The Labour and Welfare Bureau today (April 23) announced that the deadline for applications under the first round of funding from the Elder Academy Development Foundation (EADF) in 2020 has been extended to June 30 to provide sufficient time for sponsoring bodies of primary and secondary schools, post-secondary institutions and organisations which may be affected by the COVID-19 epidemic to prepare their submissions.

     The Committee on EADF accepts funding applications all year round, and conducts vetting and disburses funding twice a year. The deadlines for the first round and the second round were generally May 31 and October 31 respectively. The Committee will continue to monitor the situation and announce arrangements for the next round in due course.

     The Elder Academy (EA) Scheme aims to promote continuous learning for elderly people, active ageing and inter-generational harmony. The EADF mainly provides funding for primary and secondary schools as well as post-secondary institutions to set up EAs to provide learning opportunities in a school setting for the elderly. Funding is also provided for activities that encourage elderly learning and inter-generational harmony.

     Each approved EA in a primary or secondary school will be provided with funding of up to $122,000 for implementing a three-year programme. EAs that have completed the first three-year programme may apply for funding of up to $60,000 for running a two-year programme.

     As regards applications for organising EA courses in post-secondary institutions or other applications, the Committee on EADF will assess and decide the funding amount according to the merits of individual proposals.

     Details of the funding applications may be downloaded from the website of the EA Scheme (www.elderacademy.org.hk). For enquiries, please contact the secretariat of the Committee on EADF (3655 5861/3655 5007).

     Following is the transcript of remarks by the Secretary for the Civil Service, Mr Patrick Nip, at a media session in the Legislative Council Building this morning (April 23):
 
Reporter : (inaudible) the second question is how could the Government have misunderstood (Basic Law) Article 22 for almost three decades (inaudible) or change the stance on the matter?
 
Secretary for the Civil Service: Firstly, I think the Chief Executive in yesterday's press conference had made it very clear. The movement in my position has nothing to do with the incident relating to the Basic Law (Article) 22. That's the first point. The second point is that, as a political appointee, a cabinet reshuffle is not an uncommon phenomenon and actually every political appointee is always prepared for that. The most important thing is that we support the Chief Executive in implementing her policy blueprint. For whatever the movement that's appropriate, we would be happy to do so. So I am actually very honoured to take up the new position as the Secretary for the Civil Service. The job is also very challenging and is very meaningful, and I would dedicate myself to do the job especially in this challenging time to lead the civil service to continue performing their duties in a professional, in a very impartial and politically neutral manner to serve the public.
 
Reporter: My follow-up question is about the government's understanding about Article 22. How could it have been wrong for almost three decades or are you just saying that to please Beijing?
 
Secretary for the Civil Service: On that point, I think the Chief Executive had already explained. If you look at the Government papers during different periods, the interpretation or the Government's position on the matter, the presentation may not be very clear, and apparently inconsistent. But now I think the issue on the status and position of the CPG Liaison Office in Hong Kong is very clear, as laid down in the press statements and also as explained by the Chief Executive and the relevant officials.

Reporter: Could you just clarify whether or not the Liaison Office is bound by Article 22 and is it a department of the Central People's Government (CPG)?
 
Secretary for the Civil Service: I would not further comment on this issue.
 
Reporter: But this is not clear by now. People are concerned about whether the Liaison Office is bound by Article 22 or not, so you should make it clear for the record.
 
Secretary for the Civil Service: We have already made it very clear about the Government position on the Basic Law Article 22 and also the position of the CPG Liaison Office. So I have nothing further to add.

(Please also refer to the Chinese portion of the transcript.)

     In light of the latest development of COVID-19 and the need to reduce social contact to arrest the spread of the disease in the community, the Central Allocation results of this year's Primary One Admission will be sent to parents by post. Parents need not go to "Central Allocation Centres" to collect the allocation results, a spokesman for the Education Bureau (EDB) said today (April 23).

     "The EDB will deliver the 'Primary One Registration Form' with Central Allocation results to parents by door-to-door delivery from June 3 to June 4 through the 'Local CourierPost' service provided by Hongkong Post. If no one is present to receive the mail item at the time of delivery by Hongkong Post, a 'Mail Collection Notification Card' will be left for parents to collect it from the designated post office starting from the afternoon of the following working day. If parents have not received the 'Primary One Registration Form' or the 'Mail Collection Notification Card' issued by Hongkong Post by June 5, they could collect the 'Primary One Registration Form' at the designated 'Collection Centre' from June 6 to June 7. The EDB will send a letter to parents on April 24 to inform them of the detailed arrangements," the spokesman said.

     The spokesman reminded parents to keep themselves abreast of the latest arrangements for the release of Central Allocation results and for registration by reading the latest EDB press releases and the messages posted on the EDB's Primary One Admission Website (path: EDB website (www.edb.gov.hk) > Education System and Policy > Primary and Secondary School Education > School Places Allocation Systems > Primary One Admission System).

     Parents may call the EDB's 24-hour automatic telephone enquiry system on 2891 0088 for information on Primary One Admission. Further enquiries may be directed to the School Places Allocation Section (Primary One Admission) on 2832 7700 and 2832 7740.

     The Electrical and Mechanical Services Department today (April 23) announced an adjustment to the auto-LPG (liquefied petroleum gas) ceiling prices for dedicated LPG filling stations from May 1 to May 31, 2020, in accordance with the terms and conditions of the contracts of the dedicated LPG filling stations.
      
     A department spokesman said that the adjustment on May 1, 2020, reflects the movement of the LPG international price in April 2020. The adjusted auto-LPG ceiling prices for dedicated LPG filling stations will range from $2.13 to $2.69 per litre, representing a decrease of $0.98 per litre.
      
     The spokesman said that the auto-LPG ceiling prices were adjusted according to a specified pricing formula. The formula comprises two elements – the LPG international price and the LPG operating price. The LPG international price is the LPG international price of the preceding month. The LPG operating price is adjusted on the first day of February every year according to the movement in the Composite Consumer Price Index in the previous year.
      
     The auto-LPG ceiling prices for respective dedicated LPG filling stations in May 2020 are as follows:
 

     The spokesman said that the details of the LPG international price and the auto-LPG ceiling price of each dedicated LPG filling station have been uploaded to the department website www.emsd.gov.hk. They are also posted at dedicated LPG filling stations to enable the trades to monitor the price adjustment.
      
     Details of the pricing adjustment mechanism for dedicated LPG filling stations can also be viewed under the "What's New" section of the department website at www.emsd.gov.hk/en/what_s_new/current/index.html.

     The Government announced today (April 23) that the Chief Executive has re-appointed Professor Frederick Ma Si-hang as the Chairman of the Council of the Education University of Hong Kong (EdUHK) for the period from April 25, 2020, to December 31, 2020.

     Professor Ma cannot accept a three-year term up until 2023 due to personal reasons. The Secretary for Education, Mr Kevin Yeung, thanked Professor Ma for his valuable contributions to EdUHK over the past three years, and also for accepting the re-appointment for a term until the end of this year. In the meantime, the Government will identify a suitable candidate for the chairmanship of the EdUHK Council.

     "Professor Ma is devoted to public service and has been the Chairman of the EdUHK Council since April 2017. Under his leadership, EdUHK continues to focus on educational research, development and innovation, promoting and supporting the strategic development of teacher education in Hong Kong by nurturing outstanding and committed educators and professionals," Mr Yeung said.