Author Archives: hksar gov

     The Environmental Protection Department (EPD) today (June 13) released the latest grading of water quality for 39 gazetted beaches (see Note 1) and one non-gazetted beach (see Note 2).
 
     Twenty-four beaches were rated as Good (Grade 1), 14 as Fair (Grade 2) and two as Poor (Grade 3).
 
Grade 1 beaches are:          

Big Wave Bay Beach*	Lo So Shing Beach
Cafeteria New Beach	Lower Cheung Sha Beach
Cafeteria Old Beach	Repulse Bay Beach*
Cheung Chau Tung Wan Beach*	Shek O Beach*
Chung Hom Kok Beach	South Bay Beach*
Deep Water Bay Beach*	St. Stephen’s Beach
Golden Beach*	Stanley Main Beach*
Hap Mun Bay Beach*	Tai Po Lung Mei Beach*
Hung Shing Yeh Beach*	Tong Fuk Beach
Kiu Tsui Beach	Trio Beach
Kwun Yam Beach	Turtle Cove Beach
Lido Beach*	Upper Cheung Sha Beach

 
Grade 2 beaches are:

Anglers’ Beach*	Hoi Mei Wan Beach
Approach Beach	Kadoorie Beach
Butterfly Beach*	Ma Wan Tung Wan Beach*
Castle Peak Beach	Middle Bay Beach
Clear Water Bay First Beach	Pui O Beach*
Clear Water Bay Second Beach*	Silver Mine Bay Beach*
Discovery Bay Tai Pak Beach [Non-gazetted beach]	Ting Kau Beach*

 
Grade 3 beaches are:

Casam Beach*

Silverstrand Beach*

 
     Compared with the grading released last week, Lido Beach has been upgraded from Grade 2 to Grade 1. Discovery Bay Tai Pak Beach and Kadoorie Beach have been changed from Grade 1 to Grade 2.
 
     “The changes are generally within the normal range of fluctuation of the bacteriological water quality of the beaches,” an EPD spokesman said.
 
     Under the present grading system, beaches are classified into four grades, namely Good (Grade 1), Fair (Grade 2), Poor (Grade 3) and Very Poor (Grade 4), according to the level of E. coli in the water. Grades are calculated on the basis of the geometric mean of the E. coli counts on the five most recent sampling occasions.
 
     While the ratings represent the general water quality at the beaches, the EPD spokesman reminded members of the public that water quality could be temporarily affected during and after periods of heavy rain. Bathers should avoid swimming at beaches for up to three days after a tropical cyclone or heavy rainfall.
 
     A summary of beach grades is published weekly before the weekend. The latest beach grades based on the most current data may be obtained from the EPD’s website on Beach Water Quality (www.epd.gov.hk/epd/beach) or the beach hotline, 2511 6666.  Members of the public can also obtain the latest daily water quality forecast information for all beaches that are open for swimming through the EPD’s dedicated webpage on the beach water quality forecast (www.epd.gov.hk/en/BWQForecast).
 
Note 1: Lifesaving services are provided by the Leisure and Cultural Services Department at 21 gazetted beaches, marked with an asterisk (*) above, from June 1. For details, please refer to the Leisure and Cultural Services Department’s Special Announcement (www.lcsd.gov.hk/en/beach/index.html).
 
Note 2: This refers to Discovery Bay Tai Pak Beach which has no lifesaving service. read more

     The Town Planning Board today (June 13) announced amendments to the approved Lam Tei and Yick Yuen Outline Zoning Plan (OZP).

     The amendments mainly involve (i) rezoning a site near San Hing Road from “Residential (Group E)” and “Village Type Development” to “Residential (Group A)1” (“R(A)1”); and (ii) rezoning a site near Light Rail Transit Lam Tei Station from “Residential (Group B)1” to “R(A)2”.

     The Notes and Explanatory Statement of the OZP are amended to take into account the above amendments. Opportunity is also taken to update the general information of various land use zones and the planning scheme area, where appropriate.

     The draft Lam Tei and Yick Yuen OZP No. S/TM-LTYY/13, incorporating the amendments, is available for public inspection during office hours at (i) the Secretariat of the Town Planning Board, (ii) the Planning Enquiry Counters, (iii) the Tuen Mun and Yuen Long West District Planning Office, (iv) the Tuen Mun District Office, and (v) the Tuen Mun 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 13. Any person who intends to make a representation is advised to read the Town Planning Board Guidelines No. 29C on “Submission and Processing of Representations and Further Representations” (TPB PG-No. 29C).

     Submission of a representation should comply with the requirements set out in TPB PG-No. 29C. In particular, the representer should take note of the following:

* If the representer fails to provide his or her full name and the first four alphanumeric characters of his or her Hong Kong identity card or passport number as required under TPB PG-No. 29C, the representation submitted shall be treated as not having been made; and
* The Secretariat of the Town Planning Board reserves the right to require the representer to provide identity proof for verification.

     The Guidelines and the submission form are available at the above locations (i) and (ii) as well as the Town Planning Board’s website (www.tpb.gov.hk).

     Copies of the draft Lam Tei and Yick Yuen OZP are available for sale at the Map Publications Centre in North Point. The electronic version of the OZP can be viewed on the Town Planning Board’s website (www.tpb.gov.hk). read more

     Twenty-seven landlords of subdivided units (SDUs), who contravened Part IVA of the Landlord and Tenant (Consolidation) Ordinance (Cap. 7), pleaded guilty and were fined a total of $75,700 on June 6 and today (June 13) at the Eastern Magistrates’ Courts. Since the Ordinance came into force, the Rating and Valuation Department (RVD) has continuously strengthened enforcement actions and has prosecuted a total of 1 077 cases to date. Among the 742 cases dealt with by the court, all were successfully convicted, which involved a total of 646 SDU landlords with fines ranging from $400 to $34,800, amounting to a total of $1,841,610. In addition, 335 cases are pending a hearing.
 
     The offences of these 27 landlords include (1) failing to submit a Notice of Tenancy (Form AR2) to the Commissioner of Rating and Valuation within 60 days after the term of the regulated tenancy commenced; and (2) requesting the tenant to pay money other than the types permitted under the Ordinance (i.e. requiring the tenant to pay an amount of rent for the second-term tenancy exceeding the maximum amount of rent permitted under the Ordinance). One of the landlords committed 16 offences under (1) and (2) and was fined $13,000.

     The RVD earlier discovered that the landlords failed to comply with the relevant requirements under the Ordinance. Upon an in-depth investigation and evidence collection, the RVD prosecuted the landlords.
 
     A spokesman for the RVD reiterated that SDU landlords must comply with the relevant requirements under the Ordinance, including prohibiting landlords from doing any act calculated to interfere with the peace or comfort of members of the tenant’s household, with the intention of causing the tenant to give up occupation of the SDU; or requiring the tenant to pay an amount of rent for the second-term tenancy exceeding the maximum amount of rent permitted under the Ordinance, and also reminded tenants of their rights under the Ordinance, including a four-year (i.e. two years plus two years) security of tenure. He also stressed that the RVD will continue to take resolute enforcement action against any contraventions of the Ordinance. Apart from following up on reported cases, the RVD has been adopting a multipronged approach to proactively identify, investigate and follow up on cases concerning landlords who are suspected of contravening the Ordinance. In particular, the RVD has been requiring landlords of regulated tenancies to provide information and reference documents of their tenancies for checking whether they have complied with the requirements of the Ordinance. If a landlord, without reasonable excuse, refuses to provide the relevant information or neglects the RVD’s request, the landlord commits an offence and is liable to a maximum fine at level 3 ($10,000) and to imprisonment for three months. Depending on the actual circumstances, and having regard to the information and evidence collected, the RVD will take appropriate actions on individual cases, including instigating prosecution against suspected contraventions of the Ordinance. In addition, the RVD has started a new round of publicity and education work to enhance public awareness about the key offences and penalties, emphasising that the RVD proactively checks whether landlords have committed the offences under the Ordinance. 

     To help curb illegal acts as soon as possible, members of the public should report to the RVD promptly any suspected cases of contravening the relevant requirements. Reporting can be made through the telephone hotline (2150 8303), by email (enquiries@rvd.gov.hk), by fax (2116 4920), by post (15/F, Cheung Sha Wan Government Offices, 303 Cheung Sha Wan Road, Kowloon), or in person (visiting the Tenancy Services Section office of the RVD at Room 3816-22, 38/F, Immigration Tower, 7 Gloucester Road, Wan Chai, Hong Kong, and please call 2150 8303 to make an appointment). Furthermore, the RVD has provided a form (Form AR4) (www.rvd.gov.hk/doc/en/forms/ar4.pdf) on its website to facilitate SDU tenants’ reporting to the RVD.
 
     The RVD reminds that pursuant to the Ordinance, a regulated cycle of regulated tenancies is to comprise two consecutive regulated tenancies (i.e. the first-term tenancy and second-term tenancy) for an SDU, and the term of each regulated tenancy is two years. A tenant of a first-term tenancy for an SDU is entitled to be granted a second-term tenancy of the regulated cycle, thus enjoying a total of four years of security of tenure. The RVD has been issuing letters enclosing relevant information to the landlords and tenants concerned of regulated tenancies in batches, according to the expiry time of their first-term tenancies, to assist them in understanding the important matters pertaining to the second-term tenancy, and to remind them about the procedures that need to be followed about two months prior to the commencement of the purported second-term tenancy as well as their respective obligations and rights under the Ordinance. These landlords and tenants may also visit the dedicated page for the second-term tenancy on the RVD’s website (www.rvd.gov.hk/en/tenancy_matters/second_term_tenancy.html) for the relevant information, including a concise guide, brochures, tutorial videos and frequently asked questions. The landlords and tenants concerned are also advised to familiarise themselves with the relevant statutory requirements and maintain close communication regarding the second-term tenancy for handling the matters properly and in a timely manner according to the Ordinance.
 
     For enquiries related to regulated tenancies, please call the telephone hotline (2150 8303) or visit the RVD’s webpage (www.rvd.gov.hk/en/our_services/part_iva.html) for the relevant information. read more

     In response to the Japanese Government’s plan to discharge nuclear-contaminated water at the Fukushima Nuclear Power Station, the Director of Food and Environmental Hygiene issued a Food Safety Order which prohibits all aquatic products, sea salt and seaweeds originating from the 10 metropolis/prefectures, namely Tokyo, Fukushima, Ibaraki, Miyagi, Chiba, Gunma, Tochigi, Niigata, Nagano and Saitama, from being imported into and supplied in Hong Kong.
 
     For other Japanese aquatic products, sea salt and seaweeds that are not prohibited from being imported into Hong Kong, the Centre for Food Safety (CFS) of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department is conducting comprehensive radiological tests to verify that the radiation levels of these products do not exceed the guideline levels before they are allowed to be supplied in the market.
 
     From noon on June 12 to noon today (June 13), the CFS conducted tests on the radiological levels of 189 food samples imported from Japan, which were of the “aquatic and related products, seaweeds and sea salt” category. No sample was found to have exceeded the safety limit. Details can be found on the CFS’s thematic website titled “Control Measures on Foods Imported from Japan” (www.cfs.gov.hk/english/programme/programme_rafs/programme_rafs_fc_01_30_Nuclear_Event_and_Food_Safety.html).
 
     In parallel, the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD) has also tested 50 samples of local catch for radiological levels. All the samples passed the tests. Details can be found on the AFCD’s website (www.afcd.gov.hk/english/fisheries/Radiological_testing/Radiological_Test.html).
 
     The Hong Kong Observatory (HKO) has also enhanced the environmental monitoring of the local waters. No anomaly has been detected so far. For details, please refer to the HKO’s website (www.hko.gov.hk/en/radiation/monitoring/seawater.html).
 
     From August 24, 2023, to noon today, the CFS and the AFCD have conducted tests on the radiological levels of 143 323 samples of food imported from Japan (including 94 237 samples of aquatic and related products, seaweeds and sea salt) and 32 790 samples of local catch respectively. All the samples passed the tests. read more

The following is issued on behalf of the Legislative Council Secretariat:

     The Legislative Council (LegCo) will hold a meeting next Wednesday (June 18) at 11am in the Chamber of the LegCo Complex. During the meeting, the Second Reading debate on the Employment (Amendment) Bill 2025 will resume. If the Bill is supported by Members and receives its Second Reading, it will stand committed to the committee of the whole Council. After the committee of the whole Council has completed consideration of the Bill and its report is adopted by the Council, the Bill will be set down for the Third Reading.

     On Members’ motions, Mr Sunny Tan will move a motion on “Stimulating the vigorous development of Hong Kong’s small and medium enterprises with new quality productive forces and actively dovetailing with the country’s high-quality ‘going global’ strategy”. The motion is set out in Appendix 1. Mr Erik Yim will move an amendment to Mr Tan’s motion.

     Mr Adrian Ho will move a motion on “Boosting the local consumption market to inject impetus into economic development”. The motion is set out in Appendix 2.

     Ms Elizabeth Quat will move a proposed resolution under section 34(4) of the Interpretation and General Clauses Ordinance to extend the period for amending subsidiary legislation. The proposed resolution is set out in Appendix 3.

     Members will also ask the Government 22 questions on various policy areas, six of which require oral replies.

     The agenda of the above meeting can be obtained via the LegCo Website (www.legco.gov.hk). Members of the public can watch or listen to the meeting via the “Webcast” system on the LegCo Website. To observe the proceedings of the meeting at the LegCo Complex, members of the public may call 3919 3399 during office hours to reserve seats. read more