Tag Archives: China

     The Secretary for Home Affairs, Mr Lau Kong-wah, visited Central and Western District this morning (November 22), where he learnt about a children’s picture book reading activity and an intangible cultural heritage workshop. He also attended an event under a sports promotion scheme, watched a lion dance performance by students and exchanged views with Central and Western District Council (C&WDC) members.

     Accompanied by the Chairman of the C&WDC, Mr Yip Wing-shing; the Vice Chairman of the C&WDC, Mr Chan Hok-fung; and the District Officer (Central and Western), Mrs Susanne Wong, Mr Lau first went to Kennedy Town Community Complex to participate in a children’s picture book reading activity. Through reading of picture books and games, the activity aims to promote reading as well as encourage children to get involved in the community and understand the intangible cultural heritage of the district. Mr Lau also visited an intangible cultural heritage workshop at the same location and accompanied the children to learn a paper crafting technique from a craftsman together.
      
     Mr Lau then proceeded to Kennedy Town Swimming Pool Sitting-out Area to learn about the Community Parent-child Sports Promotion Scheme, which is a pilot scheme jointly started by the Central and Western District Recreation and Sports Association and other sports organisations. He observed students joining various sports promotion activities to understand more about different sporting potentials of students. Mr Lau also watched a lion dance performance by a team of ethnic minority students of Chiu Sheung School, Hong Kong. He commended the ethnic minority students for their talent and their enthusiasm in learning about traditional Chinese culture.
      
     Mr Lau said he was happy to know that the two above-mentioned programmes were innovatively introduced by the Central and Western District Office and the Leisure and Cultural Services Department to flexibly make use of the district’s community facilities and release more space for local organisations in the district for use as a platform for organising activities for stakeholders, such as schools, youths and non-government organisations. In addition, he said he appreciated that local organisations regularly hold activities for residents, especially on activities that have district characteristics and support children to get involved with the local community.
         
     Mr Lau also toured Kennedy Town Swimming Pool to inspect its facilities. Before concluding his visit, he met with C&WDC members to exchange views on matters of concern. read more

     The $1 billion Innovation and Technology Fund for Application in Elderly and Rehabilitation Care (I&T Fund) will be open for application from December 3.

     Officiating at the opening ceremony of the Gerontech and Innovation Expo cum Summit 2018 today (November 22), the Chief Secretary for Administration, Mr Matthew Cheung Kin-chung, announced that the I&T Fund will be launched on December 3. He said, “The I&T Fund will subsidise elderly and rehabilitation service units to procure, rent or try out technology products, so as to improve the quality of life of service users and reduce the pressure and burden on care staff and carers.”

     The I&T Fund, an initiative announced in the Chief Executive’s 2017 Policy Address, is established and managed by the Social Welfare Department (SWD). The SWD, in consultation with various stakeholders, will draw up a reference list of Recognised Technology Application Products. Applicants may apply for procurement or rental of the items on the reference list, which include devices, equipment and tools that can help enhance the effectiveness and quality of care, as well as mobile applications, hardware and software systems that can effectively and accurately record the activities, health and medical conditions and more of elderly persons and persons with disabilities. Applicants may identify suitable technology research and development companies as working partners to try their newly developed technology products designed specifically for the nursing and rehabilitation needs of elderly persons or persons with disabilities. The cost of staff training on how to use the relevant technology products and the cost of warranty and maintenance of the products will also be covered by the I&T Fund.

     The I&T Fund will be open for application (first tranche) from December 3 and the deadline for submission of applications is February 28, 2019. An Assessment Panel comprising professionals from academia, the information technology sector and other relevant sectors as well as representatives from related government bureaux/departments will be formed to vet funding applications.

     All non-governmental organisations and private organisations currently receiving subsidies from the SWD and providing subsidised residential care services for the elderly or persons with disabilities, community care and support services for the elderly or day rehabilitation and community support services may make applications. It is estimated that over 1 260 service units could benefit. The SWD will issue letters to eligible service operators to invite their applications. Eligible service operators are also invited to a briefing session to be held on November 28 to learn more about the application procedures and selection criteria of the I&T Fund.
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     A dedicated webpage covering details of the I&T Fund will be set up soon.
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     The Chief Secretary for Administration, Mr Matthew Cheung Kin-chung; the Chairperson of the Hong Kong Council of Social Service, Mr Bernard Chan; and the Chief Executive Officer of the Hong Kong Science and Technology Parks Corporation, Mr Albert Wong, officiated at the Opening Ceremony of the Gerontech and Innovation Expo cum Summit (GIES) 2018 today (November 22) together with representatives from its major sponsors.

     Technology is integral to our daily lives, no matter in social welfare, healthcare or other areas, and the application of gerontechnology is increasingly seen as a key strategy to help fulfil the needs of an ageing population. The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Government hopes to raise public awareness on the application of gerontechnology. Showcasing local and overseas innovative technology products and concepts, the GIES provides a collaborative platform for stakeholders to enhance quality of life for the elderly through the application of innovative technology.

     Addressing the ceremony, Mr Cheung said that the HKSAR Government attaches great importance to the well-being of its elderly citizens. The Government’s recurrent spending on the elderly, including social welfare payments, medical services and other support, amounts to 20 per cent (or $86 billion) of total government expenditure. With a view to providing quality and cost-effective long-term care services for the elderly, the Government is delivering a series of elderly initiatives following the policy objective of promoting “ageing in place as the core, institutional care as back-up”. The Government anticipates that through the application of innovative technology to support the elderly to live independently and securely at home and to strengthen their social connections, the quality of life of the elderly can be enhanced, while at the same time the burden and pressure on care staff and carers can be relieved. To achieve this, the Government has been promoting research and development of technologies in the elderly service sector through a number of funding programmes under the Innovation and Technology Fund.

     Mr Cheung took the opportunity to formally announce at the opening ceremony that the $1 billion Innovation and Technology Fund for Application in Elderly and Rehabilitation Care would be open for applications from December 3. All non-governmental and private organisations currently receiving subsidies from the Social Welfare Department and providing subsidised residential care services for the elderly or persons with disabilities, community care and support services for the elderly, or day rehabilitation and community support services, will be eligible to apply for the Fund to procure or rent technology products, or try out newly developed technology products. It is estimated that over 1 260 service units could benefit.

     After the opening ceremony, the Secretary for Labour and Welfare, Dr Law Chi-kwong; and the Founder and Partner of Copenhagen Living Lab in Denmark, Mr Thomas Hammer-Jakobsen, delivered keynote speeches to review policies supporting the application of innovation and technology in local elderly and rehabilitation care, and to outline the roles of different stakeholders in the emergence of gerontechnology, respectively.

     The GIES 2018 is open to the public free of charge. Those who are interested may visit the event’s website (gies.hk/en) for more information.

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     The CreateSmart Initiative (CSI), a dedicated fund the Government established in 2009 to promote the development of creative industries, is approaching its 10th anniversary. The CSI has achieved positive results in terms of economic benefits, key performance indicators and intangible benefits. As at the end of September this year, $1,072 million had been committed under the CSI to support a total of 449 projects, in which 90 international awards had been attained.

     Meanwhile, the Government injected $1 billion in one go into the CSI in the middle of this year. In addition, the Chief Executive in her 2018 Policy Address announced last month proposed to make a one-off injection of $1 billion into the Film Development Fund. This shows that the Government is committed to supporting the development of creative industries.

     The CreateSmart Initiative Exhibition organised by Create Hong Kong under the Commerce and Economic Development Bureau is being held from today (November 22) until November 25 at Tai Kwun in Central to showcase over 100 exhibits of CSI-funded projects covering seven sectors, namely advertising, architecture, design, digital entertainment, music, television and printing and publishing.

     Speaking at the Exhibition’s opening ceremony, the Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development, Mr Edward Yau, said, “Creative industries have immense development potential. This is reflected by the completion of creative industries landmarks covering different sectors in recent years. Creative industries also provide new impetus for the economy of Hong Kong. Our strategic foci are nurturing talents and start-ups, exploring markets, and promoting cross-sectoral and cross-territorial collaboration in order to reinforce Hong Kong’s status as a creative capital of the region.”

     Mr Yau said that the current-term Government has put special emphasis on nurturing young creative talents. The Government will continue to earmark no less than 50 per cent of the CSI funding for nurturing talents, such as enhancing collaboration among the industries of Hong Kong, the Mainland and overseas.

     The CSI has been sponsoring the DFA Hong Kong Young Design Talent Award and its nurturing programmes and 75 awardees have been supported to undertake work attachments and further studies in overseas countries over the years. The Design Incubation Programme and the Fashion Incubation Programme, supported by the CSI and administered by the Hong Kong Design Centre (HKDC), have so far nurtured 236 design and fashion start-up companies. Other partnership programmes with tertiary institutions have also offered placement, on-the-job training and collaboration opportunities with the trade for 300 fresh graduates of different creative sectors.

     In respect of exploring markets, the CSI has been subsidising the industry to participate in different creative programmes in collaboration with different Mainland and overseas cities, which has included sponsoring emerging designer brands to join the Paris Fashion Week. The current-term Government is also committed to pushing forward different community participation activities for promotion of cross-sectoral and cross-territorial collaboration, including the Sham Shui Po Design and Fashion Project which combines industry and tourism, and the project at 7 Mallory Street to promote design and design thinking.

     Mr Yau said the nominal value added of creative industries in the past decade has increased by 50 per cent from $38.8 billion in 2009 to $58.3 billion in 2016. The number of companies engaged in the industry rose 28 per cent (from 21 000 to 27 000) and the number of practitioners rose 9 per cent (from 123 000 to 135 000). Among the eight creative industries, the growth of the digital entertainment and design sectors has been the most impressive.

     Intangible benefits brought about by the CSI have included an enhanced international profile and recognition of Hong Kong as a city of creativity and design. Business of Design Week (BODW) curated by the HKDC, for example, now in its 17th edition, has become an international iconic event on the business of design, enhancing Hong Kong’s status as a city of design excellence in Asia. BODW, together with the series of concurrent events, drew more than 150 000 participants in 2017.

     The CreateSmart Initiative Exhibition runs from today to November 25 at F Hall Studio, Tai Kwun, Central. Busking shows and design-related workshops will also be held for members of the public to join. Admission is free. The exhibition will move to K11 Art Mall on February 13, 2019 until February 28, 2019 after being on display at Tai Kwun. read more

     The Electrical and Mechanical Services Department today (November 22) announced an adjustment to the auto-LPG (liquefied petroleum gas) ceiling prices for dedicated LPG filling stations from December 1 to December 31, 2018, in accordance with the terms and conditions of the contracts of the dedicated LPG filling stations.

     A department spokesman said that the adjustment on December 1, 2018, reflects the movement of the LPG international price in November 2018. The adjusted auto-LPG ceiling prices for dedicated LPG filling stations will range from $3.34 to $3.88 per litre, representing a decrease of $0.54 to $0.55 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 December 2018 are as follows:
 

Location of dedicated LPG filling station	Auto-LPG ceiling price in December 2018 ($/litre)	Auto-LPG ceiling price in November 2018 ($/litre)
Fung Yip Street, Chai Wan	3.88	4.42
Ngo Cheung Road, West Kowloon	3.88	4.42
Sham Mong Road, Mei Foo	3.55	4.10
Yip Wong Road, Tuen Mun	3.55	4.10
Marsh Road, Wan Chai	3.55	4.09
Fung Mat Road, Sheung Wan	3.48	4.02
Wai Lok Street, Kwun Tong	3.48	4.02
Yuen Chau Tsai, Tai Po	3.48	4.02
Cheung Yip Street, Kowloon Bay	3.53	4.07
Kwai On Road, Kwai Chung	3.53	4.07
Hang Yiu Street, Ma On Shan	3.34	3.89
Tak Yip Street, Yuen Long	3.34	3.89

 
      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. read more