Children Chiropractic Foundation Limited has been issued a Public Subscription Permit to hold a territory-wide flag sale from 7am to 12.30pm today (July 17), a spokesman for the Social Welfare Department (SWD) said. 

     For enquiries, please call the SWD's hotline at 2343 2255, or the designated hotline of the 1823 Call Centre at 3142 2678. Information on flag days is available at the SWD's website (www.swd.gov.hk/en/index/site_whatsnew) and the GovHK portal (www.gov.hk/en/theme/fundraising/search). Permits for flag days containing contact information of the flag-selling organisations and information on the approved flag-selling activities have also been uploaded to the SWD's website (www.swd.gov.hk/en/index/site_pubsvc/page_controlofc/sub_recentlyap). For enquiries about the detailed flag-selling arrangements, please contact the individual flag-selling organisations.

     Details of the charitable fund-raising activities covered by the Public Subscription Permit issued by the SWD have also been uploaded to the GovHK website (www.gov.hk/fundraising).

     In case of suspected fraudulent flag day activities, people should not make any donation and should immediately report the matter to the Police, the spokesman added.

     Hong Kong Customs today (July 16) arrested a male director and a male salesperson of a ginseng and dried seafood shop suspected of engaging in aggressive commercial practices in the course of selling Chinese herbal medicine, in contravention of the Trade Descriptions Ordinance (TDO).

     Customs earlier received information alleging that staff members of a ginseng and dried seafood shop in Mong Kok were suspected to have used coercion when selling Chinese herbal medicine to a customer who was forced to procure Chinese herbal medicine valued at about $7,000.

     After investigation, Customs officers today arrested two men, aged 28 and 42.

     Investigation is ongoing and the arrested men have been released on bail pending further investigation.

     Customs reminds traders to comply with the requirements of the TDO and consumers to procure products at reputable shops.

     Under the TDO, any trader commits an offence of engaging in aggressive commercial practices if harassment, coercion or undue influence is used to impair consumer's freedom of choice or conduct, causing the consumer to make a transactional decision. The maximum penalty upon conviction is a fine of $500,000 and imprisonment for five years.

     Members of the public may report any suspected violations of the TDO to Customs' 24-hour hotline 2545 6182 or its dedicated crime-reporting email account (crimereport@customs.gov.hk).

The following is issued on behalf of the Hospital Authority:

     Regarding an earlier announcement on Candida auris carrier cases, the spokesperson for Kowloon West Cluster (KWC) made the following update today (July 16):
 
     According to the contact tracing result, three more male patients (aged 64 to 92) are confirmed to carry Candida auris while not having signs of infection. One of the patients stayed in the Medical and Geriatric Ward of Princess Margaret Hospital (PMH) and has been discharged. Among the two male patients stayed in the Extended Care Ward of North Lantau Hospital (NLTH), one of them is still being treated in NLTH and the other is being treated in PMH due to underlying diseases. Both are under isolation with stable condition. In accordance with prevailing guideline, the following enhanced infection control measures have already been adopted in both hospitals:
 
1. Thorough cleaning and disinfection of the wards concerned;
2. Enhanced patient and environmental screening procedures; and
3. Application of stringent contact precautions and enhanced hand hygiene of staff and patients.
 
     KWC will continue to closely monitor the situation of the patients. The cases have been reported to the Hospital Authority Head Office and the Centre for Health Protection for necessary follow-up.

     The Chief Secretary for Administration, Mr Matthew Cheung Kin-chung, chaired the sixth meeting of the third-term Commission on Poverty (CoP) this afternoon (July 16).

     The CoP endorsed the launch of three proposed new assistance programmes and the proposed extension of two existing assistance programmes of the Community Care Fund (CCF).

New assistance programmes

(1) The CoP agreed to launch the Pilot Scheme on Subsidy for Conversion of School Premises for Transitional Housing – Lok Sin Tong Primary School to facilitate the Lok Sin Tong Benevolent Society Kowloon to convert the premises of its primary school in Kowloon City to provide transitional social housing for no less than three years. The pilot scheme, with an overall provision of $13.04 million, is expected to provide about 50 units and benefit around 180 people;

(2) The CoP agreed to launch the Subsidy to Purchase and Construct Modular Housing to enable the Hong Kong Council of Social Service (HKCSS) to implement its Modular Social Housing Pilot Scheme – Yen Chow Street Project. Under the pilot scheme, the HKCSS will purchase and build modular housing in order to provide transitional social housing. The pilot scheme, with an overall provision of $99.92 million, is expected to provide about 205 units and benefit around 420 people; and

(3) The CoP agreed to launch the Digital Terrestrial Television Assistance Programme. HKCSS will be engaged as the overall implementation agent to help analogue television (TV) households with financial difficulties obtain digital TV receivers so that they can continue to access local free TV programmes after the switching off of analogue TV broadcasts on November 30, 2020. The assistance programme, with an overall provision of $456.45 million, is expected to benefit around 160 000 eligible households.

     In addition, the CoP agreed in principle to launch the Assistance Programme to Improve the Living Environment of Low-income Subdivided Unit Households and the overall provision of $287.04 million of the programme. The programme seeks to provide a one-off subsidy for low-income households living in subdivided units (SDU) to improve their living environment through carrying out minor improvement/repair works, purchasing furniture and household goods as well as pest control services. HKCSS will be the overall implementation agent and will partner with various non-governmental organisations to procure the needed goods and services for eligible households. Having regards to members' comments, the Social Welfare Department will review and revise the details of the programme, including the maximum level of allowance eligible for households of different sizes benefitting from the programme. The revised details will be circulated to members after the meeting.
      
Extension of existing assistance programmes
      
     In addition, the CoP endorsed the extension of the Pilot Scheme on Raising the Maximum Level of Disregarded Earnings for Recipients with Disabilities under the Comprehensive Social Security Assistance Scheme for 12 months till end-September 2020 to continue to raise the maximum level of disregarded earnings for Comprehensive Social Security Assistance (CSSA) recipients with disabilities to encourage them to secure employment. Under the pilot scheme, the total disregarded earnings of a disabled CSSA recipient from employment is at a maximum of $4,000 per month (i.e. the additional disregarded earnings is up to a maximum of $1,500 per month). The CoP also endorsed an additional funding provision of $6.81 million, making the revised total provision $54.06 million; and
      
     The CoP also endorsed the extension of the Pilot Scheme on Providing Subsidy for Higher Disability Allowance Recipients in Paid Employment to Hire Carers for 12 months till end-September 2020. The extension will continue to provide a monthly subsidy of $5,000 for existing eligible beneficiaries to hire carers to assist them in travelling between their home and workplace (not applicable to persons working from home), thereby encouraging them to sustain employment. No additional funding provision is required for the extension of the pilot scheme.

     At the meeting, members also noted the implementation progress of various assistance programmes and the financial position of the CCF. The CoP endorsed the increase of audit fees of $80,000 under the Elderly Dental Assistance Programme due to its extension. Members also noted the evaluation report on the completed Incentive Scheme to Further Encourage CSSA Recipients of the Integrated Employment Assistance Programme for Self-reliance to Secure Employment, conducted by the Chinese University of Hong Kong and commissioned by the Social Welfare Department.
      
     To further encourage able-bodied CSSA recipients aged between 60 and 64 to continue entering the labour market, the Government has pledged to review measures to encourage employment under the CSSA Scheme in 2019. The Labour and Welfare Bureau briefed members on the guiding principles and considerations of conducting the review, along with the Government's enhancement measures on CSSA and other cash assistance schemes in recent years. Members expressed views on the direction of the review exercise and made suggestions concerning the review.

     Members were also briefed on the sustainability assessment system of the HKSAR Government.

     Hong Kong Police received a suspect in connection with a murder case from the Mainland authorities at the Lok Ma Chau Boundary Control Point today (July 16).

     A local man, aged 27, was suspected to be in connection with a murder happened in Yuen Long on July 6 this year in which a man was killed. The suspect fled to the Mainland after the case.

     With the information of the suspect, Police sought assistance from the Ministry of Public Security, Guangdong Provincial Public Security Department and Shenzhen Public Security Bureau. The suspect was subsequently arrested in the Mainland.

     Hong Kong Police were grateful for the invaluable assistance rendered by the Ministry of Public Security, Guangdong Provincial Public Security Department and Shenzhen Public Security Bureau, which resulted in the arrest of the suspect. The arrest of the suspect in the Mainland demonstrated the determination of the Police of the two places in combating crimes jointly and to uphold the rule of law.

     Active investigation by District Crime Squad of Yuen Long is underway.