The Government announced today (April 9) the following senior appointments:
 
(a) Mr Joe Wong Chi-cho, Commissioner for Tourism, will be seconded to the Ocean Park Corporation (OPC) to take up the position of Chief Executive (CE) with effect from May 1, 2021, for about six months; and
 
(b) Ms Irene Young Bick-kwan, Deputy Secretary for the Environment, will take up the post of Director of Food and Environmental Hygiene on April 14, 2021.
 
     The Government arranged the secondment of Mr Wong while the OPC conducts an open recruitment to identify a new CE.
 
     Commenting on the secondment of Mr Wong, the Secretary for the Civil Service, Mr Patrick Nip, said, "Mr Wong is a seasoned Administrative Officer with proven leadership and management skills, as well as profound experience in the policy making of tourism development. I have every confidence that he will continue to serve the community with dedication and professionalism during his secondment to the OPC."
 
     Commenting on the appointment of Ms Young, Mr Nip said, "Ms Young is a seasoned Administrative Officer with proven leadership and management skills. I have every confidence that she will serve the community with professionalism in her new capacity."
 
     Brief biographical notes of the two officers are set out below:

Mr Joe Wong Chi-cho
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     Mr Wong joined the Administrative Service in July 1987 and rose to the rank of Administrative Officer Staff Grade A in April 2018. He has served in various bureaux and departments, including the former Health and Welfare Branch, the former City and New Territories Administration, the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in New York, the former Economic Services Branch, the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in Washington DC, the Financial Services and the Treasury Bureau and the Housing Department. He was Deputy Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development (Communications and Technology) (later retitled as Deputy Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development (Communications and Creative Industries)) from October 2011 to July 2016, Director of Information Services from July 2016 to February 2018 and has been serving as Commissioner for Tourism since February 2018.
 
Ms Irene Young Bick-kwan
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     Ms Young joined the Administrative Service in August 1990 and rose to the rank of Administrative Officer Staff Grade B1 in April 2016. She has served in various bureaux and departments, including the former Civil Service Branch, the former Transport Branch, Home Affairs Department, the former Office of the Telecommunications Authority, the former Finance Branch, the former Finance Bureau, the former Economic Services Bureau, the former Economic Development and Labour Bureau, the former Education and Manpower Bureau, and Labour and Welfare Bureau. She was Deputy Representative in the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in Geneva from January 2013 to May 2014, Permanent Representative of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of China to the World Trade Organization from May 2014 to January 2019 and has been serving as Deputy Secretary for the Environment since January 2019.

    

     The Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development, Mr Edward Yau, today (April 9) briefed representatives from the textiles and garment sector on the amended Annex I to the Basic Law on Method for the Selection of the Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) and Annex II to the Basic Law on Method for the Formation of the Legislative Council of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and its Voting Procedures as approved by the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress.

     At the meeting, Mr Yau reiterated the necessity and urgency of improving the electoral system, highlighting its importance to creating a stable business environment and ensuring Hong Kong's prosperity and stability. He called on them to fully support the relevant amendments.

     Mr Yau stressed that by improving the electoral system, the excessive politicisation in society and the internal rifts that have torn Hong Kong apart can be effectively mitigated, thereby enhancing the governance capability of the HKSAR. The HKSAR will then be able to focus on addressing economic and livelihood issues, and developing the economy to achieve long-term prosperity and stability through leveraging its unique advantages and the staunch support of the Central Authorities.

     Mr Yau will give briefings for the telecommunications, broadcasting, film and performing arts, and publishing sectors on the relevant amendments next week.

    

     The Environmental Protection Department (EPD) today (April 9) released the latest grading of water quality for 38 gazetted beaches (see Note 1) and one non-gazetted beach (i.e. Discovery Bay, see Note 2).
 
     Thirty beaches were rated as Good (Grade 1), eight as Fair (Grade 2) and one as Poor (Grade 3).
 
Grade 1 beaches are:

 
Grade 2 beaches are:

 
Grade 3 beach is:

 
     Compared with the grading released last week, Cafeteria New Beach has been upgraded from Grade 2 to Grade 1. Butterfly Beach has been changed from Grade 1 to Grade 2.
 
     "The changes are generally within the normal range of fluctuation of the bacteriological water quality of the beaches," an EPD spokesman said.
 
     Under the present grading system, beaches are classified into four grades, namely Good (Grade 1), Fair (Grade 2), Poor (Grade 3) and Very Poor (Grade 4), according to the level of E. coli in the water. Grades are calculated on the basis of the geometric mean of the E. coli counts on the five most recent sampling occasions.
 
     A summary of beach grades is published weekly before the weekend. The latest beach grades based on the most current data may be obtained from the EPD's website on Beach Water Quality (www.epd.gov.hk/epd/beach) or the beach hotline, 2511 6666.
 
Note 1: The Leisure and Cultural Services Department has resumed lifeguard services at 15 gazetted beaches, marked with an asterisk above, from April 2.
 
Note 2: Discovery Bay is a non-gazetted beach without lifeguard service.

     The Centre for Food Safety (CFS) of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department announced today (April 9) that in view of notifications from the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) about outbreaks of highly pathogenic H5N8 avian influenza in East Staffordshire District of Staffordshire County in the United Kingdom (UK), and in Paderborn, Münster, Märkischer Kreis, Warendorf, Minden-Lübbecke, Hochsauerlandkreis and Gütersloh of the State of Nordrhein-Westfalen in Germany, the CFS has instructed the trade to suspend the import of poultry meat and products (including poultry eggs) from the above-mentioned areas with immediate effect to protect public health in Hong Kong.

     A CFS spokesman said that according to the Census and Statistics Department, Hong Kong imported about 11 130 tonnes of chilled and frozen poultry meat and about 420 000 poultry eggs from the UK, and about 3 900 tonnes of frozen poultry meat and about 1.41 million poultry eggs from Germany last year.

     "The CFS has contacted the British and German authorities over the issues and will closely monitor information issued by the OIE and the relevant authorities on the avian influenza outbreaks. Appropriate action will be taken in response to the development of the situation," the spokesman said.

     The effective exchange rate index for the Hong Kong dollar on Friday, April 9, 2021 is 102 (up 0.1 against yesterday's index).