The Government announced today (March 28) the appointment of Professor Simon Wong Kit-lung and Professor Chetwyn Chan Che-hin as the new Chairman and Vice-Chairman respectively of the Employees Retraining Board (ERB), the appointment of four new members, as well as the reappointment of seven incumbent members, for a term of two years with effect from April 1, 2025.
　　
　　The four new members are Dr Wong Chung-kiu, Mr So Pak-tsan, Mr Lawrence Hung Yu-yun and Ms Ngan Ming-sau.
 
　　Professor Wong has been serving the ERB since 2018 and was appointed as Vice-Chairman in 2019. Professor Wong is an outstanding business leader with extensive experience in advisory and statutory bodies.
 
　　The seven reappointed members are Ms Lam Kwan, Ms Alice Wong Nga-lai, Mr Harold Wong Tsu-hing, Mr Lam Tin-fu, Ms Lui Kit-han, Mr Tam Chi-chung and Ms Jenny Chiu Wai-han.
 
　　The Secretary for Labour and Welfare, Mr Chris Sun, welcomed the appointments. "The ERB is undertaking comprehensive reforms. I am fully confident that under the exemplary leadership of Professor Wong and with the dedicated support of the Vice-Chairman and all members, the ERB will be capable of implementing reforms to enhance the training, upskilling and re-skilling of the local labour force, promote lifelong learning for all, with a view to addressing the manpower needs arising from future economic and industry development," Mr Sun said.
 
　　Mr Sun also thanked the outgoing Chairman, Mr Yu Pang-chun, and members, Dr Johnny Ng Kit-chong, Mr Li Wing-foo and Ms Margaret Cheng Wai-ching, for their contribution to the ERB during their tenure of service. He paid special tribute to Mr Yu. "Mr Yu has been serving the ERB since 2009 and was appointed as Chairman in 2019. Under his exemplary leadership, the ERB implemented various new measures and programmes in response to the emerging economy and market needs, enhanced the competitiveness of the local labour force and completed a comprehensive review last year. These actions have laid a strong foundation for the reforms and long-term development of the ERB. I would like to extend my gratitude for his dedicated service to the ERB for over a decade," he said.
 
　　The ERB is a statutory body established in 1992 under the Employees Retraining Ordinance (Cap. 423) to provide comprehensive and diversified training and retraining services for the local labour force. The composition of its membership, comprising representatives of employers and employees, and persons connected with vocational training and retraining or manpower planning, is specified in the law.
 
　　The membership list of the ERB in the new term is as follows:
 
Chairman
———-
Professor Simon Wong Kit-lung
 
Vice-Chairman
—————-
Professor Chetwyn Chan Che-hin
 
Representatives of employers
——————————–
Ms Lam Kwan
Ms Alice Wong Nga-lai
Mr Harold Wong Tsu-hing
Dr Wong Chung-kiu
 
Representatives of employees
———————————
Mr Lam Tin-fu
Ms Lui Kit-han
Mr Tam Chi-chung
Mr So Pak-tsan
 
Persons connected with vocational training and retraining or manpower planning
——————————————————————————————
Ms Jenny Chiu Wai-han
Mr Lawrence Hung Yu-yun
Ms Ngan Ming-sau
Executive Director of Vocational Training Council
 
Public officers
—————-
Permanent Secretary for Labour and Welfare
Commissioner for Labour

     â€‹The Commissioner for Labour today (March 28) gave notices in the Gazette under section 16(1A) and/or section 18(2) of the Protection of Wages on Insolvency Ordinance (Chapter 380) for cases with ex gratia payments from the Protection of Wages on Insolvency Fund made to employees. 
      
     For details of the notices, please refer to Government Notice Numbers from 1862 to 1904 on the website of the eGazette of the Government Logistics Department.

     The Rating and Valuation Department (RVD) today (March 28) released the preliminary findings of its annual review of the supply and activities in the local property market.
      
     The preliminary findings cover the completions, take-up and vacancy of major private property types in 2024, forecast completions in 2025 and 2026, as well as price and rental data. A summary of the findings is available on the RVD's webpage. Final findings will be published in the Hong Kong Property Review 2025 next month.
 
     For enquiries, please call the RVD's Technical Secretary (Information) on 2150 8807.

     Following is the speech by the Deputy Chief Secretary for Administration, Mr Cheuk Wing-hing, at the Opening Ceremony of the Museum Summit 2025 today (March 28):

President Yannick Lintz (President of The Guimet, National Museum of Asian Arts), Deputy Director-General Long Jiayou (Deputy Director-General of the Department of Culture and Tourism of Guangdong Province and Director of the Guangdong Provincial Administration of Cultural Heritage), Professor Douglas So (Chairman of the Museum Advisory Committee), Consul-General Christile Drulhe (Consul General of France in Hong Kong), Secretary Rosanna Law (Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism), guests and friends from around the world, ladies and gentlemen,

     Good morning. It is my great pleasure to be here to welcome all of you to the Museum Summit 2025 in Hong Kong.
 
     The Museum Summit, presented by the Leisure and Cultural Services Department of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government, is now in its fourth edition. This year, we are greatly honoured to partner with the world renowned museum, The Guimet National Museum of Asian Arts of France.

     Building on the success of our collaboration with the National Palace Museum, the British Museum and the Uffizi Gallery in past editions, the Summit has established itself as a highly acclaimed international event in the museum world. It is also an iconic mega event in our city's vibrant cultural calendar.

     The previous edition of the Museum Summit, presented in 2023 shortly after the pandemic, was a remarkable success with over 2 000 registrants and more than 12 million online views. I am pleased to inform the Summit that, this year, the total registration has tripled to over 7 000, with one-third of registrants joining from the Mainland and overseas. In this edition, we will benefit from the perspicacity and insights of 30 plus speakers and moderators from globally famed museums and institutions across 17 countries. Your collective expertise will spark dialogues that transcend borders, fostering innovation and collaboration for the future of museums in different parts of the world. Also with us in this Summit are two delegations comprising over 40 museum experts from the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area Museum Alliance and the ASEAN countries. This stellar mix of participants is a strong testament to the increasing importance of the Summit and Hong Kong's position as an East-meets-West centre for international cultural exchange.

     Under the overarching theme "Going Beyond", this year's Summit challenges us to reimagine museums as catalysts for new experiences, connections and impact. I eagerly anticipate presentations and discussions centred on the four sub-themes – namely tourism, technology, sustainability and wellness – which are not only relevant and inspiring for the museum sector, but also fitting and timely for the growing integration of culture, sports, tourism, cutting-edge technologies, and the rising focus on well-being worldwide.

     Ladies and gentlemen, apart from enjoying the Summit, I invite you to go around the city and savour its vigour, especially the wide array of activities in our Hong Kong Super March. As part of this month-long culturally exuberant festival, the Museum Summit joins a host of extraordinary events, from the contemporary artistry of Art Basel Hong Kong and Art Central, to the boisterous Hong Kong Sevens rugby tournament in our new Kai Tak Sports Park. So have fun immersing yourselves in the city's unique energy, diversity and attractions.

     Last but not least, I would like to express my gratitude to The Guimet, our international partner, and other strategic partners, supporting organisations, event partners and sponsors for their generous and wonderful support.

     I wish this year's Summit another runaway success. To our guests, may your time in Hong Kong be as rewarding as it is worth remembering. Thank you very much.

  

     The Government published in the Gazette today (March 28) the Housing (Amendment) Bill 2025 to make amendments to the Housing Ordinance to combat tenancy abuse (TA) more effectively and thus ensure prudent use of public housing resources.
 
     The Bill covers three main areas: (i) introducing new offences of serious TA of public rental housing (PRH) flats; (ii) empowering authorised officers to demand personal details from suspects; and (iii) extending the limitation of time for prosecution of offences of false statements, refusal to furnish information and unlawful alienations, in order to enhance the deterrent effect of measures in combating PRH abuse.
 
     "Public housing is precious social resources that must be allocated to those in genuine need and utilised in a reasonable manner. Since assuming office, the current-term Government has implemented a series of measures to better combat tenancy abuse. In the two and a half years since July 2022, the Hong Kong Housing Authority (HA) has recovered around 7 000 flats on the grounds of abuse or breaches of tenancy terms; the result is remarkable. The HA will continue to step up its efforts in combating PRH abuse to ensure that public housing resources are deployed to help those in greatest need," the spokesman of the Government said.
 
     "We look forward to the early passage of the Bill by the Legislative Council. Under the proposal, the above three areas of legislative amendments will come into effect by the end of March next year. In the interim, we will continuously step up our publicity efforts to ensure that PRH tenants and members of the public understand the content of the series of new measures in stepping up efforts to combat PRH abuse," the spokesman added.
 
     The Bill will be introduced into the Legislative Council for first and second readings on April 2.