Author: MIL-OSI Publisher

Source: Hong Kong Information Services

Secretary for Justice Paul Lam called on the Supreme People’s Court and central ministries respectively in Beijing for two consecutive days to discuss and exchange views on the progress and work of the key policy initiatives of the Department of Justice (DoJ).

This morning, Mr Lam visited the Hong Kong International Arbitration Centre (HKIAC) Beijing Representative Office to learn about how the office assists the HKIAC in further developing the Mainland market following its establishment in Beijing. The opportunities brought about by the revised Arbitration Law of the People’s Republic of China were also discussed.

Mr Lam then went to the State-owned Assets Supervision & Administration Commission of the State Council to discuss opportunities for co-operation in areas such as capacity building programmes and talent training between the two sides.

He also met Vice Minister of Justice Wu Zeng to discuss issues relating to legal matters concerning the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA), including “allowing Hong Kong-invested enterprises to choose for arbitration to be seated in Hong Kong”, the development of the GBA lawyers’ scheme, and the co-operation between Mainland and Hong Kong law firms.

At the start of his visit yesterday morning, Mr Lam called on the Supreme People’s Court to meet President of the Supreme People’s Court Zhang Jun. They discussed the mutual legal assistance arrangements and training for foreign-related legal talent between the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and the Mainland.

In the afternoon, Mr Lam called on the Ministry of Commerce where he introduced to Deputy China International Trade Representative Jiang Chenghua the DoJ’s measures to strengthen Hong Kong’s professional services sectors in supporting Mainland enterprises going global, and ways to encourage Mainland enterprises to adopt Hong Kong law as the applicable law while expanding overseas and to choose Hong Kong as the destination for dispute resolution.

During the meeting with Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Hua Chunying, both sides exchanged views on issues such as supporting the Hong Kong SAR and the DoJ in collaborating with international legal organisations and enhancing Hong Kong’s status as the centre for international legal and dispute resolution services.

Source: Hong Kong Information Services

Chief Secretary Chan Kwok-ki, leading a delegation of the Working Group on Planning & Construction of the University Town under the Committee on Development of the Northern Metropolis, began a four-day visit to Korea today.

The delegation will conduct on-site visits to study the development models and practical experiences of local university towns, with a view to providing a solid reference for the planning and construction of the Northern Metropolis University Town (NMUT).

Today, the delegation first met Ambassador for International Relations of Sejong City Government Lee Ho-shik to learn about the local development of shared university campuses, as well as the experiences of industry-academia-research integration and talent attraction. They also exchanged views on deepening co-operation in the education field between the two places.

Mr Chan said the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government is actively developing the NMUT, with the aim of establishing it as an international education and innovation and technology hub.

He expressed hope that through the visit, the delegation could draw on Sejong’s successful experience in building a multi-university ecosystem and learn from its experiences, considerations and insights in campus planning, shared facility management, talent attraction strategies, and the creation of a university community that drives innovation and economic growth.

The Chief Secretary also hoped the visit would promote exchanges and co-operation in the education sector between the two places.

Afterwards, the delegation visited the Sejong Common Campus, where they toured institutions and facilities, including a shared academic and cultural support centre. They also met Sejong Common Campus Foundation Chairman Han Seog-soo to gain an in-depth understanding of the campus’ operation and planning.

Officially opened in 2024, the Sejong Common Campus houses a number of Korea’s top-tier universities, including Seoul National University, Chungbuk National University, Chungnam National University, Hanbat National University and the Korea Development Institute School of Public Policy and Management.

Mr Chan said the Sejong Common Campus created an integrated, open and collaborative ecosystem with multiple institutions, which is innovative and forward-looking in higher education development.

He added that the campus has integrated education, technology and talent development, achieving results in sustainable and smart campus development, deep integration of industry, academia and research, as well as the establishment of an entrepreneurship ecosystem.

Mr Chan hoped to bring the successful experience from Sejong back to Hong Kong, helping the city build a more innovative, sustainable and vibrant NMUT that effectively integrates education, research and industry, while continuing to promote deeper exchanges and co-operation in the education sector between the two places.

Source: Hong Kong Information Services

The Department of Health (DH) and the Hospital Authority (HA) announced today that a doctor deployed from the HA to the DH for specialty training was suspected of accessing medical records of patients without authorisation while conducting clinical research. The patients were not under the doctor’s direct care.

The DH previously received an enquiry from a member of the public regarding access to electronic health records and launched an investigation.

The DH found that in March this year, a doctor undergoing specialty training accessed the medical records of patients not under the doctor’s direct care without authorisation through the clinical information management system of the Social Hygiene Clinics and eHealth system, involving a total of 47 patients.

The doctor in question has been deployed to the DH’s Social Hygiene Service since 2023, where the doctor undergoes regular training on a weekly basis, participates in clinical service and provides medical consultations to patients.

According to individual specialty college requirements, doctors under specialty training are required to participate in research projects as part of their specialty training.

It is understood that the doctor in question was conducting a clinical research project that had been approved by the HA’s Institutional Review Board.

The scope of the approval was limited to patients’ records from public hospitals and did not cover the DH’s patient records. The doctor accessed the relevant records without obtaining separate authorisation from the DH.

In response to the incident, the DH has immediately suspended the doctor’s training and referred to Police for follow up. The DH has also reported the case to the Office of the Privacy Commissioner for Personal Data, the Commissioner for Electronic Health Record and the HA, which employed the doctor. The DH is currently notifying the affected individuals.

The HA earlier received the DH’s notification and learned that the DH had reported the incident to law enforcement and regulatory authorities. The HA will fully co-operate with the investigation.

The HA said it believes that although this is an isolated incident related to clinical research, the procedure was inappropriate, noting that it will take this matter seriously and strengthen staff training on the precautions they should take when using patient data for clinical research.

Both the DH and the HA reiterated that they attach great importance to protecting patient privacy, adding that there are established mechanisms to regulate staff conduct and discipline.

Source: Hong Kong Information Services

The Fanling Bypass (Eastern Section) will be commissioned at 8am on May 3.

With a total length of about 4 km, the bypass is the first major transport infrastructure project to be completed under the Northern Metropolis (NM) umbrella.

It supports the development of the NM, and specifically the Fanling North New Development Area (NDA), and enhances the connectivity of nearby villages.

The bypass is a dual two-lane carriageway, comprising at-grade roads, underpasses, and viaducts.

Starting at Fanling Highway near Kau Lung Hang in Tai Po, it passes through the On Lok Tsuen Industrial Area and the Lung Yeuk Tau Interchange, extends along the Ng Tung River, and connects to Shek Wu San Tsuen and the Fanling North NDA, serving as an important bypass linking North District in the New Territories with urban areas.

Upon commissioning, motorists will be able to travel between Fanling Lung Yeuk Tau, Luen Wo Hui, and Fanling Highway via the new route without passing through busy roads in the town centres of Sheung Shui and Fanling, thereby saving approximately 10 minutes of travel time during peak hours.

It will also divert future traffic from the Fanling North NDA, alleviate the amount of traffic on existing major roads in Fanling and Sheung Shui, and improve overall road conditions and operational efficiency in North District’s road network.

The Fanling Bypass (Eastern Section) is a large-scale project involving complex construction requirements. To enhance efficiency and address challenges, the project team adopted various innovative technologies.

China-made ultra-high strength S960 steel was used in the construction of a cycle track and pedestrian bridge at the Lung Yeuk Tau Interchange. It is the first footbridge in the world to use such steel, the strength of which is nearly three times that of conventional steel, significantly reducing steel consumption and the weight of the bridge.

In addition, the horizontal bridge rotation method was adopted in Hong Kong for the first time in construction of the section spanning the East Rail Line railway. This method significantly shortened construction time and reduced construction risks.

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region – 4

The Fanling Bypass (Eastern Section) will be commissioned at 8am on May 3 (Sunday).

The Fanling Bypass (Eastern Section), with a total length of about 4 kilometres, is the first major transport infrastructure project completed under the development of the Northern Metropolis (NM). In accordance with the “infrastructure-led” development principle, the Civil Engineering and Development Department has constructed the Fanling Bypass (Eastern Section) to support the development of the NM and the Fanling North New Development Area (NDA) within the NM, and to enhance the connectivity of nearby villages, creating favourable conditions for “urban-rural integration”.

The bypass is a dual two-lane carriageway. It comprises at-grade roads, underpasses, and viaducts. It starts at Fanling Highway near Kau Lung Hang in Tai Po, passing through the On Lok Tsuen Industrial Area and the Lung Yeuk Tau Interchange, extending along the Ng Tung River, and connecting to Shek Wu San Tsuen and the Fanling North NDA. It serves as an important bypass linking North District of the New Territories with the urban areas. Upon commissioning, motorists can travel between Fanling Lung Yeuk Tau, Luen Wo Hui, and Fanling Highway via the new route without passing through the busy roads in the town centres of Sheung Shui and Fanling, saving approximately 10 minutes of travel time during peak hours. The Fanling Bypass (Eastern Section) will also effectively divert the future traffic of the Fanling North NDA, alleviate the amount of traffic on the existing major roads in Fanling and Sheung Shui, improve the overall road conditions, and enhance the operational efficiency of the road network in North District.

The Fanling Bypass (Eastern Section) is a large-scale project with a complex construction environment. The bypass route spans across developed and rural areas, as well as the existing road network. During construction, the project team had to simultaneously maintain traffic flow, ensure the smooth operation of the community, and protect public facilities and nearby buildings, making the construction arrangements particularly challenging. To enhance construction efficiency and address these challenges, the project team proactively adopted innovative technologies. A noteworthy aspect is the design and construction of a cycle track and pedestrian bridge at the Lung Yeuk Tau Interchange, which utilised China-made ultra-high strength S960 steel. Its strength is nearly three times that of conventional steel, significantly reducing steel consumption and the weight of the bridge, making it the first footbridge in the world to utilise steel of this grade. Furthermore, the horizontal bridge rotation method was adopted in Hong Kong for the first time for the construction of the section spanning across the East Rail Line railway, significantly shortening construction time and reducing construction risks.

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region – 4

     The Transport Department (TD) said today (April 21) that the automated parking system (APS) in a short-term tenancy (STT) car park at Hoi Wang Road, Yau Ma Tei, has commenced service, with the largest number of APS parking spaces among similar sites to date.

     This project provides 117 APS parking spaces out of about 200 parking spaces, comprising five modules of four-storey puzzle-stacking APS each. Among them, four modules are of a larger scale providing 25 parking spaces each, the design with the highest number of parking spaces among similar APS in STT car parks, thereby enhancing spatial efficiency. The puzzle-stacking APS moves vehicles to/from ground level for retrieval/parking through vertical lifting and horizontal sliding of parking pallets. The APS is constructed, operated and maintained by the tenant.

     A spokesman for the TD said that it has been implementing public vehicle parking projects with APS in Hong Kong since 2020 to make better use of space through technology and increase the provision of parking spaces. APS has been installed in STT sites at Hoi Shing Road in Tsuen Wan, Pak Shek Kok in Tai Po and Tung Chau Street in Sham Shui Po, and has been well received by motorists, providing parking convenience for the public.

     The Government will examine the feasibility of adopting an APS when inviting tenders for new STT car parks and carrying out retendering for existing STT car parks, taking into account factors such as financial viability, actual site conditions and constraints, and the timetable for their long-term development. The Government will consolidate experiences in building, operating and managing different APS types and their financial arrangements, with a view to facilitating a wider and more efficient application of APS with the trade to optimise land space.

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region