Task Force on District Governance Reviews Progress of Eight Key Community Initiatives

DCS chairs sixth meeting of Task Force on District Governance

The Deputy Chief Secretary for Administration, Mr Cheuk Wing-hing, chaired the sixth meeting of the Task Force on District Governance (TFDG) today (November 22) to continuously follow up on the implementation progress of eight district initiatives in accordance with the overall strategies set by the Steering Committee on District Governance (SCDG), chaired by the Chief Secretary for Administration.

Mr Cheuk said, "The TFDG fully supervises all departments to actively follow up on the implementation of various district initiatives as assigned by the SCDG, in order to enhance the capabilities and efficacy of district governance as well as promote the well-being of society. All departments will continue to adhere to the mission of addressing people's needs and achieving practical benefits for the public by actively following up on various district issues with a view to fostering a greater sense of fulfilment, happiness and security among the people."

The SCDG chaired by the Chief Secretary for Administration has formulated strategies in relation to the eight district issues, covering different areas including support of children and the elderly, environmental hygiene, law and order, road safety, pedestrian facilities and estate environment, as well as digital inclusion. The TFDG continued to follow up on the implementation details and progress of the eight district issues at the meeting, including:

1. Expanding after-school care service and enhancing support for parents

The School-based After School Care Service Scheme has been expanded to cover over 110 primary schools in 18 districts in the 2024-25 school year. As of end-October, 113 primary schools have participated in the scheme with over 5 000 beneficiary students.

2. Caring for the elderly and enhancing community support

In respect of caring for the elderly, the Leisure and Cultural Services Department has provided suitable fitness equipment for senior citizens at 23 leisure venues to encourage the elderly to exercise more. In addition, they will organise approximately 80 free sessions of Briefing on Outdoor Fitness Training for about 2 000 participants, mainly targeting the elderly, at the fitness corners of 18 parks in 2024-25.

Under the Social Welfare Department's pilot scheme, as of October, the District Services and Community Care Teams of Tsuen Wan District and Southern District have visited and contacted more than 5 600 households of singleton and doubleton elderly persons, as well as carers of elderly persons and persons with disabilities; and have referred needy cases to relevant social welfare units for follow-up.

3. Fostering clean markets and mobilising the community to participate in anti-rodent work

To improve the environment of public markets, the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD) is expediting toilet enhancement projects in public markets or cooked food markets, with a view to completing 23 enhancement projects by end-2025.

Furthermore, the pilot scheme on stall improvement at the Queen Street Cooked Food Market was completed in September this year. The reopened Cooked Food Market has attracted more customers and has received positive feedback from stall tenants and the public. The FEHD will continue to identify other suitable venues for stall improvement work.

4. Enhancing public order and combating crimes on all fronts

To enhance public safety, the Police plan to first install closed-circuit television (CCTV) at locations with a higher crime rate and pedestrian flow across districts in order to serve as a deterrent against street crimes and as an aid in their investigation. From April this year until now, the Police has completed the installation of over 550 sets of CCTV in various districts, which has assisted them to quickly solve 70 criminal cases and has achieved a significant impact on fighting crime. The Police will continue to enhance the use of technology to strengthen their efforts in fighting and preventing crime. The target is to complete installing 2 000 sets of CCTV in 2025.

To combat deception cases, the Police, in collaboration with the Hong Kong Monetary Authority, has extended the coverage of the Suspicious Account Alert for Internet banking and physical branches transactions since August 2024, for providing enhanced protection to customers against rising fraud risks.

5. Improving pedestrian facilities and ensuring road safety

The Highways Department (HyD) has completed the repaving of 37 footpath sections, and will finish the repaving of the other three footpath sections before the end of this year. The HyD plans to expand the repaving work to an additional 40 footpath sections starting next year. The Transport Department has also completed the installation of auxiliary pedestrian crossing devices with red light-beam projections at 97 pedestrian crossing black spots in various districts.

6.Enhancing the walking experience for citizens and creating a pedestrian-friendly environment

The HyD is conducting renovation and beautification works for 36 footbridges and pedestrian subways, and works for nine structures have been completed. The HyD has also completed the installation of bench railings for citizens to sit and rest at 10 suitable locations on a trial basis. The HyD will continue to identify suitable locations for installing these bench railings next year.

7.Improving the environment of public housing estates and creating comfortable homes

To improve the environment of public housing estates, the Housing Department has commenced phased enhancement works for areas within 15 public rental housing estates, including improvement to peripheral environment and installation of suitable facilities.

8. Caring for the elderly and promoting digital inclusion

The Digital Policy Office (DPO) has completed the approval of project proposals submitted by institutions/organisations for the Digital Inclusion Programme for the Elderlies, with a view to commencing the first batch of projects by the end of this year. The entire programme targets to benefit at least 100 000 elderly persons. The DPO will launch a city-wide promotion campaign to encourage the elderly to actively engage in digital living.

Mr Cheuk thanked the departments for their dedicated efforts in advancing the above work and achieving good progress. He urged departments to continue actively following up on various livelihood issues and to strengthen their work on district management, with a view to addressing people's concerns and responding to their needs through practical actions.

DCS chairs sixth meeting of Task Force on District Governance Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

14 persons arrested during anti-illegal worker operations

The Immigration Department (ImmD) mounted a series of territory-wide anti-illegal worker operations codenamed "Contribute" and "Twilight", and joint operations with the Hong Kong Police Force codenamed "Champion" and "Windsand", for four consecutive days from November 18 to yesterday (November 21). A total of 10 suspected illegal workers, three suspected employers and one overstayer were arrested.

During the anti-illegal worker operations, ImmD Task Force officers raided 30 target locations including a beauty parlour, grocery stores, a massage parlour, commercial buildings, residential buildings, restaurants, retail shops and warehouses. Ten suspected illegal workers and three suspected employers were arrested. The arrested suspected illegal workers comprised four men and six women, aged 32 to 62. Among them, two women were suspected of using and being in possession of a forged Hong Kong identity card. One man and two women, aged 36 to 44, were suspected of employing the illegal workers and were also arrested.

During operation "Champion", enforcement officers raided seven target locations in Mongkok district. One female overstayer, aged 37, was arrested. The arrested overstayer was handled by the ImmD.

An ImmD spokesman said, "Any person who contravenes a condition of stay in force in respect of him or her shall be guilty of an offence. Also, visitors are not allowed to take employment in Hong Kong, whether paid or unpaid, without the permission of the Director of Immigration. Offenders are liable to prosecution and upon conviction face a maximum fine of $50,000 and up to two years' imprisonment. Aiders and abettors are also liable to prosecution and penalties."

The spokesman warned, "As stipulated in section 38AA of the Immigration Ordinance, an illegal immigrant, a person who is the subject of a removal order or a deportation order, an overstayer or a person who was refused permission to land is prohibited from taking any employment, whether paid or unpaid, or establishing or joining in any business. Offenders are liable upon conviction to a maximum fine of $50,000 and up to three years' imprisonment. Under the prevailing laws, it is an offence to use or possess a forged Hong Kong identity card or a Hong Kong identity card related to another person. Offenders are liable to prosecution and upon conviction face a maximum fine of $100,000 and up to 10 years' imprisonment."

The spokesman reiterated that it is a serious offence to employ people who are not lawfully employable. Under the Immigration Ordinance, the maximum penalty for an employer employing a person who is not lawfully employable, i.e. an illegal immigrant, a person who is the subject of a removal order or a deportation order, an overstayer or a person who was refused permission to land, has been significantly increased from a fine of $350,000 and three years' imprisonment to a fine of $500,000 and 10 years' imprisonment to reflect the gravity of such offences. The director, manager, secretary, partner, etc, of the company concerned may also bear criminal liability. The High Court has laid down sentencing guidelines that the employer of an illegal worker should be given an immediate custodial sentence.

According to the court sentencing, employers must take all practicable steps to determine whether a person is lawfully employable prior to employment. Apart from inspecting a prospective employee's identity card, the employer has the explicit duty to make enquiries regarding the person and ensure that the answers would not cast any reasonable doubt concerning the lawful employability of the person. The court will not accept failure to do so as a defence in proceedings. It is also an offence if an employer fails to inspect the job seeker's valid travel document if the job seeker does not have a Hong Kong permanent identity card. Offenders are liable upon conviction to a maximum fine of $150,000 and to imprisonment for one year. In that connection, the spokesman would like to remind all employers not to defy the law by employing illegal workers. The ImmD will continue to take resolute enforcement action to combat such offences.

Under the existing mechanism, the ImmD will, as a standard procedure, conduct an initial screening of vulnerable persons, including illegal workers, illegal immigrants, sex workers and foreign domestic helpers, who are arrested during any operation with a view to ascertaining whether they are trafficking in persons (TIP) victims. When any TIP indicator is revealed in the initial screening, the ImmD officers will conduct a full debriefing and identification by using a standardised checklist to ascertain the presence of TIP elements, such as threats and coercion in the recruitment phase and the nature of exploitation. Identified TIP victims will be provided with various forms of support and assistance, including urgent intervention, medical services, counselling, shelter or temporary accommodation and other supporting services. The ImmD calls on TIP victims to report crimes to the relevant departments immediately.

14 persons arrested during anti-illegal worker operations Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases