The Government today (August 30) announced the re-appointment of Dr Mak Chi-keung as the Deputy Chairman of the Hong Kong Examinations and Assessment Authority (HKEAA). In addition, the Government appointed two new members to the HKEAA and re-appointed one incumbent member. The appointments are for three years, from September 1, 2019, to August 31, 2022. Details of the appointments are as follows:

Deputy Chairman
Dr Mak Chi-keung (re-appointment)
 
Members
Mr Yau Siu-hung, secondary school principal
Ms Tennessy Hui Mei-sheung, solicitor
Ms Bonnie Lai Miu-yee, secondary school principal (re-appointment)
 
     The Secretary for Education, Mr Kevin Yeung, said that the HKEAA is an important partner of the Education Bureau and that the distinguished members from the educational and other professional fields on the HKEAA would enrich the expertise of the Authority.
      
     Mr Yeung said he looked forward to the continued leadership of Dr Mak, and welcomed Mr Yau Siu-hung and Ms Tennessy Hui Mei-sheung to serve as new members of the HKEAA. He also expressed gratitude to the outgoing members, Mr James Lam Yat-fung and Mr Stephen Hung Wan-shun, for their invaluable contributions to the work of the Authority.
 
     The HKEAA is a statutory body established under the Hong Kong Examinations and Assessment Authority Ordinance (Chapter 261) to conduct public examinations and other examinations or assessments approved by the Chief Executive. The composition of the Authority is stipulated in Schedule 2 of the Ordinance. Members of the Authority include school principals, teachers, representatives of tertiary institutions, a person who represents the interests of parents, and persons experienced in commerce, industry or a profession.  
                                                                                       
     The following is the membership list of the Authority with effect from September 1, 2019:
      
Appointed members:
Mr Samuel Yung Wing-ki (Chairman)
Dr Mak Chi-keung (Deputy Chairman)
Mr Yau Siu-hung
Ms Bonnie Lai Miu-yee
Mr Benjamin Ng Yau-keung
Ms Jane Leung Chui-chun
Ms Monica Cheng Wai-yee
Mr Jason Joseph Lee Kwong-yee
Ms Tennessy Hui Mei-sheung
Mr Raymond Cheng Chung-ching
Ms Katherine Cheung Marn-kay
 
Ex-officio members:
Two persons nominated by the Heads of Universities Committee
The Chairman of the Curriculum Development Council, or his/her representative
The Executive Director of the Vocational Training Council, or his/her representative
The Permanent Secretary for Education, or his/her representative
The Secretary General of the HKEAA

     An electrician was fined $9,000 at Kwun Tong Magistrates' Courts today (August 30) for violation of the Factories and Industrial Undertakings Ordinance. The prosecution was launched by the Labour Department.
      
     The case involved a fatal accident that occurred on September 28, 2018 in Ngau Tau Kok. A worker, while dismantling chilled water pipes on the ceiling inside a shop under renovation, received an electric shock and collapsed. He was admitted to hospital and passed away a few days later.

     A Leisure and Cultural Services Department spokesman announced today (August 30) that Hong Kong public libraries, including Hong Kong Central Library and the mobile libraries, will be closed at 5pm on the Mid-Autumn Festival (September 13, Friday).
 
     The opening hours of all public libraries on the day following the Mid-Autumn Festival (September 14) will be the same as those for public holidays, except for the South Lamma Public Library which is closed on Saturdays.
 
     Details can be obtained from notices posted at all public libraries and the website at www.hkpl.gov.hk/en/locations/opening-hours.html, or by calling 2921 0208 for enquiries. 

     The Centre for Food Safety (CFS) of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department today (August 30) released the findings of its food safety report for last month. The results of about 14 800 food samples tested were satisfactory except for 11 samples, which were announced earlier. The overall satisfactory rate was 99.9 per cent.
     
     A CFS spokesman said about 1 500 food samples were collected for microbiological tests, some 4 000 samples were taken for chemical tests and the remaining 9 300 (including about 8 800 taken from food imported from Japan) were collected to test radiation levels.
     
     The microbiological tests covered pathogens and hygienic indicators, while the chemical tests included pesticides, preservatives, metallic contaminants, colouring matters, veterinary drug residues and others.
     
     The samples comprised about 3 900 samples of vegetables and fruit and their products; 800 samples of cereals, grains and their products; 700 samples of meat and poultry and their products; 1 200 samples of milk, milk products and frozen confections; 1 800 samples of aquatic and related products; and 6 400 samples of other food commodities including beverages, bakery products and snacks.
     
     The 11 unsatisfactory samples comprised three vegetable and fruit samples detected with pesticide residues exceeding the legal limits, three samples of Shanghai noodles detected with excessive preservative, two swordfish samples found to contain mercury exceeding the legal limit, a mud carp sample and a freshwater grouper sample found to contain traces of malachite green and a fresh beef sample found to contain sulphur dioxide.
     
     The CFS has taken follow-up action on the unsatisfactory samples, including informing the vendors concerned of the test results, instructing them to stop selling the affected food items and tracing the sources of the food items in question.
     
     Since the Pesticide Residues in Food Regulation (Cap 132CM) came into effect on August 1, 2014, as of July 31 this year the CFS has taken over 181 600 food samples at the import, wholesale and retail levels for pesticide residue testing. The overall unsatisfactory rate is less than 0.2 per cent.
     
     The spokesman added that excessive pesticide residues in food may arise from the trade not observing Good Agricultural Practice, e.g. using excessive pesticides and/or not allowing sufficient time for pesticides to decompose before harvesting. The maximum residue limits (MRLs) of pesticide residues in food set in the Regulation are not safety indicators. They are the maximum concentrations of pesticide residues to be permitted in a food commodity under Good Agricultural Practice when applying pesticides. In this connection, consumption of food with pesticide residues higher than the MRLs will not necessarily lead to any adverse health effects.
     
     The spokesman reminded the food trade to ensure that food for sale is fit for human consumption and meets legal requirements. Consumers should patronise reliable shops when buying food and maintain a balanced diet to minimise food risks.

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     Here is an item of interest to swimmers.

     The Leisure and Cultural Services Department has announced that the lifesaving services at Golden Beach and â€‹Cafeteria New Beach in Tuen Mun District resumed today (August 30). The lifesaving services at the beaches were suspended earlier due to an insufficient number of lifeguards on duty.