The following is issued on behalf of the Legislative Council Secretariat: The following meetings of the Legislative Council (LegCo) committee originally scheduled to be held in the LegCo Complex have been cancelled: … read more
The Environmental Protection Department (EPD) today (July 12) launched a three-month consultation to solicit public views on the findings of the review on the Air Quality Objectives (AQOs).
The Government has all along been actively putting forward and implementing various emission reduction measures to improve air quality and safeguard public health on a sustainable basis. To attain the ultimate targets set under the World Health Organization Air Quality Guidelines, the Government will review the AQOs every five years in accordance with the law and assess the progress in improving air quality to aid in deciding the AQOs for the next five year period.
Hong Kong’s prevailing AQOs took effect on January 1, 2014, with a view to broadly attaining them by 2020. In mid-2016, the Government set up an AQOs Review Working Group to undertake a series of assessments and discussions to evaluate air quality improvement and set the AQOs to be attained in 2025. The Working Group comprised over 60 members including stakeholders and experts from various sectors including air science, health professions, green groups, academia, chambers of commerce, professional bodies and trade, as well as representatives from relevant government bureaux and departments. The Government completed the review in December 2018 and submitted a review report to the Advisory Council on the Environment (ACE) in February 2019. The report was discussed by members of the ACE and the Panel on Environmental Affairs of the Legislative Council at their respective meetings in March.
“The Working Group adopted scientific approaches to assess the situation of the air quality in 2025. Based on the assessment results, the Working Group proposed to tighten the AQOs for sulphur dioxide and fine suspended particulates (as shown in Annex). The Government will make the final recommendations after taking into account views gathered during the public consultation,” a spokesman for the EPD said.
The EPD will arrange two public consultation forums to brief the public on the AQO review and garner their views. Details of the forums are as follows:
| Date | August 6 (Tuesday) | August 13 (Tuesday) |
| Time | 7pm to 9pm | |
| Venue | 5/F, Hong Kong Productivity Council, 78 Tat Chee Avenue, Kowloon Tong |
Ming Hua Hall, 4/F, St James’ Settlement, 85 Stone Nullah Lane, Wan Chai |
| Language | Cantonese | Cantonese with simultaneous interpretation in English and Putonghua |
Hongkong Post announced today (July 12) that, in view of a public event to be held outside Sha Tin Government Offices this Sunday (July 14), the Post Office Box Lobby of Sha Tin Central Post Office located in the building will … read more
The Environmental Protection Department (EPD) today (July 12) released the latest grading of water quality for 38 gazetted beaches that are open for swimming and one non-gazetted beach (i.e. Discovery Bay*).
Fourteen beaches were rated as Good (Grade 1), 18 as Fair (Grade 2) and seven as Poor (Grade 3).
Grade 1 beaches are:
| Cheung Chau Tung Wan Beach | Lo So Shing Beach |
| Chung Hom Kok Beach | Repulse Bay Beach |
| Discovery Bay | St Stephen’s Beach |
| Hap Mun Bay Beach | Stanley Main Beach |
| Hung Shing Yeh Beach | Tong Fuk Beach |
| Kiu Tsui Beach | Trio Beach |
| Kwun Yam Beach | Turtle Cove Beach |
| Anglers’ Beach | Kadoorie Beach |
| Approach Beach | Lower Cheung Sha Beach |
| Butterfly Beach | Ma Wan Tung Wan Beach |
| Cafeteria New Beach | Middle Bay Beach |
| Castle Peak Beach | Pui O Beach |
| Clear Water Bay First Beach | Shek O Beach |
| Clear Water Bay Second Beach | Silverstrand Beach |
| Deep Water Bay Beach | South Bay Beach |
| Golden Beach | Upper Cheung Sha Beach |
| Big Wave Bay Beach | Lido Beach |
| Cafeteria Old Beach | Silver Mine Bay Beach |
| Casam Beach | Ting Kau Beach |
| Hoi Mei Wan Beach |
The following is issued on behalf of the Hong Kong Monetary Authority:
The Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) released today (July 12) the key analytical accounts of the Exchange Fund at the end of June 2019.
Foreign assets, representing the external assets of the Exchange Fund, increased during the month by HK$51.1 billion to HK$3,653.9 billion.
The Monetary Base, comprising Certificates of Indebtedness, Government‑issued currency notes and coins in circulation, the balance of the banking system and Exchange Fund Bills and Notes issued, amounted to HK$1,634.5 billion.
Claims on the private sector in Hong Kong amounted to HK$216.3 billion.
The analytical accounts of the Exchange Fund are released in accordance with the International Monetary Fund’s Special Data Dissemination Standard (SDDS) and are referred to as the Analytical Accounts of the Central Bank under SDDS (Annex).
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At present, four press releases relating to the Exchange Fund’s data are issued by the HKMA each month. Three of these releases are issued to disseminate monetary data in accordance with the International Monetary Fund’s Special Data Dissemination Standard (SDDS). The fourth press release, on the Exchange Fund’s Abridged Balance Sheet and Currency Board Account, is made in accordance with the HKMA’s policy of maintaining a high level of transparency. For the month of July 2019, the scheduled dates for issuing the press releases are as follows:
| July 5 (Issued) |
SDDS International Reserves (Hong Kong’s Latest Foreign Currency Reserve Assets Figures) |
| July 12 |
SDDS Analytical Accounts of the Central Bank (Analytical Accounts of the Exchange Fund) |
| July 31 |
SDDS Template on International Reserves and Foreign Currency Liquidity |
| July 31 |
Exchange Fund Abridged Balance Sheet and Currency Board Account |