Special traffic arrangements will be implemented in Happy Valley today (November 7). The arrangements will come into effect one and a half hours before the start of the first race and will last until the crowds have dispersed after the race meeting.

A. Traffic arrangements before the commencement of the first race

1. Road closure

     Southbound Wong Nai Chung Road between Queen's Road East and the up-ramp outside Hong Kong Jockey Club (HKJC) will be closed except for vehicles heading for Aberdeen Tunnel.

2. Traffic diversions

– Southbound Wong Nai Chung Road between Village Road and the up-ramp outside HKJC will be re-routed one way northbound;
– Vehicles from eastbound Queen's Road East heading for Wan Chai and Happy Valley will be diverted to turn left to Morrison Hill Road;
– Traffic along southbound Morrison Hill Road heading for Happy Valley will be diverted via Sports Road and Wong Nai Chung Road;
– Traffic along Queen's Road East cannot turn right to Wong Nai Chung Road except for vehicles heading to Aberdeen Tunnel;
– Traffic from Cross Harbour Tunnel heading for Queen's Road East will be diverted via the down-ramp leading from southbound Canal Road flyover to Morrison Hill Road to turn right at the junction of Wong Nai Chung Road and Queen's Road East; and
– Traffic from Cross Harbour Tunnel heading for Happy Valley or Racecourse will be diverted via the down-ramp leading from southbound Canal Road flyover to Canal Road East, southbound Morrison Hill Road, Sports Road and Wong Nai Chung Road.

B. Traffic arrangements before the conclusion of race meeting

1. Road closure

     The following roads will be closed from 35 minutes before the start of the last race:

– The up-ramp on Wong Nai Chung Road outside HKJC leading to Aberdeen Tunnel;
– Southbound Wong Nai Chung Road between Queen's Road East and the up-ramp leading to Aberdeen Tunnel;
– Southbound Wong Nai Chung Road between Village Road and the Public Stands of HKJC;
– Westbound Leighton Road between Wong Nai Chung Road and Canal Road East; and
– Southbound Morrison Hill Road between Leighton Road and Queen's Road East.

     In addition, southbound Wong Nai Chung Road between the up-ramp leading to Aberdeen Tunnel and the Public Stands of HKJC will be closed from about 10 minutes before the start of the last race.

2. Traffic diversions

     The following traffic arrangements will be implemented from 35 minutes before the start of the last race:

– Eastbound Queen's Road East at its junction with Morrison Hill Road will be reduced to one-lane traffic heading for northbound Canal Road flyover;
– Vehicles from Cross Harbour Tunnel heading for Wan Chai will be diverted via the down-ramp leading from Canal Road East, U-turn slip road beneath Canal Road flyover, Canal Road West and Hennessy Road;
– Vehicles from Cross Harbour Tunnel heading for Happy Valley will be diverted via the down-ramp leading from Canal Road East, eastbound Leighton Road and Wong Nai Chung Road;
– Traffic on southbound Morrison Hill Road will be diverted to turn left to eastbound Leighton Road;
– Traffic along southbound Morrison Hill Road heading for Happy Valley will be diverted via eastbound Leighton Road and Wong Nai Chung Road; and
– Traffic along westbound Leighton Road will be diverted to Wong Nai Chung Road.

C. Learner drivers prohibition

     Learner drivers will be prohibited to turn left from Caroline Hill Road to Leighton Road between one and a half hours before the start of the first race and one hour after the last race. In addition, learner drivers will be prohibited from accessing the following roads within the above period of time:

– Shan Kwong Road between Yik Yam Street and Wong Nai Chung Road;
– Village Road between its upper and lower junctions with Shan Kwong Road;
– Percival Street between Hennessy Road and Leighton Road;
– Canal Road East; and
– The service road leading from Gloucester Road to Canal Road flyover.

D. Suspension of parking spaces

     Parking spaces on southbound Wong Nai Chung Road between Sports Road and Blue Pool Road will be suspended from 11am to 7pm during day racing, from 4.30pm to 11.59pm during evening racing, and from 5pm to 11.59pm during night racing.

     Any vehicles found illegally parked within the precincts of the above affected areas will be towed away without prior notice.

     Actual implementation of road closure and traffic diversion will be made by the Police at the time depending on traffic conditions in the areas. Motorists should exercise tolerance and patience, and follow the instructions of Police on site.

     Following is a question by the Hon Yung Hoi-yan and a written reply by the Secretary for Development, Mr Michael Wong, in the Legislative Council today (November 7):
 
Question:
 
     During the onslaught of super typhoon Mangkhut in Hong Kong in September this year, the coastal areas (including Hong Kong Island East near Heng Fa Chuen, Shek O, South Horizons, Sha Tin, Tseung Kwan O, Sai Kung and Sha Tau Kok) suffered severe flooding and quite a number of facilities (including roads, piers and bridges) there were damaged. Such situations have given rise to doubts over the capability of existing seawalls and breakwaters to withstand winds and waves. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
 
(1) whether it has assessed the correlation between the serious damage to the facilities along the seafront of Tseung Kwan O South during the onslaught of Mangkhut and the capability of the seawall there to withstand winds and waves; if so, of the outcome and follow-up measures; if not, the reasons for that;
 
(2) of the design standards adopted for the existing seawalls and breakwaters; when such standards were formulated, and the date on which such standards were last updated; and
 
(3) whether it will conduct a comprehensive review of the design standards for the construction of seawalls and breakwaters so as to strengthen the capability of such facilities to withstand winds and waves; if so, of the details and timetable; if not, the reasons for that?
 
Reply:
 
President,
 
     The geographical position of Hong Kong makes it susceptible to weather-related threats such as tropical cyclone, rainstorm and storm surge. In particular, some low-lying coastal or windy locations are vulnerable to seawater inundation caused by extreme storm surges or huge waves, and consequential damage to facilities situated near the seaside. As climate change goes drastic, threats induced by extreme weather are expected to be more frequent and severe. Attaching great importance to climate change, the Government established in April 2016 the Steering Committee on Climate Change under the chairmanship of the Chief Secretary for Administration. Besides, the Civil Engineering and Development Department (CEDD) has established the Climate Change Working Group on Infrastructure to co-ordinate the work among various works departments on tackling climate change, actively conduct relevant studies, align design standards, and uplift the resilience of major public infrastructures.
 
     Having consulted relevant departments, I provide below a consolidated reply to the three parts of the Hon Yung's question:
 
(1) During the passage of a typhoon, waves approaching shores may overtop seawalls. On September 16 this year, the maximum sustained winds near the centre of Mangkhut was 195 kilometres per hour (km/h), higher than the same of 1962's Wanda, 1971's Rose and last year's Hato (which were all 185 km/h), thus intensifying the severity of overtopping waves. As a result, some low-lying coastal or windy locations were exposed to threats of seawater inundation, causing different levels of damage to seaside facilities.
 
     As far as the southern seaside of Tseung Kwan O is concerned, during the passage of Mangkhut, huge waves rolled up by strong winds overtopped the seawall, inundated the promenade and waterfront park, and caused damage to some facilities at the seaside. Nevertheless, the structural integrity of the seawalls were not severely affected by the wave attack of Mangkhut. The relevant seawall structure comply with the design standards set out in the Port Works Design Manual published between 2002 and 2004 by the Civil Engineering Department (CED) .
 
(2) The CED published the Port Works Manual in 1992 to provide general technical and application guidance for professionals engaging in the design, construction and maintenance of port structures in Hong Kong. In 2002 to 2004, the CED published the Port Works Design Manual. The manual is divided into five sections, namely General Design Considerations for Marine Works; Guide to Design of Piers and Dolphins; Guide to Design of Reclamation; Guide to Design of Seawalls and Breakwaters; and Guide to Design of Beaches. In view of the potential impact on marine works in Hong Kong due to climate change, the CEDD (note: the former Civil Engineering Department and the former Territory Development Department merged into the Civil Engineering and Development Department in 2004) updated the Port Works Design Manual in January this year, incorporating projections of rise in mean sea levels and increase in wind speed due to climate change. The CEDD will continue to make reference to the latest climate change projections, and to collect updated weather data. In collaboration with the Hong Kong Observatory in monitoring the latest situation, the CEDD will review and update design standards set out in the Port Works Design Manual in a timely manner in order to enhance the resilience of marine works against wave impacts.
 
(3) The CEDD will commission a consultancy study for a period of 18 to 24 months to conduct a comprehensive review on low-lying coastal and windy locations, and carry out relevant investigations on storm surge and wave, so as to assess the impacts of extreme weather. Based on the findings of the study, the Government will review if it is necessary to update relevant design standards set out in the Port Works Design Manual, and formulate appropriate protection measures including options of improvement works and management measures to strengthen the resilience to wave impacts at the coastal areas. The Government will carry out a multi-pronged assessment on the suggestions of flood prevention strategy to identify long-term solutions to problems caused by huge waves.

     The Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD) announced today (November 7) that a public auction for stalls at the 2019 Che Kung Festival Fair will be held on November 21 (Wednesday).
 
     The annual fair will be held for 18 days from February 2 to February 19, 2019, at Chui Tin Street Soccer Pitch in Sha Tin. The upset bidding prices for the 44 dry goods stalls and four wet goods stalls are $4,620 and $1,100 respectively.
 
     The auction will begin at 9.30am at Wo Che Community Hall, Wo Che Estate, Sha Tin. Dry goods stalls will be auctioned first, followed by wet goods stalls.
 
     Bidders must be at least 18 years old and ordinarily resident in Hong Kong.
     
     Anyone can bid for more than one stall. A bidder must pay the bid price and register in person with his or her own name as the licensee of the stall immediately after successfully bidding for a stall. The bidder is also required to sign at once a licence agreement with the FEHD, or will forfeit the rights to operate the stall.
 
     Stall licensees should not destroy, damage or abandon any unsold commodities at and in the vicinity of the stall. They shall completely remove the stall structure and all paraphernalia, together with all refuse, debris and unsold commodities (whether damaged or otherwise) from the licensed area before 10pm on February 19, 2019.
 
     For more information about the auction, please call the FEHD's Sha Tin District Environmental Hygiene Office at 2634 0134. Details are also available on the FEHD website at www.fehd.gov.hk.

     Following is a question by the Hon Jimmy Ng and a written reply by the Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development, Mr Edward Yau, in the Legislative Council today (November 7):

Question:

     The results of a study reveal that small and medium enterprises (SMEs) have been faced with the problem of labour costs rising incessantly since the implementation of the Statutory Minimum Wage (SMW) regime in May 2011. The profit ratio of SMEs was 2.7 percentage points lower than that of all enterprises in 2011, and such gap gradually widened to 6.7 percentage points in 2016. Regarding the support for SMEs, will the Government inform this Council:

(1) whether it knows the respective profit ratios, in each year from 2011 to 2017, of SMEs belonging to the following five industries: (i) import/export trade and wholesale, (ii) social and personal services, (iii) professional and business services, (iv) retail, and (v) accommodation and food services; whether it has studied the impacts of the rise in labour costs on the profitability of SMEs belonging to these industries; if so, of the outcome; 

(2) as a survey's findings have revealed that the business support most wanted by SMEs from the Government is the introduction of one-off relief measures (such as exemption from payments of business registration fees and other levies), whether the Government will roll out measures in response to such a request; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; 

(3) given that both the number of applications received for, and the number of SME beneficiaries of, the SME Loan Guarantee Scheme and the SME Export Marketing Fund have been on the decline over the past few years, of the measures to be put in place by the Government in the coming year to enhance these initiatives, so as to encourage SMEs to make applications; and 

(4) whether it will consider afresh extending the geographical scope for the subsidy of the Enterprise Support Programme under the Dedicated Fund on Branding, Upgrading and Domestic Sales from the current coverage of the Mainland and the member states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations to encompass all the countries and regions along the Belt and Road; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?

Reply:

President,

     Having consulted the Office of the Government Economist, the Financial Services and the Treasury Bureau, and the Trade and Industry Department, my reply to the four parts of the question is provided below:

(1) Data on the profit ratio of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) (only including enterprises with employees) by selected industries from 2011 to 2016 (latest available data) are set out at Annex.

     The Government has all along paid close attention to the business situation of various industries, in particular SMEs. Generally speaking, an increase in labour costs would exert greater pressure on the operation of labour-intensive sectors. Nevertheless, profit ratio of enterprises actually depends on a host of external factors (such as external economic environment) and internal ones. Apart from compensation of employees, business situation of the relevant sectors, costs of goods and changes in other operating expenses also matter.

(2) When considering and formulating relief or concessionary measures, the Government takes into account the overall economic situation, the Government's fiscal position, the needs of various sectors in the community and relevant policies in a holistic way. The 2018-19 Budget proposed a series of concessionary measures, including reduction of profits tax and rates concession, from which many SMEs have benefited. In addition, the Government has implemented the two-tiered profits tax rates regime with effect from the year of assessment 2018-19, lowering the rate by half to 8.25 per cent for the first $2 million of assessable profits for qualifying enterprises. This new measure can provide tax relief to SMEs.

     The Government will continue to closely monitor the global economic situation and its impact on Hong Kong's economy.

(3) Under the SME Loan Guarantee Scheme (SGS), the Government provides up to 50 per cent loan guarantee to SMEs to help them secure loans from the participating lending institutions for acquiring business installations and equipment or as general working capital. Since its launch in 2001 and up to end September 2018, 31 405 applications have been approved, involving a guarantee amount of about $25.6 billion and benefitting over 16 000 SMEs. The number of applications received in the third quarter of 2018 (221 applications) has increased by 19 per cent as compared to the same period last year.

     The SME Export Marketing Fund (EMF) aims to encourage SMEs to expand to markets outside Hong Kong by providing financial assistance to SMEs for participation in export promotion activities. Since its inception in 2001 and up to end September 2018, the EMF has granted some $3.3 billion benefitting over 47 000 enterprises. To strengthen the support to SMEs for exploring new markets and new business opportunities, the Government has advanced the launch of the enhancement measures to the EMF to August 1, 2018, including doubling the cumulative funding ceiling per SME and the maximum funding per application to $400,000 and $100,000 respectively. Upon the launch of the enhancement measures, the number of applications received by the EMF in August and September (1 609 applications) has increased by 20 per cent as compared to the same period last year.

     We will continue to closely monitor and review the operations of the SGS and the EMF from time to time, and will make adjustments where necessary to assist SMEs in obtaining financing and expanding their markets outside Hong Kong.

(4) To further assist enterprises in developing markets, the Government has advanced the launch of the enhancement measures to the Dedicated Fund on Branding, Upgrading and Domestic Sales (BUD Fund) to August 1, 2018, including the launch of the ASEAN Programme under the BUD Fund to provide funding support to non-listed Hong Kong enterprises in carrying out projects that aim to enhance their competitiveness and further business development in the ASEAN markets. We have also advanced the launch of enhancement measures to the Mainland Programme under the BUD Fund, including doubling the cumulative funding ceiling per enterprise to $1 million, and relaxing the current restriction on the maximum number of approved projects, so as to strengthen support to SMEs. The trade responded positively to the enhancement measures. As at September 30, 2018, the ASEAN Programme received 75 applications; and the enhanced Mainland Programme received 273 applications in the third quarter, representing a substantial increase of 58 per cent as compared to the last quarter.

     We will maintain liaison with the trade, learn from the operational experiences of the ASEAN Programme and review the operations of the BUD Fund from time to time, including the geographical coverage of its funding support, taking into account the changing market and economic situation as well as feedback from the trade. We will make adjustments where necessary so as to cater to the needs of enterprises.

     Besides, there is no geographical limitation under the EMF, and SMEs may make use of the funding to conduct export promotion activities that aim at countries along the Belt and Road.

     Cops-and-gangsters films have long been an important genre in Hong Kong's film industry, with exciting battles between cops and criminals appealing to film lovers. The Hong Kong Film Archive (HKFA) of the Leisure and Cultural Services Department has selected five classic cops-and-gangsters films produced in the 1980s from its flagship programme "100 Must-See Hong Kong Movies" for screening at North District Town Hall in December.
 
     Details of the screenings are as follows:
 
"Man on the Brink" (1981)                                              December 7
"Long Arm of the Law" (1984), "Police Story" (1985)         December 8
"The Killer" (1989), "City on Fire" (1987)                          December 9
 
     Undercover cop stories are often featured in Hong Kong films, and "Man on the Brink" is a pioneering film from the genre. Following the steps of lead character Ah Chiu, audiences can observe his internal struggle when shifting between the lives of being a cop and a triad member. The film also brings back scenes of the Kowloon Walled City, the Yau Ma Tei Wholesale Fruit Market and a public housing estate from the early 1980s on the screen. "Man on the Brink" won four Golden Horse Awards for Best Film, Best Director, Best Screenplay and Best Actor.
 
     Also featuring the Kowloon Walled City, "Long Arm of the Law" is equally exciting. Guangzhou robber Da Dong comes to Hong Kong to strike it rich but ends up in failure. When he is wanted for killing a policeman, the chases and firing scenes between Da Dong and the police are breathtaking. The screening will be accompanied by a post-screening talk hosted by film critic Daniel Chan.
 
     "Police Story" marked the most important turning point in superstar Jackie Chan's career. Apart from being scriptwriter, director and actor, Chan also served as action choreographer, setting up lots of dangerous scenes. Chan demonstrates extremely difficult action moves while bringing his character of a desperate cop fighting fiercely against a drug lord to life. The film won trophies for Best Film and Best Action Choreography at the Hong Kong Film Awards.
 
     "The Killer" and "City on Fire" both co-star Chow Yun-fat and Danny Lee, though the two actors switch sides between the two films. In "The Killer", the kindred spirits of an assassin played by Chow and a crime unit inspector played by Lee encounter a dilemma between law and friendship, while in "City on Fire" Chow plays an undercover cop who develops a friendship with Lee, the boss of a gang. "The Killer" will be accompanied by a post-screening talk hosted by film critic David Chan.
 
     All films are in Cantonese. "Man on the Brink", "Long Arm of the Law" and "Police Story" are with Chinese and English subtitles. "The Killer" and "City on Fire" are with English subtitles.
 
     Tickets priced at $45 are now available at URBTIX (www.urbtix.hk). For credit card telephone bookings, please call 2111 5999. For programme enquiries, please call 2739 2139 or visit www.filmarchive.gov.hk/en_US/web/hkfa/programmesandexhibitions/2018-100ms-ndth/film.html.