The Financial Secretary, Mr Paul Chan, visited Yuen Long District this afternoon (October 3), where he met with members of the Yuen Long District Council (YLDC), called at an elderly home and officiated at the topping-out ceremony for the Yuen Long District Community Services Building.

     Mr Chan first met with members of the YLDC to learn more about the latest developments in the district and exchange views on matters of mutual interest.

     Accompanied by the Chairman of the YLDC, Mr Shum Ho-kit, and the District Officer (Yuen Long), Mr Enoch Yuen, Mr Chan then visited the Hong Kong Society for the Blind Jockey Club Yan Hong Building.  Yan Hong Building, previously known as the Yuen Long Home for the Aged Blind, is the first elderly home for visually impaired persons. Yan Hong Building aims to provide a comfortable, barrier-free and smart home environment for residents. The building is equipped with innovative facilities, including a computerised medication system, a management system that uses radio frequency identification technology and features anti-wandering function and more.  

     Mr Chan said that, given the rapidly ageing population, the Government has proposed an array of measures to improve elderly services, including the setting up of the $1 billion Innovation and Technology Fund for Application in Elderly and Rehabilitation Care. The Fund will be launched in the fourth quarter of 2018 to provide subsidy to elderly and rehabilitation service units to try out and procure technology products, so as to improve the quality of life of service users.

     Mr Chan also officiated at the topping-out ceremony for the Yuen Long District Community Services Building. To enhance local engagement, the Government introduced the Signature Project Scheme (SPS) in Policy Address in 2013, under which a one-off grant of $100 million was reserved for each district to implement SPS projects. The Building is a project funded by the SPS in Yuen Long. It is expected to commence operation in early 2019 to provide a convenient multi-purpose venue for organising a variety of community services and activities. Mr Chan said he was pleased to note that the Building will start operation soon. He added that the government will continue to promote the development of district facilities. In last year's Budget, $20 billion was reserved for the development of district sports and recreational facilities, while another $8 billion has been set aside in this year's Budget to address rising expectations for more district facilities.

The following is issued on behalf of the Electoral Affairs Commission:
 
     In view of the concern expressed by the media recently about the requirements in the electoral guidelines that media reporting on election-related matters should abide by the "fair and equal treatment" principle, the Electoral Affairs Commission (EAC) made the following response today (October 3):
 
     The EAC is committed to ensuring that public elections are held in an open, fair and honest manner. According to the electoral guidelines, the media are required to treat all candidates in accordance with the "fair and equal treatment" principle. The definition of candidates in the existing electoral guidelines has all along been adopting the definition of "candidate" in the Elections (Corrupt and Illegal Conduct) Ordinance, i.e. a person who stands nominated as a candidate at an election, or a person who, at any time before the close of nominations for an election, has publicly declared an intention to stand as a candidate at the election. This definition is mainly used for regulating election expenses and election advertisements.
 
     Recently, with the increasing number of people publicly declaring their intention to stand as candidates at elections, and through different means and channels, the media may not be fully aware of all the people who have publicly declared their intentions to run at elections. The EAC understands that the media may well have operational difficulties in complying with the existing requirement in the electoral guidelines that every person who has publicly declared an intention to stand as a candidate at an election is to be reported.
 
     According to the legislation, public consultation must be conducted prior to the revision of the electoral guidelines. Before each Ordinary/General Election, the EAC will review the existing electoral guidelines and draw up a new set of proposed guidelines for public consultation lasting 30 days. Regarding the aforesaid guidelines on media reporting, the EAC considers it opportune to consult the public during the consultation exercise on the proposed guidelines on election-related activities in respect of the 2019 District Council Ordinary Election to be conducted in the middle of next year. All are welcome to express their views then. After examining the views from all concerned, the EAC will review the relevant guidelines with a view to striking a suitable balance between the practical operation of the media while upholding the fair and open principle.
 
     Concerning the "fair and equal treatment" principle in the coming Legislative Council Kowloon West geographical constituency by-election, the EAC will definitely and thoroughly consider the actual difficulties faced by the media.

     The Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region has approved from the Disaster Relief Fund a grant of $548,000 to Amity Foundation, Hong Kong for providing relief to typhoon victims in the Philippines.

     Announcing the grant today (October 3), a spokesman for the Government said that the grant will be used to provide drinking water, rice, canned food and instant noodles for the typhoon victims to address their imminent needs. The grant was approved under the fast-track mechanism set up on the advice of the Disaster Relief Fund Advisory Committee to assist relief organisations to start first-phase emergency relief work more expeditiously.

     "To ensure that the money is used for the designated purposes, Amity Foundation, Hong Kong will be asked to submit an evaluation report and an audited account on the use of the grant after the relief project has been completed," the spokesman said.

     The Government will publish in the Gazette on Friday (October 5) the following subsidiary legislation to cater for the commissioning of the new Heung Yuen Wai Boundary Control Point (HYWBCP):
     

• the Closed Area (Heung Yuen Wai Boundary Control Point) Order (Closed Area Order);
• the Heung Yuen Wai Boundary Control Point Closed Area (Permission to Enter) Notice;
• the Frontier Closed Area (Permission to Enter) (Amendment) Notice 2018;
• the Immigration (Places of Detention) (Amendment) (No.2) Order 2018; and
• the Immigration Service (Designated Places) (Amendment) (No.2) Order 2018.

 
     In order to maintain law and order at vehicular boundary control points, all of these control points are currently administered under the closed area approach, either under the Public Order Ordinance (Cap 245) or the Shenzhen Bay Port Hong Kong Port Area Ordinance (Cap 591). Following the established practice of other vehicular boundary control points, the Executive Council advised and the Chief Executive ordered that the Closed Area Order be made under the Public Order Ordinance to designate part of the HYWBCP as a closed area.
 
     After the designation of the closed area, the Commissioner of Police has made the Heung Yuen Wai Boundary Control Point (Permission to Enter) Notice under the Public Order Ordinance to grant general permission to cross-boundary drivers, passengers and travellers for entering or leaving the closed area of the HYWBCP. In addition, as the five cross-boundary bridges of the HYWBCP are located within the existing frontier closed area declared under the Frontier Closed Area Order (Cap 245A), the Commissioner of Police has also made the Frontier Closed Area (Permission to Enter) (Amendment) Notice 2018 under the Public Order Ordinance to grant general permission to cross-boundary drivers, passengers and travellers for entering or leaving the frontier closed area.
      
     In addition, the Secretary for Security has made the Immigration (Places of Detention) (Amendment) (No.2) Order 2018 and the Immigration Service (Designated Places) (Amendment) (No.2) Order 2018 to set up detention quarters at the HYWBCP for use by the Immigration Department in its routine immigration control and law enforcement duties.
 
     The above Orders and Notices will take effect on the day on which the HYWBCP comes into operation. The subsidiary legislation concerned will be tabled at the Legislative Council next Wednesday (October 10).
 

The following is issued on behalf of the Hong Kong Monetary Authority:

     The Ministry of Finance will issue Renminbi Sovereign Bonds through the Central Moneymarkets Unit of the Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA). Please find attached the tender notice and the tender information memorandum of the Renminbi Sovereign Bonds to be issued by the Ministry of Finance. Please also find attached the tender-related information provided by the Issuing and Lodging Agent through the HKMA.