The Government announced today (September 20) that the Study Subsidy Scheme for Designated Professions/Sectors (SSSDP) will subsidise a total of 3 265 places in 47 undergraduate programmes of eight post-secondary institutions for the cohort to be admitted in the 2023/24 academic year. 
 
     These 47 designated programmes fall under 10 disciplines that have been identified as having keen manpower demand, namely architecture and engineering, computer science, creative industries, financial technology, healthcare, insurance, logistics, sports and recreation, testing and certification, and tourism and hospitality. The programmes include the four applied degrees selected for the Pilot Project on the Development of Applied Degree Programmes. 
 
     The programmes and number of subsidised places under the SSSDP are determined by the Education Bureau (EDB) in consultation with relevant policy bureaux and departments. Details of the participating institutions, the programmes and the number of subsidised places are listed in the Annex. The EDB will continue to work together with relevant policy bureaux and departments to explore covering more suitable programmes in the SSSDP.
 
     In the 2023/24 academic year, the annual subsidy amount for laboratory-based programmes will be increased from $77,040 in the 2022/23 academic year to $78,280, while that for non-laboratory-based programmes will be increased from $44,240 to $44,950 according to the movement of the Composite Consumer Price Index.
 
     The adjusted subsidy amounts are applicable to both new and continuing eligible students. The subsidy is tenable for the normal duration of the programmes concerned. Subsidised students will pay a tuition fee with the subsidy applied. Students in need may still apply for student financial assistance from the Student Finance Office of the Working Family and Student Financial Assistance Agency in respect of the actual amount of tuition fee payable.
 
     Allocation of the subsidised first-year intake places will mainly go through the Joint University Programmes Admissions System to ensure that eligible students are selected on a merit basis.
 
     The SSSDP was launched in the 2015/16 academic year to subsidise students to pursue designated full-time locally accredited self-financing undergraduate programmes in selected disciplines. The objectives are as follows:
 
(1) To increase the supply of subsidised undergraduate places by leveraging the supply of the self-financing post-secondary education sector;
 
(2) To nurture talent in support of specific industries with keen demand for human resources;
 
(3) To encourage the self-financing post-secondary education sector to offer programmes in selected disciplines that meet Hong Kong's social and economic needs by providing targeted financial support; and
 
(4) To support the healthy and sustainable development of the self-financing post-secondary education sector to complement the University Grants Committee-funded sector in broadening and diversifying study opportunities.
 
     The scope of the SSSDP was expanded with effect from the 2019/20 academic year to benefit students enrolling in designated sub-degree programmes. The relevant details for the 2023/24 cohort, including the participating institutions, the sub-degree programmes, the number of subsidised places, the subsidy amounts and more, will be announced in due course. 
 
     Details of the SSSDP are available on the EDB website (www.cspe.edu.hk/sssdp).
 
     For information about the Pilot Project on the Development of Applied Degree Programmes, please refer to the EDB press release (www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/202106/28/P2021062800464.htm).

     Hong Kong Customs and the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD) have been carrying out joint enforcement operations since last Thursday (September 15) to inspect hairy crab retail outlets in various districts, with the aim of protecting consumer rights and upholding food safety by ensuring hairy crabs on sale in the market comply with relevant stipulations and requirements under the laws.

     During the inspections, Customs officers and officers of the Centre for Food Safety and the Environmental Hygiene Branch of the FEHD monitored the sale of hairy crabs and also checked supportive documents for the place of origin and health certificates of the hairy crabs to ensure that the hairy crabs sold at retail shops are fit for human consumption and are in compliance with the Trade Descriptions Ordinance (TDO), the Food Safety Ordinance and the Public Health and Municipal Services Ordinance.

      Up till present, officers of the two departments have inspected 172 hairy crab retail shops and no irregularity has been found so far. The relevant joint enforcement operations will continue.

      Apart from carrying out inspections in the market, Customs officers also made use of a big-data analytics system to conduct analyses and verify whether online shops selling hairy crabs had complied with the TDO with a view to safeguarding the interests of consumers while making online purchases.  
 
     Customs attaches great importance to the protection of consumer rights and will take appropriate enforcement action once activities in violation of the TDO are detected in the market. The department also reminds traders not to apply a false trade description to goods or services, or to supply or offer to supply goods or services to which a false trade description is applied. Those who violate the TDO are liable on conviction to a maximum fine of $500,000 and imprisonment for five years.

     The FEHD reminds traders that according to the Public Health and Municipal Services Ordinance, all food available for sale in Hong Kong, whether imported or locally produced, should be fit for human consumption. Also, any person who operates an unlicensed food business or sells restricted foods without permission is liable upon conviction to a maximum fine of $50,000 and imprisonment for six months. Under the Food Safety Ordinance, any person who, without reasonable excuse, fails to comply with the record-keeping requirement relating to movement of food commits an offence and is liable to a maximum fine of $10,000 and imprisonment for three months upon conviction.

     Customs and the FEHD remind traders not to import or put on sale hairy crabs of an unknown origin. Consumers should make purchases at reputable shops with the Shell Fish (Hairy Crab) Permit or relevant written permission granted by the FEHD.

     Members of the public may make a report to Customs' 24-hour hotline 2545 6182 or its dedicated crime-reporting email account (crimereport@customs.gov.hk) if they suspect that hairy crabs bought are of a falsely claimed place of origin.

     In addition, if members of the public suspect that there are operators selling hairy crabs without the relevant permits/permissions or the hairy crabs are not accompanied with health certificates, they may file a report to the FEHD by calling the hotline at 2868 0000 or through email (enquiries@fehd.gov.hk).

    

     Following is the transcript of remarks by the Chief Executive, Mr John Lee, at a media session before the Executive Council meeting today (September 20):
 
Reporter: (Professor) Yuen Kwok-yung said COVID-19 has become endemic, and COVID rules should be relaxed to return to normal. What do you think about this and is the Government considering to scrap hotel quarantine? And Hong Kong may record its second worst deficits at more than $100 billion. Is this alarming and what will the Government do to maintain Hong Kong's fiscal stability? And also international events like Hong Kong Marathon is called off and dragon boat race is moved to Thailand due to COVID rules, so what will the Government do to allow room for these sports events to go ahead? Thank you.
 
Chief Executive: The Government's position is very clear, as I've explained earlier, is that while we will do our best to control the epidemic, we aim to have the maximum connection with the international world and also to reduce the inconvenience to people who arrive at Hong Kong. That is a very clear goal. And I am maintaining that goal in one direction, and I am trying all our best to ensure that we don't roll back any measures that we're doing. The direction is clear and we are ensuring that we don't roll back. That's number one.
 
     The second thing is, we want to ensure that as we progress to allow more activities, we do it in an orderly way, so that when people go through the process, they feel comfortable with the process. We will reduce the inconvenience as much as we can because every step will involve deployment of resources to ensure we put into the right amount of people and the right amount of support so as to ensure that things don't get disordered. We will be actively monitoring the situation so that we will do this as quickly as possible. I'm conscious of the fact that while we need to control the spread of the COVID, we also need to ensure that there will be maximum activities in society and economic activities for society to carry on. I'm also conscious of the need to maintain Hong Kong's competitiveness by ensuring that we have a good connectivity. So you can see we are doing everything in that direction, and we will be announcing the measures once we've made decision about what we're going to do.

     Regarding the big events that everyone of us has been very interested in such as the marathon (Hong Kong Marathon) and also the dragon boat event, of course, we will be doing all our best so that we will be having all these events to happen in Hong Kong because this is what everybody wants to see, and it will create a lot of economic gains for Hong Kong as well. We will be trying our best to talk to the organisers of all these activities. Our position is very clear. We are very supportive, and we want both sides to work towards the goal of making it happen. So we will have to openly and directly talk to each other, so as to try (to find) a good solution for Hong Kong, because it is in the organisers' interest and Hong Kong Government's interest and the community's interest for these things to happen. So I want that common will to be developed for the good of Hong Kong. And the Government will work towards the goal, regardless of what the challenges can be.
 
     As regards the economic situation, we know that the threats to the economy do exist and there are a lot of reasons for it, including the interest rate hike and also the supply chain being disrupted in a lot of areas and because of COVID as well. So what we have been doing is ensuring that the right injection is being made into stimulating the economy. The next phase of the consumption voucher will soon be rolled out in October. That, we hope, will add to the consumption element in society so as to generate some economic activities, and also some relief measures have been introduced by the Government to help SMEs (small and medium-sized enterprises), etc.
 
     But there are also some positive figures such as the employment rate has dropped, if you look at the figures. So we should continue to have confidence in Hong Kong, because Hong Kong, despite COVID, our strengths remain, such as our good infrastructure, our low taxation system, and also the resilience of society. We have a very strong workforce and we have a lot of competitive advantages such as being the third (largest) financial centre and the common law system which ensures that a lot of the systems and things that we do are very compatible with international rules and norms. We should be confident of ourselves while we work together.
 
(Please also refer to the Chinese portion of the transcript.)

     The Central and Western District Office, together with the Central Police District and the Department of Health, conducted an enforcement operation today (September 20) at a building in Mid-Levels, which was included in a compulsory testing notice earlier. The operation commenced at around 8am and ended at around 11am today.
 
      Starting from around 8am today, staff arranged by the Government stationed at the entrances/exits of Goldwin Heights, 2 Seymour Road, Mid-Levels to verify the testing certifications of persons subject to compulsory testing so as to confirm whether they had undergone testing in compliance with the requirement of the compulsory testing notice. Persons subject to compulsory testing had to present the SMS notification containing the results of COVID-19 tests or relevant proof, to prove that they had followed the requirement pursuant to the compulsory testing notice and completed the test within the specified period.
 
     During the operation, around 430 persons were checked. Among them, five persons were found to have failed to comply with the compulsory testing notice. They were subsequently issued compulsory testing orders, requiring them to undergo testing within a specified period. Fixed penalty notices of $10,000 each were also issued to four of them.
   
     The Government expresses gratitude to most persons subject to compulsory testing who complied with the compulsory testing notices for their co-operation to fight the virus together. A Government spokesman reminded that any person who fails to comply with the compulsory testing notice commits an offence and may be fined a fixed penalty of $10,000. The Government will also issue the person concerned a compulsory testing order requiring him or her to undergo testing within a specified time frame. Failure to comply with the compulsory testing order is an offence, and the offender would be liable to a fine at level 5 ($50,000) and an imprisonment for six months. The spokesman reiterated that the Government will continue to enforce the law strictly.
 
      Also, the Government understands that the enforcement process may cause inconvenience to some residents, and appeals for the understanding. Gratitude is also extended to members of the public and relevant organisations for their support and co-operation.

The following is issued on behalf of the Hospital Authority:

     Members of the public are invited to attend the Hospital Authority (HA) Board Meeting to be held on September 22 (Thursday) at 4.30pm. 
 
     The HA Board Meeting has been open to members of the public since 1998 to demonstrate the continuous effort of the HA to enhance its transparency and public accountability. The HA Board holds meetings at regular intervals to discuss major health policy issues that have impacts on the public.
 
     Through these open meetings, the community is able to understand more about the role and functions of the HA Board as well as the operation and services of the HA and its hospitals.
 
     The HA Board will discuss the following agenda items in the coming meeting:
 

• Hospital Authority Annual Report 2021-22;
• Progress Report on Strategic Priorities;
• Annual Report on Public Appreciation, Feedback and Complaints Management 2021-22; and
• Cluster Presentation Programme – New Territories West Cluster – Service Development of Positron Emission Tomography/Computed Tomography Centre.

 
     The meeting agenda and papers will be made available to the public at the meeting. Members of the public are reminded that they can attend the Board Meeting only as observers and will not be participating in the meeting discussions.
 
     In view of the epidemic situation, corresponding seating arrangements will be made at the venue to maintain a proper distance. Members of the public who are interested in attending the coming Board Meeting have to make an advance booking by contacting the Secretariat of the HA Board at 2300 6797 during office hours. To facilitate booking arrangements, members of the public are advised to provide their name and contact telephone number. In view of the limited seating available in the public gallery of the meeting venue, seating will be reserved on a first-come, first-served basis.