanced measures of the contingency plan on prevention of Dengue Fever outbreak.  Infection Control Teams of cluster hospitals have been conducting staff forums and talks to explain and discuss on the arrangements of the contingency measures.
   

      The HA will continue to closely collaborate with CHP to monitor the situation of Dengue Fever infection in Hong Kong and to keep the general public and healthcare professionals posted of the most updated situation and relevant information.