Tag Archives: China

     The Transport Department (TD) announced today (January 2) that the Taxi Written Test will be enhanced from February 14, with adjustments made to the content, the number of questions and the passing criteria so as to attract more newcomers to join the taxi industry.

     The taxi trades and members of the Committee on Taxi Service Quality have expressed views about the Taxi Written Test to the TD. They suggested that a review be conducted to enhance the content and arrangements of the test to attract more new blood to join the taxi industry, thereby alleviating the manpower issue of the industry.

     The TD has carefully considered and examined the views and suggestions and completed the relevant review under the premise of ensuring the robustness of the existing test system. The review outcome includes maintaining the existing test structure, which comprises three parts (i.e. Part A (Taxi Regulations), Part B (Location Questions) and Part C (Road Users’ Code)); simplifying the test content with updating as appropriate; and adjusting the number of test questions and the passing criteria.

     To better meet prevailing needs, Part B of the test, Location Questions, will be updated to Location and Route Questions. The Location Question Booklet currently available to prepare candidates for Part B of the test will be updated to become the Location and Route Questions Booklet, in which some places no longer prominent to the general public will be deleted while some newly developed sites gaining popularity will be suitably incorporated. In addition, new route planning questions will be added to strengthen the testing of candidates’ abilities to identify the most direct and viable route between two designated locations.

     In addition, the number of overall test questions will be adjusted from 140 to 90, of which 20 questions each in Part A and Part B will remain unchanged while the number of questions in Part C will be adjusted from 100 to 50. The test duration will be shortened from 70 minutes to 45 minutes correspondingly. The passing criteria will be adjusted to 17 or more correct answers for each of Part A and Part B, as well as 43 or more for Part C.

     In late 2019, the TD communicated with taxi trade representatives, who have indicated general support for the enhancements. The enhanced Taxi Written Test will be applicable to candidates (both fresh candidates and repeaters) who are allocated test appointments on or after February 14. Relevant candidates will be issued with the updated Guide to Taxi Written Test and the Location and Route Questions Booklet. For details, please visit the TD’s website (www.td.gov.hk/en/publications_and_press_releases/publications/free_publications/index_categoryid_8.html). read more

     The Department of Health (DH) today (January 2) reminded operators of day procedure centre (DPC) that applications for DPC licences under the Private Healthcare Facilities Ordinance (Cap. 633) will be accepted starting from today. The Director of Health has already issued the Code of Practice for Day Procedure Centres, which will take effect on the same date.
 
     Under the Ordinance, DPC refers to an ambulatory facility that is used for carrying out scheduled medical procedures as listed in Column 2 of Schedule 3 to the Ordinance on patients without lodging. Operators of DPCs must apply for DPC licences, and there are no exemption arrangements for DPCs. 
 
     For DPCs in operation on or before November 30, 2018, if applications for licences are submitted from today till April 30 (both dates inclusive), provisional licences may be issued subject to assessment by the DH. DPCs issued with provisional licences might continue to operate legally until the application for the licence is approved, withdrawn or rejected, or the Secretary for Food and Health appoints by notice published in the Gazette the date on which the transitional arrangement expires. As for DPCs in operation after November 30, 2018, the licence application period also starts today.
 
     A spokesman for the DH said, “The DH will issue letters to all medical practitioners and dentists in Hong Kong to remind them of the requirements and the application procedures, so as to help them prepare to make the necessary arrangements. The first batch of DPC licences issued under the Ordinance is expected to take effect on January 1, 2021.”

     The Ordinance was enacted on November 30, 2018, aiming to further protect patient safety and rights through the introduction of a new regulatory regime for private healthcare facilities. Under the Ordinance, all premises where registered medical practitioners and/or dentists practise are required to obtain a licence or a letter of exemption, including hospitals, DPCs and clinics. The regulatory regime is being implemented in phases. Applications for hospital licences have commenced since last year. Details of applications for clinic licences and requests for letters of exemption for small practice clinics will be announced in due course.
 
     Operators can apply for DPC licences through the online platform. For details on DPC licence applications, please visit the website of the DH’s Office for Regulation of Private Healthcare Facilities (www.orphf.gov.hk). read more

     In view of the keen manpower demand in the elderly care and rehabilitation services sector, the Labour Department (LD) will organise a series of district-based and large-scale job fairs for the sector between January and March. A dedicated webpage featuring job vacancies in the sector has also been launched on the LD’s Interactive Employment Services (iES) website to enable job seekers to apply for the posts and employers to fill related vacancies.
      
     Admission to the job fairs is free. Job seekers can submit applications on the spot and meet the employers or have on-site interviews. Dates and venues of the job fairs are as follows:
 
     Eight district-based job fairs, featuring job vacancies in private residential care homes for the elderly and/or residential care homes for persons with disabilities.

Date	Venue
January 15	Kowloon West Job Centre
January 20	Tsuen Wan Job Centre
January 30	Hong Kong East Job Centre
February 10	Kowloon East Job Centre
February 12	Sheung Shui Job Centre
February 19	Kwun Tong Job Centre
February 20	Employment in One-stop
February 25	North Point Job Centre

  
     A large-scale job fair, featuring job vacancies in subvented residential care homes for the elderly and residential care homes for persons with disabilities.

Date	Venue
March 18 and 19	MacPherson Stadium, Mong Kok

 
     The dedicated webpage on the Elderly Care and Rehabilitation Services Sector (www.jobs.gov.hk/ElderlyandRehab) provides information on the above job fairs, with the list of participating employers and details of the job vacancies to be uploaded in due course. In addition to a built-in tailor-made search engine to enable job seekers to search for job vacancies in the sector, the dedicated webpage also provides related training information for job seekers who are interested in joining the sector.
      
     Information on the above job fairs is also featured on the iES Mobile App and vacancy search terminals located throughout the territory to facilitate job seekers’ browsing.
  read more

Attention TV/radio announcers: Please broadcast the following as soon as possible:      Here is an item of interest to swimmers.      The Leisure and Cultural Services Department announced today (Ja… read more

Attention TV/radio announcers: Please broadcast the following as soon as possible: Here is an item of interest to swimmers.      The Leisure and Cultural Services Department announced today (January 2) that due to big … read more