Tag Archives: China

     The Transport Department today (February 13) reminded the public that the Lunar New Year auction of vehicle registration marks will be held this Sunday (February 16) at Meeting Room N201, L2, New Wing, Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre, Wan Chai.

     A total of 49 vehicle registration marks will be put up for public auction. Forty-eight of them are traditional vehicle registration marks (TVRMs), and one of them is a personalised vehicle registration mark (PVRM). The list of marks has been posted on the department’s website, www.td.gov.hk/en/public_services/vehicle_registration_mark/index.html.

     People who wish to participate in the bidding at the auction should take note of the following points:

(1) Bidders are required to produce the following documents for completion of registration and payment procedures immediately after the successful bidding:

(i) the identity document of the successful bidder;
(ii) the identity document of the purchaser if it is different from the successful bidder;
(iii) a copy of the Certificate of Incorporation if the purchaser is a body corporate; and
(iv) a crossed cheque payable to “The Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region” or “The Government of the HKSAR”. Any bidder who wishes to bid for both TVRMs and the PVRM, should bring along at least two crossed cheques for payment of auction prices (for an auctioned mark paid for by cheque, the first three working days after the date of auction will be required for cheque clearance confirmation before processing of the application for mark assignment can be completed). Successful bidders may also pay through the Easy Pay System (EPS), but are reminded to note the maximum transfer amount on the same day of the payment card. Payment by post-dated cheque, cash, credit card or other methods will not be accepted.

(2) Purchasers must make payment of the purchase price through the EPS or by crossed cheque and complete the Memorandum of Sale of Registration Mark or the Memorandum of Sale of Personalised Vehicle Registration Mark immediately after the bidding. Subsequent alteration of the particulars in the Memorandum will not be permitted.

(3) A registration mark can only be assigned to a motor vehicle which is registered in the name of the purchaser. The Certificate of Incorporation must be produced immediately by the purchaser if a vehicle registration mark purchased is to be registered under the name of a body corporate.

(4) The display of a vehicle registration mark on a motor vehicle should be in compliance with the requirements stipulated in Schedule 4 to the Road Traffic (Registration and Licensing of Vehicles) Regulations.

(5) Special vehicle registration marks are non-transferable. Where the ownership of a motor vehicle with a special vehicle registration mark is transferred, the allocation of the special vehicle registration mark shall be cancelled.

(6) The purchaser shall, within 12 months after the date of auction, apply to the Commissioner for Transport for the vehicle registration mark to be assigned to a motor vehicle registered in the name of the purchaser. If the purchaser fails to assign the registration mark within 12 months, allocation of the registration mark will be cancelled and arranged for re-allocation by the Commissioner for Transport in accordance with the statutory provision without prior notice to the purchaser.

     For other auction details, please refer to the Guidance Notes – Auction of Traditional Vehicle Registration Marks (www.td.gov.hk/en/public_services/vehicle_registration_mark/tvrm_auction/index.html) and Guidance Notes – Auction of PVRMs (www.td.gov.hk/en/public_services/vehicle_registration_mark/pvrm_auction/index.html). read more

     The Lands Department today (February 13) posted land resumption notices in accordance with section 14 of the Roads (Works, Use and Compensation) Ordinance (Chapter 370) for the implementation of road improvement works at H… read more

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 fin… read more

     â€‹The Planning Department (PlanD) held the 35th Anniversary (35A) Opening Ceremony today (February 12). The Financial Secretary, Mr Paul Chan; the Deputy Financial Secretary, Mr Michael Wong; the Secretary for Development, Ms Bernadette Linn; the Permanent Secretary for Development (Planning and Lands), Ms Doris Ho; and the Director of Planning, Mr Ivan Chung, officiated at the opening ceremony.
 
     Officiating at the ceremony, Mr Chan said that the PlanD strives to effectively utilise limited land resources to address social and livelihood needs, support and promote economic development, enable citizens to have a better place to live and work, and continuously improve the living environment through forward-looking planning and land allocation. After years of dedicated work by the PlanD and colleagues from various departments, the Government has assumed a leading role in land supply. Looking ahead, the Northern Metropolis is the new engine of Hong Kong’s economic development, an important area for implementing innovation and technology industrial development, deepening integration into development of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, and aligning with national development strategies, which involves innovative planning approaches, institutional innovation and reforms, and adaptive implementation strategies. Mr Chan said he hoped that PlanD colleagues will be bold in reforms, dare to break new ground, and innovate continuously, as well as embrace the new environment and new developments with an open mindset, charting a more ambitious development blueprint for Hong Kong.

     Speaking at the ceremony, Ms Linn said that Hong Kong’s development has been continuously advancing and moving forward with enhancing speed, quantity, quality and efficiency, as Hong Kong needs sufficient land to embrace changes and strive for innovations, so as to promote economic and industry development. Land creation is no longer limited to housing development, but also plans for industry development, eco-tourism, and even improvement of people’s living environment. Throughout the process of land preparation and provision, the Government has been embracing innovation and changes with constant reforms to lay a solid foundation for Hong Kong’s future development. She encouraged PlanD colleagues to make continuous progress and continue to shine for a sustainable, livable and vibrant future for Hong Kong.

     Addressing the ceremony, Mr Chung said that looking back over the past 35 years, in the face of changes in the macro-environment such as economic restructuring and demographic shifts, the PlanD has taken a prudent, robust and flexible approach to town planning work with a view to promoting optimal use of land resources and creating development space and capacity for Hong Kong. Looking ahead, the PlanD will work together with different sectors in the community to take forward and implement various planning projects, promote the optimal utilisation and balanced development of land resources for enhancing the well-being of the people of Hong Kong. At the same time, the Government will enhance interaction with the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area and sharpen Hong Kong’s competitive edge in the global arena. Together, the Government and the PlanD will plan for a future with boundless opportunities.
 
     The PlanD will effectively utilise the City Gallery and outreach programme, including organising exhibitions in different districts and visiting schools, to strengthen its connection with the community. This initiative aims to enhance understanding of Hong Kong’s town planning among the public, particularly the younger generations, and to encourage citizens to participate in town planning matters.
 
     For more information, please visit the PlanD 35A website (www.pland.gov.hk/pland_en/about_us/35a/index.html), PlanD’s Facebook page (www.facebook.com/plandgovhk) or its Instagram account (www.instagram.com/plandgovhk), or call 2231 5000. read more

     Following is a question by the Hon Tony Tse and a reply by the Secretary for Health, Professor Lo Chung-mau, in the Legislative Council today (February 12):
 
Question:
 
     The Government has implemented the first 10-year Hospital Development Plan (HDP) since 2016, setting aside $200 billion for the construction, redevelopment and expansion of a number of hospitals and the provision of other healthcare facilities. In 2018, the Government invited the Hospital Authority to commence planning for the second 10-year HDP, which is expected to cover 19 projects involving about $270 billion. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
 
(1) of the implementation of the first 10-year HDP, the estimated final expenditure, the additional annual recurrent expenditure involved and the assessment of the effectiveness of HDP;
 
(2) of the planning for the second 10-year HDP, the projects to be covered and the expenditure (including recurrent and non-recurrent expenditures) to be involved; and
 
(3) whether the formulation of the second 10-year HDP has taken into account circumstances and development trends emerged in recent years, including: the latest projections on the population and the supply and demand of healthcare manpower; the community’s greater emphasis on mental health, Chinese medicine and Chinese-‍Western medicine collaboration (especially for cancer treatment); the public’s demand for public dental services; the Government’s more proactive promotion of preventive and primary healthcare services; the continuous improvement in the quality of Mainland’s healthcare services and their enhanced accessibility to the Hong Kong public; the increasing number of Hong Kong people who are willing to go north for medical treatment and age in the Mainland; as well as the financial positions of the Government and Hospital Authority?
 
Reply:
 
President,
 
     Having consulted the Hospital Authority (HA), my consolidated reply to the question raised by the Hon Tony Tse is as follows:
 
(1) In 2016, the Government and the HA commenced the implementation of the First Hospital Development Plan (HDP) with $200 billion set aside for a total of 16 projects, covering the redevelopment and expansion of 11 hospitals, the construction of a new acute hospital, three community health centres and one supporting services centre.
 
     Up till now, 14 out of those 16 projects have been upgraded to Category A with a total commitment of about $186,339 million (in money-of-the-day prices). Approval for upgrading the remaining health centre and community health centre building projects to Category A will also be sought later. Upon completion of the First HDP, it is anticipated that a total of about 2.2 million square metre of additional construction floor area, including an addition of 6 557 bed spaces (Note) and 94 operating theatres, will be provided for the whole public healthcare system. It is also anticipated that the total number of public hospital bed spaces under the HA will increase from about 30 000 in March 2022 to about 35 000 in 2031, while that of operating theatres from about 250 to about 350. Meanwhile, there will be more room for increasing service quotas of specialist and general out-patient clinics.
 
     Among the projects, the new Phase 1 Building of the redevelopment project of Kwong Wah Hospital (KWH) was completed in late 2022, providing a construction floor area of about 145 000 square metre. As compared to the old KWH, four operating theatres, one cardiac catheterisation room, four endoscopy rooms, one magnetic resonance imaging room and a one-stop ambulatory care centre are provided additionally. For the new Accident and Emergency (A&E) Department, which is approximately three times the size of the old one, it has an additional Emergency Medicine Ward with 40 beds, isolation areas for infection control and other supporting facilities. With the commissioning of the new A&E department, the average waiting time for patients who, after treatment at the A&E department of KWH, need to wait before being admitted to the hospital has dropped by 24 per cent in the previous two quarters (i.e. the third and fourth quarters of 2024) as compared with the same period in 2023. Besides, upon the full operation of the North District Community Health Centre Building following its completion in the end of 2024, it is estimated that the total number of attendances of the general out-patient and family medicine specialist clinics of the North District Family Medicine Centre will increase by approximately 143 000 and 44 000 respectively.
 
     Some capital works projects under the First HDP involve in-situ redevelopment. Taking the expansion of United Christian Hospital as an example, certain facilities have to be temporarily closed or adjusted and workspace is limited, with clinical services being maintained under limitations. The Health Bureau (HHB) and the HA would like to express their gratitude towards all healthcare staff for their patient-oriented spirit and standing fast at their posts to provide high-quality services under such conditions during the construction period, as well as towards the public for their understanding of the importance of the construction works in improving healthcare services and their patience towards the inconveniences arising from the construction works.
 
     Since some of the projects under the First HDP remain underway while some other are pending commencement, there is currently no complete information on its final expenditure and evaluation of its effectiveness. As for the operating expenses of the new hospitals, they will be covered by the subvention allocated by the Government to the HA. The HA will enhance and provide additional services and make good use of the recurrent provision from the Government having considered the growth of service demands of clusters, the scale, progress and plans of various hospital redevelopment and expansion projects. The Government also reviews and administers the subvention to the HA in accordance with the prevailing mechanisms.
 
(2) and (3) The Government announced under the 2018 Policy Address and set out in the 2018-19, 2019-20 and 2020-21 Budgets that it has invited the HA to commence planning for the Second HDP. The preliminary idea of the projects under the Second HDP was presented by the then Food and Health Bureau (FHB) to the Legislative Council (LegCo) Panel on Health Services in April 2019. The preliminary planning idea back then, which was based on the 2014-based Territorial Population and Employment Data Matrix compiled by the Planning Department and population projections by the Census and Statistics Department up to 2031, was to implement the Second HDP within ten years from 2026 to 2035 to meet the projected service demand up to 2036. A total of 19 projects were covered in the plan back then with an aim to provide over 9 000 additional beds and other necessary healthcare facilities.
 
     With the changes in the population structure, planning and development situation of Hong Kong, the HHB and the HA are currently reviewing the Second HDP. Amongst others, in view of the territory-wide and regional planning and development strategies as announced by the Planning Department, including the “Hong Kong 2030+: Towards a Planning Vision and Strategy Transcending 2030” and the Northern Metropolis Development Strategy, the corresponding population projections of Hong Kong including the latest changes in overall population, its distribution and demographics, as well as the population policy and talent attraction initiatives of the Government and more, the HHB and the HA have to adopt a planning horizon of up to 2040 and beyond for the Second HDP, and to project healthcare service demand and consider the supply and conditions of the land required, thereby optimising the Second HDP.
 
     The Government also considers factors such as the needs for and cost-effectiveness of renovation, refurbishment, redevelopment or addition of facilities for individual hospitals, and the convenience of public access to healthcare services under various major transport infrastructure development plans for determining the distribution, scale and priority, etc. of various hospital development projects under the Second HDP. Upon completion of the review, the Government will announce the revision details of the Second HDP in due course. In the course of planning, the HA will forecast future service demand and corresponding healthcare manpower requirements and make corresponding assessments and planning, with a view to flexibly deploying manpower and recruiting additional staff during the commissioning of new hospital facilities and phased introduction of services.
 
     In planning and implementing the Second HDP, the HA will proactively tie the projects in with the policy initiatives of the Government, especially those for healthcare reform, including the development of primary healthcare services, mental health services, and Chinese medicine services, integrated Chinese-Western Medicine, the third medical school and development into an international health and medical innovation hub, while providing better healthcare services to the public by reserving spaces in newly built hospital facilities to facilitate the development of various services, increasing resources as appropriate and optimising services. As for the use of healthcare services provided in the Mainland by Hong Kong citizens, the HHB has a strong determination to enhance local healthcare and shoulder the primary responsibility for the health of all citizens, while offering convenience to Hong Kong citizens across the boundary and closely monitoring the needs for cross-boundary healthcare services and the progress of the healthcare collaboration initiatives in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area under the principles of complementarity and mutual benefits.
 
     Thank you, President.
 
Note: The figures include the additional beds at Kai Tak New Acute Hospital, which are provided for the relocation of the services from Queen Elizabeth Hospital (QEH). Currently, QEH has around 1 940 beds and the reprovisioning of these beds will depend on the reallocation or redevelopment plan of its vacated buildings after its service relocation. read more