The Lands Department announced today (November 7) that the tender for a site, New Kowloon Inland Lot No. 6574 at Kai Tak Area 4B Site 3, Kai Tak, Kowloon, has been awarded to the highest tenderer, Voyage Mile Limited (parent co… read more
The Centre for Health Protection (CHP) of the Department of Health today (November 7) reported two suspected cases of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS), and again urged the public to pay special attention to safety during travel, taking due consideration of the health risks in the places of visit. The cases are detailed below:
| Sex | Female | Female |
| Age | 42 | 27 |
| Affected areas involved | Israel and Jordan | Israel and Jordan |
| High-risk exposure | Nil | Nil |
| Hospital | Queen Mary Hospital | Queen Mary Hospital |
| Condition | Stable | Stable |
| MERS-Coronavirus preliminary test result | Negative | Negative |
The exhibition "Gilded Glory: Chaozhou Woodcarving" will open tomorrow (November 8) at the Hong Kong Museum of History. With around 120 exhibits, the exhibition will reveal the practical uses and artistic qualiti… read more
The following is issued on behalf of the Hong Kong Monetary Authority:
The Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) published today (November 7) the results of Survey on Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises (SMEs)’ Credit Conditions for the third quarter of 2018.
Regarding SMEs’ perception of banks’ credit approval stance relative to 6 months ago, 77 per cent of respondents perceived similar or easier credit approval stance in the third quarter of 2018, compared with 72 per cent recorded in the previous quarter (Chart 1 in the Annex). 23 per cent of respondents perceived more difficult credit approval stance in the third quarter of 2018, as compared to 28 per cent in the previous quarter.
Of those respondents with existing credit lines, 98 per cent reported that banks’ stance on existing credit lines was easier or unchanged in the third quarter of 2018, up from 94 per cent recorded in the previous quarter (Chart 2 in the Annex). 2 per cent of respondents reported tightened banks’ stance in the third quarter of 2018, down from 6 per cent in the previous quarter.
The Survey also gauged the results of new credit applications from SMEs. 3.1 per cent of respondents reported that they had applied for new bank credit during the third quarter of 2018. For respondents who already know their application outcomes, 94 per cent reported fully or partially successful applications; the proportion of respondents that reported fully successful applications increased to 83 per cent from 67 per cent in the survey of the previous quarter (Chart 3 in the Annex). The proportion of respondents that reported unsuccessful application increased from 2 per cent to 6 per cent. It should be noted that owing to a small sample size (i.e. 3.1 per cent of surveyed SMEs), the results on new credit applications from SMEs could be prone to large fluctuations. Care should be taken when interpreting the survey results.
About Survey on Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises (SMEs)’ Credit Conditions
In light of the importance of SMEs to the Hong Kong economy and concerns about potential funding difficulties facing SMEs over the past few years, the HKMA has appointed the Hong Kong Productivity Council (HKPC) to carry out this Survey, starting from the third quarter of 2016. This Survey is conducted on a quarterly basis, covering about 2 500 SMEs from different economic sectors each time. The results of this Survey can help monitor the development of SMEs’ access to bank credit from a demand-side perspective.
The results of this Survey should be interpreted with caution. Similar to other opinion surveys, views collected in this Survey may be affected by changes in sentiment due to idiosyncratic events that occurred over the Survey period, which can make the results prone to fluctuations. Readers are advised to interpret the results together with other economic and financial information. In addition, views collected are limited to the expected direction of inter-quarter changes (e.g. “tighter”, “similar” or “easier”) without providing information about the magnitude of these changes.
Detailed tables and technical information of this Survey are published on the website of the HKPC (smecc.hkpc.org). read more
A total of 107 persons in custody in Shek Pik Prison (SPP) of the Correctional Services Department (CSD) were presented with certificates at a ceremony today (November 7) in recognition of their study efforts and academic achievements.
The 107 persons in custody awarded certificates today had passed 236 papers with 164 distinctions and credits and achieved a total of 845 university credit points. Among them, eight persons in custody were awarded Bachelor Degrees of Business Administration, a Bachelor Degree of Business Administration in China Business and Bachelor Degrees of General Studies by the Open University of Hong Kong (OUHK). Two persons in custody attained good academic results and were presented with scholarships by the OUHK.
In 2018, a total of 199 persons in custody at SPP passed 306 papers in various distance learning courses and public examinations organised by the OUHK, the Hong Kong Examinations and Assessment Authority, the British Council and the City and Guilds International Limited.
Examinations passed covered a variety of subjects including Chinese language, English language, mathematics, economics, business finance, business statistics, business administration, software applications, Putonghua, accounting and book-keeping.
Officiating at the ceremony, the Honorary President of the Prisoners’ Friends’ Association (PFA) and member of the Legislative Council, Mr Michael Tien, said that the CSD endeavours to conduct suitable rehabilitation programmes to help persons in custody turn over a new leaf as well as reintegrate into society. Over the years, the PFA has long been supporting the rehabilitation work of the CSD and co-operating in fostering offender rehabilitation. The PFA’s volunteers help persons in custody to cope with imprisonment by providing regular visits and correspondence.
During the ceremony, persons in custody at SPP staged a dance performance, while a band formed by persons in custody also sang to convey gratitude to their family members and all those helping them in rehabilitation.
Also attending the ceremony were the Commissioner of Correctional Services, Mr Lam Kwok-leung; representatives of non-governmental and community organisations; community leaders; and family members of certificate recipients.
Situated on Lantau Island, SPP is a maximum security institution with a capacity of 426 penal places for male adult persons in custody. read more