kakase/hk_gov_press_release huggingface dataset:
SCS meets with student interns of Administrative Service (with photos)
27.7.2021

The Secretary for the Civil Service, Mr Patrick Nip, today (July 27) met with university students participating in the Administrative Service Summer Internship Programme to learn about their internship experience, and encouraged them to apply for the Administrative Officer (AO) post upon graduation to contribute to the country and serve society. Mr Nip said the Administrative Service Summer Internship Programme aims at offering university students a better grasp of the work of AOs and the chance to get hands-on experience of working in the Government, thereby facilitating their future career planning. He said he was pleased to learn that the programme was well received among students, with a record high of some 280 applications this year. "The civil service constitutes an important component of the political structure of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) and is the backbone of the HKSAR Government. The Administrative Service is the core of the civil service. Being multi-skilled professional administrators, AOs are posted to different bureaux, departments and district offices as well as offices outside Hong Kong at regular intervals to undertake different areas of work, including assisting in the formulation and implementation of policies, resource allocation and district administration, as well as important duties such as the promotion of Hong Kong's interests in the Mainland and overseas. In the face of the many challenges, we are looking for talents who have outstanding capabilities and are highly committed to contributing to the country and serving society to join the Administrative Service to support Hong Kong to strive ahead with renewed perseverance." This year, a total of 84 Hong Kong students studying in local and non-local universities have been posted to 28 government bureaux and departments, taking up duties similar in nature to those of AOs. The participants generally hold the view that the internship programme has enabled them to obtain hands-on experience in working with serving AOs to see for themselves the Government's operation and the diversified work of AOs, and to gain a more in-depth understanding of public administration.
Secretary for the Civil Service reviews Fire Services passing-out parade (with photos)
22.7.2021

The Secretary for the Civil Service, Mr Patrick Nip, reviewed the 189th Fire Services passing-out parade for 14 station officers, three ambulance officers, 79 firemen and 77 ambulancemen at the Fire and Ambulance Services Academy today (July 22). Speaking at the parade, Mr Nip commended the Fire Services Department (FSD) for rising to the challenge at the forefront in the fight against the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) by providing emergency treatment to patients with suspected or confirmed COVID-19, and transferring them and close contacts to hospitals and other medical facilities for testing, quarantine arrangements or further treatment. He added that the FSD fully supports the Government's anti-epidemic measures. Not only did they assist in setting up the quarantine centres and temporary hospital, but over 1 000 of them also rendered assistance in launching the Universal Community Testing Programme by serving as officers-in-charge or samplers in the testing centres. They also assisted with spot checks on persons under home quarantine, and with tracing the contacts of COVID-19 confirmed cases. "The FSD recruited almost 800 staff members over a short period of time to assist in the first large-scale compulsory testing exercise in the specified 'restricted area' in Jordan in February this year, providing support to on-site logistics and devoting efforts to cut the chain of virus transmission in the community." Mr Nip said that although the FSD has to cope with numerous arduous tasks in relation to the pandemic, it has efficiently implemented a number of work plans during the same period and has continuously improved its services to meet the needs of society. He encouraged the graduates to make the most of every training opportunity in the future, and continue to enrich themselves so that they can keep abreast of the fast developments of the FSD and deal with new challenges in their work. In the meantime, graduates are also encouraged to participate in various initiatives of the department and the Government, keeping the spirit of continuous innovation and change, and fulfilling the departmental mission of "Serving with courage, passion and commitment". The parade was followed by a demonstration of firefighting and rescue techniques by the graduates. The 173 graduates will be posted to various fire stations and ambulance depots.
HKU students and staff receive COVID-19 vaccination through outreach service (with photos)
21.7.2021

The Secretary for the Civil Service, Mr Patrick Nip, visited the University of Hong Kong (HKU) today (July 21). During the visit, he and the President and Vice-Chancellor of HKU, Professor Zhang Xiang, as well as the Dean of the Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine of HKU, Professor Gabriel Leung, jointly learned about the administering of the BioNTech vaccine on campus to around 300 students and staff members of the university as arranged by the Government's outreach vaccination service. "As HKU plans to resume face-to-face classes in the new academic year, more interactions among students are expected. There are also various public facilities on campus and in residential halls. The risk of the virus spreading will increase in areas with higher people flows. As such, students and staff members should get vaccinated for the sake of their health. I hope that with more students and university staff being vaccinated, a more complete campus life will be resumed," Mr Nip said. Apart from HKU, the Chinese University of Hong Kong, the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Hong Kong Baptist University, the Hong Kong Polytechnic University and the City University of Hong Kong have also supported the outreach vaccination programme by arranging their members to receive vaccination through the service. Mr Nip called on various sectors to join hands with the Government in promoting the "Early Vaccination for All" campaign and encourage people to get vaccinated so as to help build an immune barrier in Hong Kong as soon as possible by significantly raising the vaccination rate, thereby restoring normality to society sooner rather than later. There has been enthusiastic support for the outreach vaccination programme since it was launched by the Civil Service Bureau. The bureau has provided the outreach vaccination service to the Hong Kong Sports Institute, global professional services enterprises, property developers, financial institutions, the construction industry, public utilities, a property management company, universities, a theme park and a district organisation. Mr Nip expressed his gratitude to the medical team and administrative support staff of the HKU Community Vaccination Centre at Ap Lei Chau Sports Centre for providing the outreach service today.
SCS speaks on COVID-19 Vaccination Programme
18.7.2021

Following is the transcript of remarks by the Secretary for the Civil Service, Mr Patrick Nip, at a media session after attending a radio programme this morning (July 18): Reporter: Will the Government extend the Community Vaccination Centre given that it may need another month for the herd immunity to be achieved? Secondly, would you actually still consider Sinovac as part of your herd immunity vaccination given that some nearby countries are already not considering&hellip;&hellip; Secretary for the Civil Service: Firstly, both Sinovac and BioNTech vaccines are approved by our health authority for emergency use, and both Sinovac and BioNTech are also on the list of the World Health Organization for emergency use. So it's very clear that both vaccines are safe, with the efficacy and also with the quality. Our objective is to appeal to the public to have your jabs completed as soon as possible. I hope that the public would get their first dose before end of August so that we can achieve the vaccination rate of 70 per cent of our eligible population as early as possible because it is very essential for our community to return to normal, for cross-boundary travel to other places. Our objective is to achieve the 70 per cent of our eligible population getting vaccinated as early as possible. We would closely monitor the booking and also the vaccination situation in the next two weeks. And then we would decide the way forward including whether any adjustments need to be made to the vaccination arrangements. But it's very clear that the community vaccination centre cannot be operated for a very long time because it has been in operation for more than 140 days, 7 days a week, from 8am to 8pm. So we would critically review the situation in light of the actual vaccination situation. But these are for the government to worry about and to work on. For the public, I think the important message is to get your jab as early as possible, and especially for the elderly, because for the elderly population, aged 60 and above, the present vaccination rate is just around 25 per cent. It's very low and it puts our elderly at risk should there be another wave of outbreak in the community. So I hope that by now, people know about the safety of the vaccines, know about the data and also the large amount of vaccines already administered throughout the world. So that are the key messages we want the public know about. Thank you very much. (Please also refer to the Chinese portion of the transcript)
SCS inspects COVID-19 vaccination arrangements for students (with photos)
14.7.2021

The Secretary for the Civil Service, Mr Patrick Nip, visited the Community Vaccination Centre (CVC) at Queen Elizabeth Stadium to view the administering of a COVID-19 vaccine to students and staff members from three schools this morning (July 14). Some 180 students and staff from Po Kok Primary School, Buddhist Wong Fung Ling College and Christian Nationals' Evangelism Commission Lau Wing Sang Secondary School received the BioNTech vaccine at the CVC through group bookings. ã "Since the launch of the two measures of school outreach vaccination service and reservation of time slots for vaccination at CVCs through group booking, more than 350 primary and secondary schools have expressed interest in arranging for their staff and students to get vaccinated, with more schools opting to use the group booking service. So far, 142 schools have arranged for their students to receive vaccination at CVCs through the group booking service. Meanwhile, parents can also make their own appointments at CVCs for their children to get vaccinated. "Vaccination can protect oneself against the virus and will help resume a more normal school life. We need more young people's support to get vaccinated so as to help build an immune barrier in Hong Kong as soon as possible. I hope that students, school staff and parents can actively support the vaccination programme by getting vaccinated as early as possible to protect themselves and their family," Mr Nip said. To facilitate vaccination of students, school staff and parents, schools can choose to reserve time slots at CVCs through group bookings. The Government will arrange to transport them between schools and CVCs. Should the schools have a certain number of staff members, students and parents for vaccination and be able to provide suitable venues with cleaning arrangements, the Government can arrange for the outreach vaccination service at schools, which will be provided by the medical teams of the current CVC operators. Mr Nip also expressed his gratitude to the medical team and administrative support staff of the CVC at Queen Elizabeth Stadium for providing the vaccination service for the students, school staff and members of the public. The minimum ages for receiving the BioNTech vaccine and the Sinovac vaccine are 12 and 18 respectively. Members of the public can visit the designated website at www.covidvaccine.gov.hk to learn more about vaccination and make appointments for getting vaccinated. The Government reminded youths and their parents that persons aged 12 to 17 are required to bring along a consent form signed by their parents for getting vaccinated. The consent form can be downloaded from the designated website.
University students and staff receive COVID-19 vaccination through outreach service (with photos)
14.7.2021

The Secretary for the Civil Service, Mr Patrick Nip, visited the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) today (July 14). During the visit, he and the Acting Vice-Chancellor and Provost of CUHK, Professor Alan Chan, as well as the Vice-President (Administration), Mr Eric Ng, jointly learned about the administering of a COVID-19 vaccine on campus to students and staff members of the university as arranged by the Government's outreach vaccination service. The outreach vaccination team will give a BioNTech or Sinovac vaccination to over 400 people of the university today and tomorrow. "I notice that the CUHK already has plans to resume face-to-face classes and activities on campus in the new academic year. The risk of the virus spreading will increase in areas with higher people flows. As such, students and staff members should get vaccinated for the sake of their health. "Given public health considerations, the Government has further extended the COVID-19 Vaccination Programme last week to cover all eligible visitors who are holders of valid travel documents and are allowed to stay in Hong Kong as permitted by the law, and can complete two doses of the vaccination within their limit of stay without extension. Overseas and exchange students studying in local universities will also benefit from this arrangement and can get vaccinated for free," Mr Nip said. Mr Nip called on various sectors to join hands with the Government in promoting the "Early Vaccination for All" campaign and encourage people to get vaccinated so as to help build an immune barrier in Hong Kong as soon as possible by significantly raising the vaccination rate, thereby restoring normality to society sooner rather than later. Should enterprises and organisations have a sufficient number of employees who would like to get vaccinated and a suitable venue with sufficient space, they can make use of the outreach vaccination service so that their employees can be vaccinated in a more convenient way. Enterprises and groups can call the hotline for the outreach vaccination service at 3904 1490 from Monday to Friday, from 9am to 6pm, for arrangements. There has been enthusiastic support for the outreach vaccination programme since it was launched by the Civil Service Bureau. The Bureau has provided the outreach vaccination service to the Hong Kong Sports Institute, global professional services enterprises, property developers, financial institutions, the construction industry, public utilities, a property management company, universities, a theme park and a district organisation. Mr Nip expressed his gratitude to the medical team and administrative support staff of the Community Vaccination Centre at Osman Ramju Sadick Memorial Sports Centre for providing the outreach service today.
Enterprise participates in outreach COVID-19 vaccination (with photos)
13.7.2021

The Secretary for the Civil Service, Mr Patrick Nip, visited Manulife Tower in Kwun Tong today (July 13). During the visit, he and the Chief Executive Officer of Manulife Hong Kong, Mr Damien Green, jointly viewed the administering of the BioNTech vaccine to about 380 staff members and agents of the enterprise, as arranged by the Government's outreach vaccination service. "I am grateful to Manulife Hong Kong for joining hands with the Government in promoting the Early Vaccination for All campaign and encouraging its employees to support the vaccination programme. "For front-line salespersons it is very important to get vaccinated as they often have face-to-face interaction with their clients when promoting their insurance products, Mandatory Provident Fund products or investment funds. Getting vaccinated and observing personal hygiene are the best ways for them to safeguard the health of themselves, their families, their colleagues and their clients," Mr Nip said. Should enterprises and organisations have a sufficient number of employees who would like to get vaccinated and a suitable venue with sufficient space, they can make use of the outreach vaccination service so that their employees can be vaccinated in a more convenient way. Enterprises and groups can call the hotline for the outreach vaccination service at 3904 1490 from Monday to Friday, from 9am to 6pm, for arrangements. There has been enthusiastic support for the outreach vaccination programme since it was launched by the Civil Service Bureau. The Bureau has provided the outreach vaccination service to the Hong Kong Sports Institute, global professional services enterprises, property developers, financial institutions, the construction industry, public utilities, a property management company, universities, a theme park and a district organisation. Mr Nip expressed his gratitude to the medical team and administrative support staff of the Community Vaccination Centre at Tseung Kwan O Sports Centre for providing the outreach service today.
Transcript of remarks by SCS
12.7.2021

Following is the transcript of remarks by the Secretary for the Civil Service, Mr Patrick Nip, at a media session after the meeting of the Legislative Council's Panel on Public Service today (July 12): Reporter: How do you see the three officials from the disciplined services playing as role models for civil service or vast majority of the civil service, as you mentioned earlier that it is unavoidable for a lot of them to go to meals sometimes and you know, go to social events, too. So how do you see these three officials playing as role models being senior top officials? Secretary for the Civil Service: First of all, I would not comment on individual cases. Secondly, civil servants in exercising their duties or in contact with other persons in their liaison work, of course, we all need to exercise the required sensitivity and be alert so as to avoid any negative connotation. As regards the specific cases that you mentioned, the relevant bureau and the officers concerned have already issued statements and admitted that there were some negligence or lack of sufficient sensitivity and they would be more alert and sensitive in the future. (Please also refer to the Chinese portion of the transcript.)
Concerted support for COVID-19 vaccination (with photos)
7.7.2021

The Secretary for the Civil Service, Mr Patrick Nip, visited Empire Centre in Tsim Sha Tsui today (July 7). During the visit, he and the Deputy Chairman of Sino Group, Mr Daryl Ng, jointly viewed the administering of the Sinovac vaccine to staff members of the group, as arranged by the Government's outreach vaccination service. Together with the group's staff members, tenants of Tsim Sha Tsui Centre and Empire Centre as well as members of the Tsim Sha Tsui East Property Developers Association, who received their BioNTech vaccination through the outreach service yesterday, about 400 people were vaccinated in the two-day outreach vaccination service. "I am grateful to Sino Group for joining hands with the Government in promoting the 'Early Vaccination for All' campaign. Apart from encouraging its staff members to get vaccinated, the group is also actively promoting public participation in the vaccination programme so as to help build an immune barrier in Hong Kong as soon as possible by significantly raising the vaccination rate, thereby restoring normal life to society sooner rather than later," Mr Nip said. Should enterprises and organisations have a sufficient number of employees who would like to get vaccinated and a suitable venue with sufficient space, they can make use of the outreach vaccination service so that their employees can be vaccinated in a more convenient way. Enterprises and groups can call the hotline for the outreach vaccination service at 3904 1490 from Monday to Friday, from 9am to 6pm, for arrangements. There has been enthusiastic support for the outreach vaccination programme since it was launched by the Civil Service Bureau. The Bureau has provided the outreach vaccination service to the Hong Kong Sports Institute, global professional services enterprises, property developers, financial institutions, the construction industry, public utilities, a property management company, universities, a theme park and a district organisation. Mr Nip expressed his gratitude to the medical team and administrative support staff of the Community Vaccination Centre at Tin Fai Road Sports Centre for providing the outreach service today.
Some 1 000 theme park staff support outreach vaccination service (with photos)
5.7.2021

The Secretary for the Civil Service, Mr Patrick Nip, visited Hong Kong Disneyland today (July 5). During the visit, he and the Managing Director of Hong Kong Disneyland Resort, Mr Michael Moriarty, jointly viewed the administering of a COVID-19 vaccine to staff members of the theme park as arranged by the Government's outreach vaccination service. In view of the enthusiastic response, the outreach service team is administering the Sinovac or BioNTech vaccines to staff members of the theme park over a few days starting today, and a total of about 1 000 people are expected to get vaccinated. Hong Kong Disneyland is the first theme park to participate in the outreach vaccination service. Among those who received vaccination today, many of them are staff responsible for customer service. "After more than a year of battling against the epidemic, many people may want to go to theme parks to walk around for relaxation and for parent-child activities. Apart from staff members of theme parks, who should get vaccinated to protect themselves and their colleagues, members of the public including families should follow suit because when they are vaccinated, coupled with observing personal hygiene, they will feel even more at ease when playing and enjoying in theme parks. The minimum age for receiving the BioNTech vaccine has been lowered to 12. I appeal to all parents to make appointments for their children of suitable ages to receive a vaccination before arranging summer activities to help them build a protective barrier in their families," Mr Nip said. "The Government has earlier announced to further relax social distancing measures on conditions, with "vaccine bubble" as the basis. Fully vaccinated performers in theme parks can be exempted from wearing masks while performing outdoors. I hope that more organisations will encourage their staff members to get vaccinated." The "Early Vaccination for All" campaign was launched to help build an immune barrier in Hong Kong as soon as possible by significantly raising the vaccination rate, thereby restoring normality to society sooner rather than later. Should enterprises and organisations have a sufficient number of employees who would like to get vaccinated and a suitable venue with sufficient space, they can make use of the outreach vaccination service so that their employees can be vaccinated in a more convenient way. Enterprises and groups can call the hotline for the outreach vaccination service at 3904 1490 from Monday to Friday, from 9am to 6pm, for arrangements. There has been enthusiastic support for the outreach vaccination programme since it was launched by the Civil Service Bureau. The Bureau has provided the outreach vaccination service to the Hong Kong Sports Institute, global professional services enterprises, property developers, financial institutions, the construction industry, universities and a district organisation. Mr Nip expressed his gratitude to the medical team and administrative support staff of the Community Vaccination Centre at Yau Oi Sports Centre for providing the outreach service today.