A 48-year-old man was sentenced to immediate imprisonment for 10 days by the West Kowloon Magistrates' Courts today (March 24) for violating the Compulsory Quarantine of Certain Persons Arriving at Hong Kong Regulation (Cap. 599C) (the Regulation).

     The man was earlier issued a compulsory quarantine order stating that he must conduct quarantine at home for 14 days. Before the expiry of the quarantine order, he left the place of quarantine on February 28, 2020, without reasonable excuse nor permission given by an authorised officer and was stopped by an immigration officer at the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge Control Point. He was charged with contravening sections 8(1) and 8(5) of the Regulation and was sentenced by the West Kowloon Magistrates' Courts today to immediate imprisonment for 10 days.

      Pursuant to the Regulation, all persons who have stayed in the Mainland, Macao or Taiwan in the 14 days preceding arrival in Hong Kong, regardless of their nationality or travel documents, will be subject to compulsory quarantine for 14 days. Moreover, pursuant to the Compulsory Quarantine of Persons Arriving at Hong Kong from Foreign Places Regulation (Cap. 599E), starting from December 25, 2020, all persons arriving in Hong Kong (either via the airport or land boundary control points) who have stayed in places outside China on the day of arrival in Hong Kong or during the 21 days before that day have to undergo compulsory quarantine for 21 days in designated quarantine hotels. Breaching a quarantine order is a criminal offence and offenders are subject to a maximum fine of $25,000 and imprisonment for six months.

     A spokesman for the Department of Health said the sentence sends a clear message to the community that breaching a compulsory quarantine order is a criminal offence that the Government will not tolerate, and solemnly reminded the public to comply with the Regulation. As of today, a total of 118 persons have been convicted by the courts for breaching compulsory quarantine orders and have received sentences including immediate imprisonment for up to 14 weeks or a fine of up to $15,000. The spokesman reiterated that resolute actions will be taken against anyone who has breached the relevant regulations.

     Following is a question by the Hon Tony Tse and a written reply by the Secretary for the Environment, Mr Wong Kam-sing, in the Legislative Council today (March 24):

Question:

     Under the new amendments to the Basel Convention (BC) on regulating the transboundary movement of waste plastics, with effect from January 1, 2021, any person must, prior to conducting transboundary movement of regulated waste plastics, obtain a permit or written consent from the states of export, import and transit concerned. Some environmental groups have pointed out that Hong Kong is the largest export destination for waste plastics from the United States, which, however, is not a signatory to BC. They are worried that the aforesaid requirement along with the Mainland's implementation of measures on banning the import of "foreign rubbish" will turn Hong Kong from a transit point into the final destination of such wastes. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:

(1) of the respective quantities of (i) regulated and (ii) non-regulated waste plastics exported from, imported to and re-exported through Hong Kong, in each of the past five years, with a breakdown by export and import destinations;

(2) of the number of crimes in each of the past five years relating to the import and export of waste plastics, with a breakdown by type of offences involved; the respective numbers of relevant prosecutions and convictions;

(3) of the number of operations of random inspections conducted in each of the past five years by the Customs and Excise Department or the Environmental Protection Department for export, import and re-export containers of waste plastics and other foreign rubbish; whether the Government has assessed the effectiveness of such operations;

(4) of the number of waste plastics containers repatriated to Hong Kong in each of the past five years after they had been exported or re-exported from Hong Kong, and the ways in which such wastes were disposed of; and

(5) of the measures in place to reduce the impacts of the aforesaid amendments to BC on Hong Kong in order to prevent Hong Kong from being turned into the final destination of foreign rubbish?

Reply:

President,

     The Environmental Protection Department (EPD) has all along been regulating waste import/export activities in Hong Kong pursuant to the Waste Disposal Ordinance (WDO), Chapter 354 of the Laws of Hong Kong. Any person who intends to import/export recyclables must apply to the EPD for a permit, unless such recyclables are specified in the 6th Schedule to the WDO, and are uncontaminated and imported/exported only for the purpose of reuse or recycling.

     Our reply to the question raised by the Hon Tony Tse Wai-chuen is as follows:
 
(1) The new amendments to the Basel Convention (BC) on regulating the transboundary movement of waste plastics have come into effect since January 1, 2021. In the past, the transboundary movement of waste plastics was not controlled under the BC and waste plastics were not classified into "regulated waste plastics" or "non-regulated waste plastics". Also, applications to the EPD for import/export of waste plastics were not required. According to the external merchandise trade statistics compiled by the Census and Statistics Department (C&SD), the respective quantities of waste plastics imported, exported and re-exported over the past five years (i.e. 2016-2020), with a breakdown by supplier/destination, are set out in the table below.
 

Note 1: Amounts less than 500 tonnes are shown as 0.
Note 2: The above figures may not add up to total due to rounding off.
Note 3: Waste plastics exported refer to the waste plastics exported from Hong Kong and do not include waste plastics that have been processed and converted into raw materials.

(2) The transboundary movement of waste plastics was not controlled under the BC in the past and as a result, the EPD did not detect any cases relating to illegal import/export of waste plastics over the past five years. During the same period, the Customs and Excise Department (C&ED) also did not detect any cases of misdescription of type of goods or origin fraud that involved waste plastics.

(3) Over the past five years (i.e. 2016-2020), the EPD collaborated with the C&ED to inspect a total of some 4 040 containers at various control points and intercepted 420 containers involving illegal import/export of waste, with 255 prosecutions completed so far. The total fine imposed by the court amounted to some $3.67 million. As the transboundary movement of waste plastics was not controlled under the BC in the past, no cases of illegal import/export of waste plastics were involved.

(4) Over the past five years (i.e. 2016-2020), there was only one case in 2019 when 12 containers of waste plastics exported from Hong Kong were repatriated by Malaysia. Investigation by the EPD revealed that non-hazardous plastic casings of waste flat panel displays were shipped in the containers, which were not claimed in Malaysia upon arrival due to commercial disputes and were thus repatriated, and that the exporter concerned had not breached the WDO. The waste plastics involved were eventually recycled, with five containers treated in local recycling facilities while the remaining seven containers shipped overseas for recycling.

(5) Following the enhanced control on transboundary movements of waste plastics under the BC, the EPD has stepped up the import/export control on waste plastics since January 1, 2021. Except for the single-type and uncontaminated waste plastics listed in the BC that are destined for recycling in an environmentally sound manner, all other waste plastics are regarded as "regulated waste plastics". Any person who intends to import, export or re-export "regulated waste plastics" into, from or via Hong Kong must apply to the EPD in advance for the relevant waste import/export permit in accordance with the WDO or be granted with a re-export consent.

     As for "non-regulated waste plastics", a declaration form and relevant documents should be submitted to the EPD in advance to prove that the materials to be shipped do not fall into the category of "regulated waste plastics" as aforesaid. This will facilitate the EPD in enhancing its intelligence exchange with the exporting/importing countries concerned and stepping up spot inspections, in a joint effort to intercept suspicious cases of false declaration or non-compliance. Prior to the commencement of the BC, the EPD organised a total of four briefings in 2020 to explain to the local recycling trades and the shipping sectors the control arrangements and documentation requirements involved. Detailed guidelines and samples of necessary documents have also been uploaded to the dedicated websites for use by the trades.

     The EPD will continue to spare no efforts in working closely with enforcement authorities outside Hong Kong. We will also strengthen our intelligence exchange with the C&ED and, based on risk assessment results, inspect suspicious shipments at all boundary control points to combat illegal import/export of waste, with a view to preventing Hong Kong from becoming a distribution hub of illegally imported/exported waste, and ensuring that no imported waste is disposed of at our landfills.

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

     The Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) wishes to alert members of the public to a press release issued by Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (Asia) Limited on fraudulent website, which has been reported to the HKMA. Hyperlink to the press release is available on the HKMA website for ease of reference by members of the public.
      
     Anyone who has provided his or her personal information to the website concerned or has conducted any financial transactions through the website should contact the bank concerned using the contact information provided in the press release, and report to the Police or contact the Cyber Security and Technology Crime Bureau of the Hong Kong Police Force at 2860 5012.

     Following is a question by Dr the Hon Pierre Chan and a written reply by the Secretary for Food and Health, Professor Sophia Chan, in the Legislative Council today (March 24):
 
Question:
 
     Kwai Tsing District Health Centre (KTDHC), which is the first District Health Centre in Hong Kong, commenced operation in September 2019. In addition, the Government is taking forward its plan to construct Wan Chai District Health Centre (WCDHC) at Caroline Hill Road. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
 
(1) of the following information about KTDHC (including its satellite centres):
 
(a) the respective (i) total operational expenses with breakdowns, (ii) staffing establishment, and (iii) total expenses on remunerations with breakdowns by staff rank, in the two financial years of 2019-2020 (from September 2019) and 2020-2021 (as at the end of February this year),
 
(b) the (i) service attendance, (ii) number of referrals received from public hospitals, and (iii) number of referrals made to service providers and community partners, in each month since commencement of operation, and
 
(c) the respective service attendances by (i) obese persons, (ii) patients with hypertension and (iii) patients with diabetes mellitus, in each month since commencement of operation;
 
(2) of (i) the number of days of temporary closure of KTDHC due to the coronavirus disease 2019 epidemic, and (ii) the details of the work carried out by KTDHC for preventing and combating the epidemic;
 
(3) of the details of the Government's making use of big data for (i) planning the primary healthcare services needed in Kwai Tsing District, and (ii) enhancing the services of KTDHC; and
 
(4) as the proposed WCDHC will be built by the developer of the commercial development on the Caroline Hill Road site, and then handed over to the Government, how the Government will ensure the workmanship of the construction works of WCDHC, and of the arrangements and estimated costs for the repair and maintenance of WCDHC upon commissioning?
 
Reply:
 
President,
 
     A reply to the various parts of the question raised by Dr the Hon Pierre Chan is as follows:
 
(1) The Food and Health Bureau is committed to enhancing district-based primary healthcare services by setting up District Health Centres (DHCs) throughout the territory progressively. The first DHC in Kwai Tsing District commenced operation in September 2019.
 
     The expenditure for 2019-20 and revised estimates for 2020-21 on rental and operating expenses for the service contract of the Kwai Tsing DHC (K&TDHC) are $43.6 million and $79.7 million respectively. The staff establishment as at March 31, 2020 and December 31, 2020 are set out below:
 

 
     The number of network service providers as at March 31, 2020 and December 31, 2020 are set out below:
 

 
     The number of registered members of the K&TDHC as at March 31, 2020 and December 31, 2020 were 2 900 and 11 100 respectively. The attendance of relevant K&TDHC service/activities are set out below:
 

^ Figures are rounded to the nearest hundred and may not add up to the total due to rounding.
* Include medical consultation and medical laboratory tests only
# Include individualised health care services referred by network medical practitioners/Hospital Authority (HA) only
 
     The Bureau does not maintain other separate breakdown mentioned in the question.
 
(2) During the COVID-19 epidemic, the K&TDHC suspended face-to-face classes and individual services at its Core Centre and two Satellite Centres at Kwai Chung (West) and Tsing Yi (South West) between February 7, 2020 and March 15, 2020 to accord with the Government direction in strengthening social distancing measures with a view to reducing the risk of the virus transmission in the community. During the period, the K&TDHC continued to serve its members and public through video and telecare platform. The K&TDHC has resumed limited services at its centres since March 16, 2020. During the epidemic, K&TDHC continues to provide services for members and public in Kwai Tsing through various modes of operation in a bid to complementing the Government's effort in fighting the epidemic. The details of its services are set out below:
 
     To demonstrate the function of primary healthcare ecosystem on epidemic prevention in the community, the K&TDHC actively supported people in need by setting up street counters in areas and locations with confirmed cases by distributing anti-epidemic supplies (including surgical masks, hand sanitisers and other information on health related services, etc.) at the site or by post, and address queries from the public. Meanwhile, the K&TDHC has produced videos with anti-epidemic information in different dialects and ethnic minority languages for people with different backgrounds. The K&TDHC has also set up hotlines to provide health education and guidance to the public and promulgated relevant anti-epidemic health information via its social media channels, and has reached out to its members for provision of service via different telecare platforms.
 
     In addition, the K&TDHC and its Satellite Centres have participated in the distribution of deep throat saliva specimen bottles, especially to symptomatic members who work in industries which have frequent contact with people or those in the service industry. The K&TDHC has distributed nearly 7 000 specimen bottles to the targeted groups since the epidemic. Besides, the K&TDHC actively encouraged network doctors to participate the Enhanced Laboratory Surveillance Programme of the Centre for Health Protection under the Department of Health (DH) concerning COVID-19 and provided relevant information of doctors or clinics providing testing within the district at its website for public's reference in order to strengthen community testing.
 
     In terms of the supports provided to the patients who had recovered from COVID-19, the K&TDHC has been providing community supports to recovered patients who return to the community after their condition became stabilised at the referral of the HA in order to manage the impacts caused by the illness, such as weakened bodily functions, impacts on daily life caused by respiratory problem, etc., as well as providing consultations on other diseases and side effects of drugs. Medical professionals would firstly contact the patients by phone to understand their respective situation and needs in order to provide one-stop services by the multi-disciplinary team comprising nurses, physiotherapists, occupational therapists, dietitians as well as social workers. Services included medical and health information, guidance on home exercise, diet recommendations and emotional counselling, etc.
 
     Since the COVID-19 Vaccination Programme commenced, the K&TDHC has enhanced the publicity and education on the Vaccination Programme through different channels (including relevant education seminars offered at the Core Centre, Satellite Centres and in collaboration with the local non-governmental organisations located at the district, as well as live streaming activities on social media platforms, etc.). The K&TDHC also contacted members who were under the priority groups and assisted them in making reservation for receiving vaccines. Information posters and the information on private doctors and clinics who offer vaccinations were displayed at the K&TDHC Core Centre and its Satellite Centres. Furthermore, the K&TDHC is also liaising with the private doctors in the vicinity (including Tsuen Wan, Sha Tin, and Sham Shui Po) who have participated in the Vaccination Programme for collaboration in order to encourage and facilitate members and local residents to receive vaccination.
 
(3) In determining the scope of services to be provided by the K&TDHC, the Steering Committee on Primary Healthcare Development (the Steering Committee) examined the findings of four large-scale surveys/data sources to better understand the health profile of the Kwai Tsing population, namely:
 
(a) Chronic Disease Virtual Registry of the HA;
(b) Population Health Survey conducted by the DH;
(c) Thematic Household Survey conducted by the Census and Statistics Department; and
(d) The collaborative project entitled "FAMILY: A Jockey Club Initiative for a Harmonious Society" (FAMILY Project) conducted by the School of Public Health of the University of Hong Kong and funded by the Hong Kong Jockey Club.
 
     Since item (d) above contains district-based health data that is most relevant to the DHC, we have consulted the Steering Committee and have agreed to adopt the data of the FAMILY Project as the baseline for the scope of services to be provided by the K&TDHC.
 
(4) As the works project of the Wan Chai DHC (WCDHC) will be designed and constructed by the developer, it is subject to the regulation of the Buildings Ordinance (BO) (Cap. 123) like other private development projects. Under the BO, the developer is required to appoint an authorised person (AP), a registered structural engineer and a registered geotechnical engineer (collectively referred to as "building professionals") to prepare and submit various types of building plans prescribed by the law for the approval of the Buildings Department (BD). The developer is also required to appoint registered contractors to carry out the relevant works. Upon completion of the development project, in addition to the application for the occupation permit (OP), the registered building professionals and the registered contractors must submit a certificate on completion of the building works to the BD to certify that the works concerned have been completed in accordance with the approved plans and comply with the BO and its subsidiary regulations. Besides, the BD will exercise building control on private development projects in accordance with the BO, including by plan processing and regular inspection of sites with construction works in progress. Upon receipt of an application for OP, the BD officers will carry out site inspection with the AP and scrutinise the supporting documents submitted as required under the BO to ensure that the building works comply with the relevant provisions of the BO and its subsidiary regulations before issuing the OP.
 
     In addition, the Government will scrutinise the design and material submissions from the developer according to the requirements and specifications of "Technical Schedule" appended to the land sale conditions, and carry out inspection prior to the handover to ensure that the overall design and construction quality of the WCDHC fulfill the operational requirements.
 
     Upon completion of the WCDHC subject to the compliance with the above inspection procedures, the WCDHC will be handed over to the Government as a government property. The Government will be responsible for the management and the maintenance of the property. The relevant estimated costs of repair and maintenance works of the WCDHC is approximately $0.9 million per year.

     Following is a question by the Hon Mrs Regina Ip and a written reply by the Secretary for Security, Mr John Lee, in the Legislative Council today (March 24):
 
Question:
 
     Some disciplined services staff have relayed to me that as there is a surplus of units of departmental quarters of certain grades (e.g. quarters for officer rank staff) but an acute shortage of units of quarters of some other grades (e.g. quarters for married rank and file staff), there is a mismatch between the supply of and demand for such quarters. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
 
(1) in respect of the quarters of each disciplined services department, of (i) the number of units available for allocation, (ii) the number of applicants for such units, (iii) the number of applicants allocated such units, and (iv) the vacancy rate of such units, in each of the past three years, with a tabulated breakdown by (a) grade of the quarters and (b) district in which the quarters were located;
 
(2) of the current waiting time for each grade of quarters under each disciplined services department; whether the Government has (i) set a target waiting time and (ii) put in place new measures to shorten the waiting time; and
 
(3) whether it will put in place new measures to mitigate the mismatch between the supply of and demand for such quarters?
 
Reply:
 
President,
 
     Civil service housing benefits are provided to eligible serving civil servants according to their terms of appointment, as well as the terms and conditions of relevant housing schemes. It is the Government's established policy to provide departmental quarters (DQs) to married disciplined services staff, subject to the availability of resources. In response to the Hon Mrs Regina Ip's question, after consulting the Civil Service Bureau (CSB), the Government Property Agency (GPA) and the disciplined services departments (DSDs), we provide a consolidated reply below:
 
(1) (i) and (ii) The number of units available for allocation as well as the number of eligible staff of each DSD (with a breakdown by grade of the quarters and district) are tabulated at Annexes 1 to 6.
 
     Regarding the number of applicants mentioned in the question, the DSDs have only maintained the number of applications. Given that each staff member could submit applications for DQs more than once in a year, number of eligible staff could more accurately reflect the demand for DQs of each department. Furthermore, according to the Civil Service Regulations and Accommodation Regulations, staff of a specific rank could apply for DQs higher or lower than those of their respective salary grading (i.e. each staff member is eligible for DQs of more than one grade). Hence, the DSDs have not maintained breakdown statistics of the number of applicants for each DQ grade.
 
(iii) The numbers of disciplined services staff allocated with DQs for the first time of each DSD in the past three years are tabulated as follows. The DSDs have not maintained breakdown statistics by grade or district.
 

 
(iv) The vacancy rate of DQs of each DSD is tabulated at Annex 7. The DSDs have not maintained breakdown statistics by district.
 
(2) As at March 1, 2021, the average waiting time of each DSD is tabulated as follows:
 

 
     As elaborated above, staff member of a specific rank is eligible for DQs of more than one grade. Hence, the DSDs have not maintained the waiting time for each grade of DQs.
 
(i) The Government has not stipulated the target waiting time for DQs of each DSD. The waiting time for DQs is affected by a number of factors, including the department's recruitment plans, the retirement situation of staff, marriage rate, the number of eligible staff, their housing preferences and whether they would claim the other housing benefit schemes, etc.
 
(ii) The Security Bureau (SB) has been working with the DSD management as well as bureaux and departments concerned to examine ways to increase the supply of DQ flats. For example, submitting applications to the Town Planning Board to relax the building height restrictions of DQ sites.
 
     As announced in the 2014 Policy Address, the Government will expedite eight DQ projects for the DSDs (Note 3). Currently, the construction work of four projects have been completed and most of the residents have moved in. The remaining four projects are expected to be completed between 2021 and 2022. Besides these eight projects, the DSDs are also taking forward other DQ development projects proactively.
 
(3) Currently, the Government has established mechanisms to handle surplus DQ units. If there are surplus units under individual departments, the Government will consider alternative uses for the units internally. The GPA will also provide assistance and put the properties up for lease in the market when appropriate, to achieve better use of resources. In order to meet the demand for DQ units, especially those for Rank and File, the SB will work with bureaux and departments concerned proactively, to expedite the construction progress of projects, and examine various methods such as relaxing site restrictions, so as to increase the supply of DQ units.
 
Note 1: Excluding re-allocation due to various reasons such as moving flats or promotion.
Note 2: All GFS staff members are regarded as "officers" for the purpose of quarters allocation.
Note 3: The eight projects include Blissful Villa of the ImmD, Yau Yue Wan Customs Staff Quarters, Kwun Tong Disciplined Services Quarters, and Tin Wan Correctional Services Department Staff Quarters, which have been completed; as well as Fan Garden of the HKPF, Pak Shing Kok Married Quarters of the FSD, Tsz Wan Shan Staff Quarters of the C&ED and Tseung Kwan O Area 123 Departmental Quarters of the C&ED, which are under construction.