The Lands Department announced today (July 23) that in respect of the tender for the site New Kowloon Inland Lot No. 6553 at Kai Tak Area 4C Site 1, Kai Tak, Kowloon, which was awarded on June 26 to the successful tenderer, Fam… read more
Two men were fined $3,500 and $4,000 at the Eastern Magistrates’ Courts and the Fanling Magistrates’ Courts today (July 23) for contravening the Hotel and Guesthouse Accommodation Ordinance.
The courts heard that in December last year and January this year, officers of the Office of the Licensing Authority (OLA), the Home Affairs Department, inspected two suspected unlicensed guesthouses on Choi Yuen Road in Sheung Shui and King’s Road in North Point. During the inspections, the OLA officers posed as lodgers and successfully rented rooms in these guesthouses on a daily basis.
According to the OLA’s records, these guesthouses did not possess licences under the Ordinance on the days of inspection. The men responsible for operating and managing the premises were charged with contravening section 5(1) of the Ordinance.
A department spokesman stressed that operating or managing an unlicensed guesthouse is a criminal offence and will lead to a criminal record. Upon conviction, the offender is liable to a maximum fine of $200,000 and two years’ imprisonment.
The spokesman appealed to anyone with information about suspected unlicensed guesthouses to report it to the OLA through the hotline (Tel: 2881 7498), by email (hadlaenq@had.gov.hk), by fax (2504 5805) using the report form downloaded from the OLA website (www.hadla.gov.hk), or through the mobile application “Hong Kong Licensed Hotels and Guesthouses”. read more
A man and a company were fined $1,800 and $3,000 respectively at the Eastern Magistrates’ Courts today (July 23) for contravening the Clubs (Safety of Premises) Ordinance.
The courts heard that in December last year, officers from the Office of the Licensing Authority (OLA) of the Home Affairs Department conducted an inspection at a club on Foo Ming Street in Causeway Bay, which had been operating with a certificate of compliance (CoC).
OLA officers posed as customers and patronised the club for food without being asked to show their membership status or being invited to join the club as members. Condition 19 of the CoC was breached.
The man and the company, being the manager of the club and the CoC holder of the club respectively, were charged with contravening section 21(1) (a) and section 21(2) of the Ordinance.
A spokesman for the department reminded all CoC holders to comply with the conditions as stipulated therein. Enforcement action will continue to be taken against illegal club operations. read more
Having thoroughly considered the review report submitted by the Task Force on School-based Management (SBM) Policy, the Education Bureau (EDB) today (July 23) decided to accept all the 27 recommendations contained therein.
The Task Force set up under the Education Commission (EC) submitted its report on July 8 this year, putting forward a total of 27 recommendations with a view to improving the quality of governance, strengthening the administration capabilities of schools and unleashing capacity for teachers and principals, and enhancing the participation of major stakeholders in school governance which includes optimising the mechanism on handling teachers’ complaints. The recommendations are set out in the Annex.
The Secretary for Education, Mr Kevin Yeung, said, “The Task Force’s recommendations are pragmatic and constructive in further enhancing the effectiveness of SBM. The EDB attaches great importance to the effective implementation of SBM. We have earlier adopted the Task Force’s preliminary views and announced that starting from the 2019/20 school year, all public sector schools (including special schools) and schools under the Direct Subsidy Scheme would be provided with additional resources of $570 million each year for the implementation of two of the recommendations, including the ‘One Executive Officer for Each School’ initiative and the SBM Top-up Grant.
“After thorough consideration of the review report, we have decided to implement 14 other recommendations gradually starting from the 2019/20 school year, such as enhancing manager training and school visits, setting up focus groups to understand the stakeholders’ needs, implementing the soft training targets for school managers, and following up with the Panel of Review Boards on School Complaints to expand the scope of its review to cover teachers’ complaints. The EDB is currently formulating the implementation details.”
He added that as the remaining 11 recommendations concern school sponsoring bodies or incorporated management committees, the EDB would contact them as soon as possible, calling on them to implement the recommendations starting from the 2019/20 school year and providing them with appropriate assistance.
The full review report can be viewed on the EC website (www.e-c.edu.hk/en/publications_and_related_documents/education_reports.html). read more
A spokesman for the Labour Department (LD) today (July 23) reminded operators of employment agencies (EAs) to conduct their business in compliance with the law and the requirements of the Code of Practice for EAs (the Code) at all t… read more