The following is issued on behalf of the Hospital Authority: Regarding an earlier announcement on a cluster of patients infected with Rhinovirus/Enterovirus in a ward of the Developmental Disabilities Unit, the spokesperson for C… read more
​Following is a question by the Hon Luk Chung-hung and a written reply by the Acting Secretary for Security, Mr Michael Cheuk, in the Legislative Council today (May 24):
Question:
According to the requirements of the Mainland authorities, Mainland residents holding Exit-entry Permits for Travelling to and from Hong Kong and Macao (commonly known as “Two-way Exit Permits”) may, if they have relatives who are settled, residing on a long-term basis, studying or working in Hong Kong, apply for an endorsement for visiting relatives and be permitted to stay in Hong Kong for not more than 90 days upon each entry. In addition, it is learnt that some Mainland relatives of Hong Kong residents, while waiting for the issuance of the Permits for Proceeding to Hong Kong and Macao (commonly known as “One-way Permits” (“OWPs”)) by the Mainland authorities, apply for Two-way Exit Permits with an endorsement for visiting relatives in order to have an early family reunion and take care of their relatives in Hong Kong, and then return to the Mainland to re-apply for the endorsement upon expiry of the existing one. As such, they keep travelling back and forth between the two places. There are views that while foreign nationals may, in their capacity as dependents, apply to take up employment in Hong Kong without being subject to restrictions, Two-way Exit Permit holders who are Chinese nationals waiting for the issuance of their OWPs are not entitled to the same treatment, indicating that there is unfairness in the system, and the potential labour force in Hong Kong society is being wasted. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1) of the number of Mainland residents holding Two-way Exit Permits with an endorsement for visiting relatives who stayed in Hong Kong in the past five years and, among them, the number of those who have applied to the Mainland authorities for OWPs;
(2) of the total number of applications for an extension of stay received by the Immigration Department (ImmD) from Mainland residents holding Two-way Exit Permits with an endorsement for visiting relatives during the outbreak of the Coronavirus Disease 2019 epidemic and, among them, the number of applications approved;
(3) whether ImmD has compiled statistics on the demographic and social characteristics, such as gender, age, place of origin and educational attainment, of Mainland residents who had applied for OWPs and were holding Two-way Exit Permits with an endorsement for visiting relatives in the past five years, as well as the length of time they waited for the issuance of OWPs; and
(4) whether the Government will explore with the Mainland authorities to allow Mainland residents who have applied for OWPs and are holding Two-way Exit Permits with an endorsement for visiting relatives to work in Hong Kong, so as to supplement Hong Kong’s labour force and enable them to adapt to the life in Hong Kong beforehand?
Reply:
President,
The immigration policy on entry of dependants to Hong Kong and the Permit for Proceeding to Hong Kong and Macao (commonly known as “One way Permit” (OWP)) scheme have different eligibility criteria and serve different policy objectives. The immigration policy on entry of dependants to Hong Kong is not a family reunion policy. Instead, it allows those who are able to provide care and financial support to their dependants to sponsor their non-local dependants to come to reside in Hong Kong. The policy also ensures that Hong Kong will continue to attract and retain people with the right talent and skills to come to and remain in Hong Kong by giving them the choice of bringing in their non-local dependants to live with them in Hong Kong.
The policy objective of the OWP scheme is to allow Mainland residents to come to Hong Kong for family reunion in an orderly manner. Mainland residents who meet the eligibility criteria laid down by the Mainland authorities may apply to come to settle in Hong Kong. Separately, Mainland residents who wish to enter Hong Kong as a visitor for other purposes such as visiting relatives, taking up employment, etc, are required to obtain an Exit-entry Permit for Travelling to and from Hong Kong and Macao (commonly known as “Two-way Permit” (TWP)) and the relevant exit endorsement from the Mainland authorities.
The application, approval and issuance of OWPs, TWPs and exit endorsements fall within the remit of the Mainland authorities.
The reply to the question raised by the Hon Luk Chung-hung is as follows:
(1) The number of visits to Hong Kong by TWP holders with exit endorsements for visiting relatives in Hong Kong in the past five years is tabulated as follows:
| 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 (January to April) |
| 3 313 927 | 285 844 | 47 776 | 50 846 | 595 438 |
| 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 (January to April) |
|
| Number of applications | 905 | 132 591 | 142 071 | 132 666 | 14 322 |
| Number of approved applications | 842 | 125 826 | 132 812 | 122 520 | 14 253 |
| Demographic and social characteristics | 2022 | |
| Sex | ||
| Male | 8 923 | |
| Female | 12 291 | |
| Age | ||
| 0-4 | 1 201 | |
| 5-14 | 3 184 | |
| 15-24 | 3 060 | |
| 25-34 | 4 626 | |
| 35-44 | 4 441 | |
| 45-54 | 2 966 | |
| 55-64 | 1 299 | |
| 65+ | 437 | |
| Educational attainment (aged 15 and over) | ||
| No schooling/kindergarten | 273 | |
| Primary | 1 509 | |
| Secondary | 10 821 | |
| University/post-secondary | 4 226 | |
| Province of origin | ||
| Guangdong Province | 15 573 | |
| Fujian Province | 2 252 | |
| Others | 3 389 | |
　　 The Secretary for Environment and Ecology, Mr Tse Chin-wan, today (May 24) attended the Third Belt and Road Energy Partnership Forum in Xiamen to discuss various co-operation issues that include safeguarding energy security and the promotion of green energy transformation.
The Forum was organised by the National Energy Administration. The theme for this year is “Stepping Towards High-quality Energy Development”. In delivering his speech, Mr Tse highlighted the decarbonisation strategies set out by the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Government to achieve carbon neutrality before 2050 with a view to aligning with the national “dual carbon” targets.
“The Government announced in 2021 the Hong Kong’s Climate Action Plan 2050, setting out the ‘net-zero electricity generation’ decarbonisation strategy. Electricity generation is the largest source of carbon emissions in Hong Kong. Through strengthening regional energy co-operation, we strive to increase the use of zero-carbon energy in electricity generation by raising its share in the fuel mix to around 60 per cent to 70 per cent before 2035,” Mr Tse said.
Mr Tse also pointed out that the two power companies in Hong Kong have been contributing to the development of the electricity industry in the nation and Belt and Road countries. They have been endeavouring to develop clean energy and promote low-carbon transformation, which also provides opportunities for the exchange of technology and experience for energy management talent.
Mr Tse continued that, with the staunch support of the country and under the “one country, two systems” principle, Hong Kong has the advantages of enjoying strong support of the motherland and being closely connected to the world. The HKSAR Government will take the initiative to dovetail with national strategies such as high-quality Belt and Road development, and contribute to the sustainable development of the nation with its strengths.
Mr Tse also visited the Exhibition on the 10th Anniversary of Belt and Road Energy Cooperation at the Forum. The Exhibition showcased the achievements of Belt and Road energy co-operation projects over the past decade. The projects have injected new impetus for world economic prosperity and social development, provided new solutions for the reform of the global energy governance system and made new contributions to the happiness of people in the Belt and Road countries.
Mr Tse will return to Hong Kong tomorrow morning (May 25).
The Education Bureau (EDB) today (May 24) announced that candidates of the Language Proficiency Assessment for Teachers (LPAT) 2023 will receive results notices by post from the Hong Kong Examinations and Assessment Authority (HKEAA) from tomorrow (May 25).
A total of 1 475 candidates sat for the English Language papers while 1 810 sat for the Putonghua papers this year. The results of the assessment are as follows:
English Language papers:
| Number of Candidates | Number and Percentage of Candidates Meeting LPR* (Level 3 or above) |
|
| Reading | 1 041 | 857 (82.3%) |
| Writing | 1 068 | 491 (46.0%) |
| Listening | 944 | 742 (78.6%) |
| Speaking | 948 | 630 (66.5%) |
| Classroom Language Assessment (For teachers only) | 454 | 426 (93.8%) |
| Number of Candidates | Number and Percentage of Candidates Meeting LPR* (Level 3 or above) |
|
| Listening and Recognition | 1 257 | 560 (44.5%) |
| Pinyin | 1 229 | 704 (57.3%) |
| Speaking | 570 | 459 (80.5%) |
| Classroom Language Assessment (For teachers only) | 489 | 441 (90.2%) |
The following is issued on behalf of the Pay Trend Survey Committee:
The Pay Trend Survey Committee (PTSC) met today (May 24) to consider the findings of the 2023 Pay Trend Survey (PTS).
The survey findings indicate that the following average pay adjustments have been awarded by the surveyed companies over the 12-month period from April 2, 2022, to April 1, 2023:
| Basic Pay Indicator | + | Additional Pay Indicator | = | Gross Pay Trend Indicator | |
| Lower Salary Band (below $24,670 per month) |
4.61% | + | 1.05% | = | 5.66% |
| Middle Salary Band ($24,670 – $75,620 per month) |
5.45% | + | 0.23% | = | 5.68% |
| Upper Salary Band ($75,621 – $154,690 per month) |
4.52% | + | -0.61% | = | 3.91% |
| No. of Companies | |
| Larger companies (employing 100 or more staff) |
81 (75%) |
| Smaller companies (employing 50 – 99 staff) |
27 (25%) |
| Total: | 108 (100%) |
| No. of Employees | |
| Lower Salary Band (below $24,670 per month) |
60 112 (43.9%) |
| Middle Salary Band ($24,670 – $75,620 per month) |
64 877 (47.4%) |
| Upper Salary Band ($75,621 – $154,690 per month) |
11 982 (8.7%) |
| Total: | 136 971 (100%) |