Author Archives: hksar gov

     Following is a question by the Hon Lam Chun-sing and a written reply by the Secretary for Labour and Welfare, Dr Law Chi-kwong, in the Legislative Council today (May 4):

Question:

     It is learnt that the Clothing Industry Training Authority (CITA) has been proactively promoting sustainable fashion and nurturing talents in recent years, with a view to looking for opportunities for change for the textiles and clothing industry which is in gradual decline. On facilitating the development of the textiles and clothing industry, will the Government inform this Council:

(1) whether it knows the number and percentage of graduates of the CITA’s full-time “Higher Diploma in Digital Fashion Creation” programme who progressed to university degree programmes in each of the past three years; whether the authorities will consider increasing the places of university degree programmes in textiles and fashion design; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that;

(2) whether it knows (i) the number of textiles and fashion enterprises and the number of their employees, (ii) the number of graduates of programmes relating to fashion design and apparel technology, and (iii) the number of students who were successfully referred by the CITA to enter the textiles and fashion industry, in each of the past three years;

(3) of the measures adopted by the authorities for developing sustainable fashion in the past three years, and the relevant measures in the coming three years; whether they will consider enhancing the technological or eco-friendly elements in fashion design programmes, so as to strengthen the training of talents; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; and

(4) whether it knows how the CITA nurtures scientific research talents for promoting the development of “re-industrialization” in the textiles and clothing industry, including whether it will consider collaborating with the industry and emerging innovation and technology enterprises to organise diversified on-the-job training programmes?

Reply:
 
President,
 
     The Clothing Industry Training Authority (CITA) was established in 1975 under the Industrial Training (Clothing Industry) Ordinance to provide training courses for the clothing industry, and to assist in the placement of persons who have completed training courses. Having consulted the Commerce and Economic Development Bureau, the Education Bureau, the Environment Bureau and the Innovation and Technology Bureau, my consolidated reply to the Member’s question is as follows:

(1) The CITA and the Li Ka Shing School of Professional and Continuing Education of the Hong Kong Metropolitan University jointly launched the “Higher Diploma in Digital Fashion Creation” programme in 2019. Five learners in the first cohort graduated in 2021, of whom three continued studies in local universities, accounting for 60 per cent. As learners admitted in 2020 and 2021 have not graduated, the relevant figures are not yet available.

     Under the current triennial planning mechanism for University Grants Committee (UGC)-funded universities, universities enjoy substantial autonomy to flexibly deploy their recurrent grants, allocated in form of a block grant, to determine the programmes to be offered and allocation of student places to textiles and fashion design or other various disciplines (except education and healthcare disciplines). Under the principle of institutional autonomy, self-financing post-secondary institutions also have the flexibility to develop programmes that meet market needs and adjust the allocated student places to different disciplines.
 
(2) According to the latest information by the Census and Statistics Department, the information on establishments and persons engaged in the textiles and wearing apparel industry from 2018 to 2020 is tabulated as follows:
 

Year	Number of establishments	Number of persons engaged
2018	650	4 910
2019	640	4 560
2020	600	4 400

Note 1: The above figures are rounded to the nearest ten.

     The number of graduates of programmes related to the fashion and apparel technology in the past three academic years (2018-19 to 2020-21) is as follows:
 

Course category	Number of graduates
	2018-19	2019-20	2020-21
Programmes funded by the UGC	661	535	591
Full-time locally-accredited self-financing sub-degree and undergraduate programmes	287	241	Note 2
Higher Diploma and in-service training programmes of the Vocational Training Council	534	453	572
Courses of the CITA	1 195	970	1 929

Note 2: Relevant figure not yet available pending provision by relevant self-financing post-secondary institutions.

     Most of the courses by the CITA are part-time courses for in-service practitioners to acquire the latest skills. The CITA provides placement services for graduates of its full-time courses by referring them to job vacancies offered by employers. The CITA has not tracked all cases, and thus does not maintain figures of learners who have joined the industry.
 
(3) To promote development of sustainable fashion, the Government provides funding support through the CreateSmart Initiative for the fashion design industry to organise and participate in different projects, for example, the “Fashion Summit (HK) 2021” seminars and the “Redress Design Award”. The Government will continue to provide funding support to relevant projects to further enhance the understanding of the industry and the public on sustainable fashion.
 
     To align with the industry’s development trends, the CITA in recent years has been providing multiple courses of fashion design related to application of technology and sustainable development, such as 3D fashion design, digital pattern making, virtual fitting and production of virtual fashion shows, as well as practising sustainable development in fashion design, production management and marketing, with a view to enhancing learners’ professional knowledge and practical skills. In addition, the Hong Kong Design Institute of the Vocational Training Council has incorporated technology and green elements into its “Higher Diploma in Fashion Design” programme and provided new appliances and equipment to strengthen students’ training on using the latest technologies of the industry.

(4) The CITA has conducted various projects in recent years supporting the re-industrialisation of local textiles and clothing industry and enhancing the incorporation of technology element. The 2019 project of “To establish a re-industrialisation technology roadmap for small and medium-sized enterprises of the Hong Kong Textile and Fashion Industry” studied the global trends of textiles materials development and technological application, and provided concrete recommendations for the local textiles and apparel industry. The 2021 project of “Prime Cooling System in Garment” conducted research and developed cost-effective cooling fabrics in collaboration with a fabric supplier. The CITA also plans to offer courses on electronic commerce and online sales to help small and medium-sized enterprises upgrade, and will explore collaboration with appropriate enterprises and industrial organisations. read more

     Following is a question by the Hon Vincent Cheng and a written reply by the Acting Secretary for Home Affairs, Mr Jack Chan, in the Legislative Council today (May 4):
 
Question:
 
     The Government announced the implementation of the Youth Hostel Scheme (YHS) in the 2011-2012 Policy Address, under which non-governmental organisations would be fully funded by the Government to construct youth hostels on sites owned by them. So far, seven projects have been launched under YHS. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
 
(1) as it has been reported that only one project has been completed since the launch of YHS, of the reasons for the delay in each of the remaining projects;
 
(2) whether it knows, as at February this year, the number of persons who have moved into the Hong Kong Federation of Youth Groups Youth Hostel PH2 in Tai Po under YHS, as well as the following information on each tenant: age, monthly income, total value of assets, reasons for moving in, term of residence, and whether they have applied for public rental housing (set out in a table);
 
(3) of the following information on each of the six projects under YHS that have not yet been completed: (i) the latest progress, (ii) the anticipated completion date, and (iii) the latest estimated number of hostel places (set out in the table below); whether it has drawn up a timetable for such projects; if not, of the reasons for that, and how it expedites the delivery of such projects;

Project	(i)	(ii)	(iii)
(a) Po Leung Kuk’s project in Yuen Long	　	　	　
(b) Tung Wah Group of Hospitals’ project in Sheung Wan	　	　	　
(c) The Hong Kong Association of Youth Development’s project in Mong Kok	　	　	　
(d) The Hong Kong Girl Guides Association’s project in Jordan	　	　	　
(e) The Hong Kong Sheng Kung Hui Welfare Council Limited’s project in Yuen Long	　	　	　
(f) The Salvation Army’s project in Wan Chai	　	　	　

(4) given that one of the objectives of YHS is to enable young people to accumulate savings to pursue their medium-term aspirations in personal development, whether the Government will, in the light of the time required for the completion of the six yet-to-be-completed projects, introduce other measures to assist young people in buying homes and accumulating savings; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; and
 
(5) whether it has plans to launch more projects under YHS; if so, of the details and timetable; if not, the reasons for that?
 

Reply:
 
President,
 
     To meet the aspirations of some working youth in having their own living spaces and to unleash the potential of development sites, the Government has introduced the Youth Hostel Scheme (YHS) under which non-governmental organisations (NGOs) are fully funded by the Government to construct youth hostels on their under-utilised sites and, upon completion, operate the youth hostels on a self-financing basis.
 
     A total of seven projects are currently in progress under the YHS, namely The Hong Kong Federation of Youth Groups’ (HKFYG) youth hostel on Po Heung Street, Tai Po, which has been completed and has commenced operation; Po Leung Kuk’s youth hostel in Ma Tin Pok, Yuen Long, the construction of which is nearing completion; The Hong Kong Girl Guides Association’s project in Jordan and Tung Wah Group of Hospitals’ project in Sheung Wan, both of which are under construction; as well as The Hong Kong Association of Youth Development’s project in Mong Kok, the Hong Kong Sheng Kung Hui Welfare Council Limited’s project in Yuen Long, and the Salvation Army’s project in Wan Chai, all three of which are under planning. These projects can provide a total of over 3 400 youth hostel places.
 
     Having consulted the Transport and Housing Bureau, our consolidated reply to the various parts of the question raised by the Hon Vincent Cheng is as follows:
 
(1) and (3) The HKSAR Government has been actively taking forward the YHS. The above projects vary in size, building design and technical requirements, involving different planning and land procedures. For example, since the location of a project is close to declared monuments, it was necessary to conduct heritage impact assessment and undergo related consultation procedures. In addition, under the principle of “single site, multiple use”, some projects aim to provide other self-financed facilities or government-funded facilities in addition to the youth hostel on the site. The NGOs responsible for the operation therefore needed time to complete the preparation and planning works for each of these facilities. The Home Affairs Bureau has been assisting individual NGOs in liaising with the relevant government departments to resolve technical issues and expedite the projects’ progress. We will continue to work closely with the relevant NGOs to assist them in taking forward the projects. 
 
     The latest progress, number of hostel places and anticipated completion dates of the individual youth hostel projects are at Annex.
 
(2) HKFYG’s youth hostel in Tai Po was completed and came into operation in March 2020, providing 80 hostel places. As at February 2022, a total of 90 young people are living/have lived in the youth hostel. According to the information provided by HKFYG, the average age of tenants is 25. The average monthly income and average total asset value are $18,435 and $116,704 respectively. Around 60 per cent of tenants have been living in the youth hostel since 2020 and the remaining tenants have lived for around one to two years. Around 30 per cent of young people have lived in the youth hostel because they want to have more personal space and achieve personal development. Around 25 per cent of them have lived in the youth hostel because of career or study needs. The remaining young people have lived in the youth hostel mainly due to a crowded living environment at home. Tenants are required to inform HKFYG and move out of the youth hostel within a reasonable period if they are allocated public rental housing, but they are not required to report to HKFYG in advance in respect of their applications for public rental housing.
 
(4) Housing is not an issue for the youth only, but one that concerns the Hong Kong community as a whole. In view of the serious shortage of land supply, the Government has been taking various measures to identify land for housing development and make better use of the current resources in order to enrich the housing ladder. Apart from implementing the Home Ownership Scheme, we have also introduced the “Starter Homes” pilot projects, regularised the Green Form Subsidised Home Ownership Scheme and the White Form Secondary Market Scheme, and accelerated the sale of unsold flats in the Tenant Purchase Scheme estates, etc. in recent years, with a view to supporting the Hong Kong people (including the youth) to achieve home ownership.
 
(5) The policy objective of the YHS is to better utilise the land held by the NGOs to provide an alternative to meeting the aspirations of some working youth in having their own living space, as well as to enable these young tenants to accumulate savings to pursue their medium term aspirations. 
 
     We will announce details of new projects when they are ready. We will closely monitor society’s demand for youth hostels, progressively implement the individual projects and continue to liaise with NGOs that have expressed interest in the YHS, with a view to providing more youth hostel places. read more

     The Government announced today (May 4) that in order to fight the coronavirus epidemic, the Environmental Protection Department and the Drainage Services Department in collaboration with the cross-disciplinary team of the University… read more

     The Centre for Health Protection (CHP) of the Department of Health today (May 4), in support of the annual Hand Hygiene Day tomorrow (May 5), appealed to the public to clean hands at the right times with the right techniques, so as to halt the transmission of infectious diseases including COVID-19 and contribute to reducing the global burden.
 
     The CHP adopted “Clean Hands Wisely, Germs Leave Quickly” as the slogan for the promotional campaign for Hand Hygiene Day 2022 to remind the public to perform hand hygiene when appropriate and to get into a habit of doing so. Apart from before eating or after touching public facilities, the public should clean their hands whenever they find their hands dirty. The CHP hopes that hand hygiene can become part of everyone’s daily routine.
 
     Since 2005, Hong Kong has pledged support for the World Health Organization’s advocacy of “Clean Care is Safer Care” by actively promoting hand hygiene in both healthcare settings and in the community. This year, the CHP invited a local artist to design and produce a short animation, a poster and a set of animated WhatsApp stickers to remind the public of the key health message.
 
     The public may visit the CHP’s Hand Hygiene Day 2022 webpage (www.chp.gov.hk/en/features/105581.html) for more information on hand hygiene. read more