Police today (September 2) appealed to the public for information on a woman who went missing in Tsing Yi.
 
     Wong Tin-pik, aged 54, went missing after she was last seen in Cheung Fat Estate on July 17 morning. Her family made a report to Police on August 27.
       
     She is about 1.7 metres tall, 68 kilograms in weight and of fat build. She has a round face with yellow complexion and short black hair. She was last seen wearing a black short-sleeved dress and yellow slippers, and carrying a white recycle bag.
 
     Anyone who knows the whereabouts of the missing woman or may have seen her is urged to contact the Regional Missing Person Unit of Kowloon East on 3661 0316 or 3661 0323 or email to rmpu-ke-2@police.gov.hk, or contact any police station.

  

     The Centre for Food Safety (CFS) of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department announced today (September 2) that in view of a notification from the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) about outbreaks of highly pathogenic H5 avian influenza in Chelyabinskaya Oblast and Kurganskaya Oblast in Russia, the CFS has instructed the trade to suspend the import of poultry meat and products (including poultry eggs) from the above areas with immediate effect to protect public health in Hong Kong.

     A CFS spokesman said that Hong Kong has currently established a protocol with Russia for the import of poultry meat but not for poultry eggs. According to the Census and Statistics Department, Hong Kong imported about 140 tonnes of frozen poultry meat from Russia in the first six months of this year.

     "The CFS has contacted the Russian authorities over the issue and will closely monitor information issued by the OIE on the avian influenza outbreaks. Appropriate action will be taken in response to the development of the situation," the spokesman said.

     The Hong Kong Housing Authority (HA) announced today (September 2) that Sale of Home Ownership Scheme (HOS) Flats 2020 (HOS 2020) and White Form Secondary Market Scheme (WSM) 2020 (WSM 2020) will be open for applications from September 10 to October 7.
 
     A total of 7 047 flats in four new HOS developments, namely Kai Cheung Court in Diamond Hill, Choi Wo Court in Sha Tin, Kam Chun Court in Ma On Shan and Shan Lai Court in Fanling will be offered for sale.
 
     "Rescinded flats arising from cancellation of the Agreements for Sale and Purchase from two HOS developments (Hoi Lok Court and Yu Tai Court) under HOS 2018 and five developments (Hoi Tak Court, Kam Fai Court, Sheung Man Court, Yuk Wo Court and Yung Ming Court) under HOS 2019, if any, identified up to about one month before the commencement of flat selection will be included for resale in this sale exercise," a spokesman for the HA said.
 
     Application forms and application guides for HOS 2020 and WSM 2020, sales booklets of new HOS developments and sales leaflets of resale flats will be available on the designated HA website of the HA for HOS 2020 and WSM 2020 starting from tomorrow (September 3), while printed copies can be collected at the Housing Authority Customer Service Centre (HACSC) in Lok Fu, the office of the HA's Green Form Subsidised Home Ownership Scheme Sales Unit, estate offices and District Tenancy Management Offices of the HA, rental estate offices of the Hong Kong Housing Society (HS) and the Home Affairs Enquiry Centres of the Home Affairs Department starting from September 10.
 
     Application fees are $250 for HOS 2020, $160 for WSM 2020 and $410 for both. White Form applicants may choose to apply for HOS 2020 or WSM 2020 only, or both, using a single application form.
 
     To achieve social distancing under the epidemic, the following precautionary measures and arrangements will be implemented:
 
– the application period will be extended from the usual two weeks to four weeks;
 
– videos of the building models and doll houses produced using the building information modeling technique of the four new HOS developments, as well as project information, Outline Zoning Plans, latest draft of or executed Deeds of Mutual Covenant and aerial photographs of the four new HOS developments and the HOS developments with rescinded flats will be uploaded onto the designated website of the HA for HOS 2020 for public viewing from tomorrow;
 
– the designated website of the HA for HOS 2020 and WSM 2020 will be opened tomorrow so that the public can browse and download application forms, application guides, sales booklets of new HOS developments and sales leaflets of resale flats in advance;
 
– there will be no enquiry service at the HACSC in Lok Fu. Members of the public can call the 24-hour HA Sales and WSM hotline on 2712 8000 for matters relating to applications for HOS 2020 or WSM 2020;
 
– the exhibition area for displaying the building models and doll houses at HACSC in Lok Fu will be temporarily closed. The HA will endeavor to open them for public viewing before the flat selection period if circumstances allow;
 
– drop-in boxes will be provided at the HACSC in Lok Fu for collection of completed application forms; and
 
– other precautionary measures such as controlling the flow of people, mandatory body temperature checks and wearing of masks will be put in place at HACSC in Lok Fu.
 
     "Members of the public are encouraged to browse the websites for HOS 2020 (www.housingauthority.gov.hk/hos/2020) and for WSM 2020 (www.housingauthority.gov.hk/wsm/2020)," the spokesman said.
 
     "While applicants may choose either to submit paper-based application forms by post or by hand (locations that accept submission of completed paper-based application forms are listed in the application guides) or to submit online applications for HOS 2020 and WSM 2020, applicants are strongly encouraged to submit online applications."    
 
     Each person can only be listed in one application form for the same scheme (whether for paper-based or online application), otherwise the applications will be regarded as duplicates. Any case of duplicate application will render all applications null and void, and the application fee paid is non-refundable and non-transferrable under all circumstances. Details are set out in the application guides.
 
     "Similar to HOS 2019, for Green Form (GF) applicants who are living in the public rental housing estates of the HA or the rental estates of the HS and submit online applications, their respective estate offices will contact them to verify their household information after receiving their online applications. The estate offices concerned will prepare hard copies of the application forms and the applicants and all family members aged 18 or above will have to sign the application forms and return them to their respective estate offices for further processing," the spokesman said.
 
     The carry-over application arrangement will continue in HOS 2020 under which GF applicants may indicate their consent on their HOS application forms to carry over their applications to the next Subsidised Sale Flats (SSF) exercise without having to submit a separate application and pay the application fee for that next SSF sale exercise. However, if the applicant later wishes to apply for the next SSF sale exercise in a household category different from that for this HOS application which may affect his/her priority for flat selection, he or she is required to inform the HA during the stipulated application period of the next SSF sale exercise. Moreover, for applicants who have successfully purchased an HOS flat in the current sale exercise, their carry-over applications will be cancelled immediately.
 
     "The application period will run from 8am on September 10 until 7pm on October 7. Applications submitted before or after the application period will not be accepted," the spokesman said.
 
     Balloting exercises are expected to be held in January 2021 for HOS 2020 and WSM 2020 separately. For HOS 2020, it is expected that eligible applicants will be invited for flat selections starting from June 2021 according to their priority order of the application category. For WSM 2020, the HA expects approval letters to eligible applicants will be issued from June 2021.
 
     Sales brochures with detailed information and price lists of the new developments and rescinded flats will be made available for collection by the public at the HACSC in Lok Fu and viewing at the designated websites for the respective HOS developments seven days before commencement of flat selections for this sale exercise.

                  

     The Education Bureau (EDB) today (September 2) reminded students who are interested in applying for a subsidy under the Mainland University Study Subsidy Scheme (MUSSS) for the 2020/21 academic year and who will enter designated Mainland institutions in the 2020/21 academic year for the first year of their studies to submit their completed application forms together with supporting documents to the EDB by post on or before September 21.
      
     "It is envisaged that the MUSSS will benefit the majority of Hong Kong students pursuing undergraduate studies on the Mainland with different financial needs. The subsidy could help the students meet study-related expenses in the Mainland institutions. Hong Kong students who have received and completed senior secondary education in Hong Kong, including those studying local and non-local curricula as well as non-Chinese speaking students, and meeting other criteria, will be eligible for the subsidy," a spokesman for the EDB said.
      
     Eligible students may apply for a means-tested subsidy or a non-means-tested subsidy under the MUSSS. The subsidy under the scheme is granted on a yearly basis. The subsidised period covers the normal duration of the undergraduate programme pursued by the student concerned in the designated Mainland institution. Eligible applicants may only receive either a means-tested subsidy or a non-means-tested subsidy in the same academic year.
      
     For the 2020/21 academic year, the means-tested subsidy under the scheme is HK$16,800 (full-rate) and HK$8,400 (half-rate). The non-means-tested subsidy is HK$5,600. There are 186 designated Mainland institutions, including 122 institutions participating in the 2020/21 Scheme for Admission of Hong Kong Students to Mainland Higher Education Institutions. The scheme is not subject to any quota.
      
     Details of the MUSSS and the application form are available on the EDB website (www.edb.gov.hk/musss). The EDB will notify individual applicants of the application results by the first quarter of 2021.

     The Government today (September 2) announced the appointments of 11 incumbent members and three new members to the Steering Committee on Construction Innovation and Technology Fund for a two-year term with effect from September 7, 2020.
      
     The Secretary for Development, Mr Michael Wong, said, "The Steering Committee made valuable recommendations on the operation of the Construction Innovation and Technology Fund (CITF) in the past two years. We look forward to working closely with all members of the new-term Steering Committee to ensure that the CITF will continue to drive the industry towards innovation effectively."
      
     Mr Wong welcomed the newly appointed members, Ms Amy Chan Nga-yin, Mr Kenneth Cheung Tat-fai and Ms Rachel Chow Ka-wing, to join the Steering Committee, and expressed gratitude to the outgoing members, Mr Jeff Tung Jing-kong and Mr Franklin Yu, for their valuable contributions to the work of the CITF. 
      
     The Government set up the $1 billion CITF in 2018 to boost the capacities of enterprises and practitioners in the construction industry to adopt new technology, and to support the industry to harness innovative technology. As of last month, the CITF had approved about 1 300 applications, offering funding grants of more than $270 million. The Steering Committee, comprising members of various professions in the industry, advises the Government on the operation of the CITF.
      
     Membership of the Steering Committee with effect from September 7, 2020, is as follows:
 
Chairperson
————–
Permanent Secretary for Development (Works)
 
Members
———–
Mr Chan Chi-chiu
Mr Antonio Chan Chi-ming
Ms Amy Chan Nga-yin*
Mr Victor Cheung Chi-kong
Mr Cheung Man-tim
Mr Kenneth Cheung Tat-fai*
Ms Rachel Chow Ka-wing*
Mr Edwin Chung Kwok-fai
Mr Wes Jones
Professor Christopher Leung Kin-ying
Mr Billy Wong Kin-yee
Executive Director of the Construction Industry Council
Director of Buildings
Deputy Director of Housing (Development and Construction)
 
* New members