kakase/hk_gov_press_release huggingface dataset:
SCS speaks on children receiving COVID-19 vaccination (with photos/videos)
4.8.2022

Following is the transcript of remarks by the Secretary for the Civil Service, Mrs Ingrid Yeung, at a media session after viewing the vaccination of children at a kindergarten-cum-child care centre in To Kwa Wan this morning (August 4): Reporter: Secretary, what do you think of parents' response on the vaccination so far? How many have already signed up through the online system, and also what's the progress on providing the BioNTech vaccine for children? Secretary for the Civil Service: I am actually quite encouraged by the response of parents today. For the first half hour since today's opening of the booking system, there have been 150 bookings made for infants between 6 months old and 3 years old already, and there have been kindergartens lining up for outreach service for children in the next week. So I am quite encouraged actually, and I believe in the days to come there will be more parents arranging the vaccination of their children. Reporter: And what's the progress on the BioNTech vaccine discussion? Secretary for the Civil Service: The Health Bureau is now discussing with the company producing the vaccine. We are in discussion. So I believe the Health Bureau colleagues will be diligently pursuing. (Please also refer to the Chinese portion of the transcript.)
COVID-19 vaccination of children aged under 3 begins today (with photos/videos)
4.8.2022

Children aged from 6 months to 3 years may receive the Sinovac vaccine starting from today (August 4). The Secretary for the Civil Service, Mrs Ingrid Yeung, visited a kindergarten-cum-child care centre in To Kwa Wan today to view the vaccination of children and appealed to parents to arrange COVID-19 vaccination for their children as soon as possible. The kindergarten-cum-child care centre is the first premises having children vaccinated through outreach service after the lowering of the minimum age for receiving the Sinovac vaccine to 6 months old. She then visited a Community Vaccination Centre (CVC) in Kwun Tong, where about 15 children aged under 3 years old received COVID-19 vaccination. Mrs Yeung said that the Government will continue to increase the number of vaccination venues to facilitate the early vaccination of the public. Maternal and Child Health Centres under the Department of Health are also preparing to provide the Sinovac vaccination service to children aged from 6 months to 3 years when they receive regular services with bookings, e.g. the Hong Kong Childhood Immunisation Programme, from mid-August. She added that, in order to let children receive vaccination in a more relaxing environment, five CVCs providing the Sinovac vaccine have retrofitted some vaccination booths specifically for children and decorated them with stickers of animal cartoons. Breastfeeding areas and areas for changing diapers have also been set up for use by parents in need. Parents or guardians can also make appointments for their children to receive the Sinovac vaccine at CVCs or designated general out-patient clinics of the Hospital Authority through the online booking system ( booking.covidvaccine.gov.hk ). Parents can also opt for making reservation for free Sinovac vaccination through more than 1 000 private doctors or clinics that participate in the COVID-19 Vaccination Programme. Parents are required to present the original copy of their children's birth certificate and bring along a consent form signed by the parents on the date of vaccination of the children. The consent form can be downloaded from the designated website of the Vaccination Programme ( www.covidvaccine.gov.hk/pdf/Consent_Form_for_COVID19_Vaccination_ENG.pdf ). The children must be accompanied by their parents/guardians in person when receiving vaccination. The designated website for the COVID-19 Vaccination Programme ( www.covidvaccine.gov.hk/en/programme ) provides the latest information including details on vaccination venues, reservation and enquiry hotlines.
Civil Service College holds third seminar of "25th Anniversary of the Establishment of the HKSAR: Our Way Forward" series - strengthening international communication and telling good stories of China (with photos)
28.7.2022

The Civil Service College has launched the "25th Anniversary of the Establishment of the HKSAR: Our Way Forward" seminar series to better equip civil servants to complement the country's and Hong Kong's development in their work by exploring national development strategies through different lenses. The third seminar of the series, delivered via video conferencing today (July 28) by Deputy Director-General of the Information Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Mr Hu Jian, covered the theme of strengthening international communication and telling good stories of China. It was also the seventh talk of the series on the country's foreign affairs jointly organised by the Civil Service College and the Office of the Commissioner of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR). Addressing the seminar, the Secretary for the Civil Service, Mrs Ingrid Yeung, said that the important speech by President Xi Jinping delivered at the meeting celebrating the 25th anniversary of Hong Kong's return to the motherland and the inaugural ceremony of the sixth-term Government of the HKSAR has stated clearly that Hong Kong must adhere to "one country, two systems" in the long run, and reiterated the country's determination in fully and faithfully implementing the principle of "one country, two systems". Mrs Yeung stressed, "'One country, two systems' is of great vitality and the success of its implementation in Hong Kong over the past 25 years has won recognition throughout the world. Civil servants of the HKSAR, as the backbone of the Government, not only have the responsibility but also should make conscientious efforts to tell the success story of 'one country, two systems' of the country and Hong Kong to the international community." Over 350 civil servants in the directorate and senior ranks took part in today's talk through online access. Three talks of this series had been held in July, and they were attended by around 700 participants.
CSB sets up booth at Education & Careers Expo to promote career opportunities (with photos)
21.7.2022

The Civil Service Bureau (CSB) and various bureaux and departments have set up booths at the Education & Careers Expo 2022 from today (July 21) to enhance the public's understanding of the work of government departments and career opportunities in the civil service. Job seekers wishing to join the Government and serve the community are welcome to visit. The Secretary for the Civil Service, Mrs Ingrid Yeung, and the Permanent Secretary for the Civil Service, Mr Clement Leung, visited the Expo today. Mrs Yeung said, "The work of the civil service is challenging and rewarding. We will continue our efforts in recruiting talents in order to inject new blood into the civil service. Those who are committed to serving the people of Hong Kong, building Hong Kong and contributing to the country are welcome to join the civil service. We also provide a wide variety of training programmes to new recruits." The Government is the largest employer in Hong Kong. In the past few years, over 10 000 persons were recruited to the civil service on average every year. Although the target of zero growth in the civil service establishment remains unchanged in this financial year, recruitment exercises will continue to replenish manpower loss arising from reasons such as retirement. Mrs Yeung said, "The coming Common Recruitment Examination (CRE) and the Basic Law and National Security Law Test (BLNST) in Hong Kong are scheduled to be held in October. Prospective applicants for civil service posts at the degree or professional level are reminded to seize the opportunity of taking the CRE and BLNST by submitting their applications between August 5 and 18 and to make early preparation. "In addition, the results of the Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education Examination were released yesterday (July 20). No matter whether students are planning to pursue further studies or join the workforce, they may wish to visit the Expo to learn about the various career opportunities provided by the Government to prepare early for their life planning." The Education & Careers Expo 2022 is held at Hall 5 of the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre from today to July 24. Admission is free. The CSB's booth number is 5G - D11. For information on matters related to civil service recruitment, please visit the website of the CSB: www.csb.gov.hk/english/recruit/7.html .
SCS meets Singapore's Head of Civil Service (with photos)
20.7.2022

The Secretary for the Civil Service, Mrs Ingrid Yeung, met with the Head of Civil Service of Singapore, Mr Leo Yip, at the Central Government Offices today (July 20). Welcoming Mr Yip's visit to Hong Kong, Mrs Yeung said the civil services of Hong Kong and Singapore have been maintaining close ties and exchanges. While reciprocal visits between the civil services could not be materialised in the past two years under the COVID-19 epidemic, Mrs Yeung looked forward to resuming and enhancing exchanges and co-operation between the two places in future. Moreover, the Permanent Secretary for the Civil Service, Mr Clement Leung, accompanied by the Head of the Civil Service College, Mr Oscar Kwok, had a meeting with Mr Yip on enhancing training and co-operation between the two civil services. The Civil Service Bureau also arranged a roundtable meeting between senior officials from various government bureaux and departments and Mr Yip. During the meeting, both sides exchanged views and shared experience on various issues including education and youth, culture and sports, and transport and logistics.
Civil Service College holds second seminar of "25th Anniversary of the Establishment of the HKSAR: Our Way Forward" series - safeguarding national security (with photos)
16.7.2022

The Civil Service College has launched the "25th Anniversary of the Establishment of the HKSAR: Our Way Forward" seminar series to better equip civil servants to complement the country's and Hong Kong's development in their work by exploring national development strategies through different lenses. The second seminar of the series, delivered via video conferencing today (July 16) by Professor Wang Zhenmin of the School of Law of Tsinghua University, covers the holistic view of national security as well as issues relating to safeguarding national security. Addressing the seminar, the Secretary for the Civil Service, Mrs Ingrid Yeung, quoted the important speech by President Xi Jinping delivered at the meeting celebrating the 25th anniversary of Hong Kong's return to the motherland and the inaugural ceremony of the sixth-term Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) that the fundamental purpose of "one country, two systems" is to safeguard China's sovereignty, security, and development interests and to maintain long-term prosperity and stability in Hong Kong. Mrs Yeung stressed, "The civil service, as an integral part of the HKSAR governance system, should understand accurately the constitutional order of the HKSAR and have a thorough grasp of the holistic view of national security and the National Security Law. They should also support the HKSAR Government in fully and faithfully implementing the principle of 'one country, two systems' and discharging its duty of safeguarding national security, in order to fulfil the proposals laid out by President Xi for the HKSAR and work together to safeguard the harmony and stability of Hong Kong." Around 250 civil servants, including Heads of Departments and senior directorate officers, took part in today's seminar through online access. The third seminar of the series will be delivered by the Information Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on July 28, covering the theme of strengthening international communication and telling good stories of China.
Civil Service College holds first seminar of "25th Anniversary of the Establishment of the HKSAR: Our Way Forward" series (with photos)
11.7.2022

The Civil Service College has launched the "25th Anniversary of the Establishment of the HKSAR: Our Way Forward" seminar series, and held today (July 11) the first seminar on the topic of "Towards Net Zero: Coalition for a Resilient Future" in collaboration with the Hong Kong Academy of Finance (AoF). Addressing the seminar, the Secretary for the Civil Service, Mrs Ingrid Yeung, said that by exploring national development strategies and the opportunities and challenges presented to Hong Kong through different lenses in this seminar series, civil servants would be better equipped to complement the country's and Hong Kong's development in their work. She mentioned that, as an international financial centre, Hong Kong has plenty opportunities to leverage its edge to contribute to the national development in the process of working towards the goal of net zero emissions. In addition, emission reduction and sustainable development are crucial to the improvement of people's livelihood and they echo with the "four proposals" laid down by President Xi Jinping for the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Government in his important speech at the meeting celebrating the 25th anniversary of Hong Kong's return to the motherland and the inaugural ceremony of the sixth-term Government of the HKSAR, i.e. further improving its governance, continuing to create strong impetus for growth, earnestly addressing people's concerns and difficulties in daily life, and working together to safeguard harmony and stability. She expressed the hope that the seminar would help enlighten colleagues on how to put the proposals into practice in respect of emission reduction and sustainable development and in their own work. The seminar started off with a talk by the Chief Executive Officer of the AoF, Mr Kwok Kwok-chuen, providing an overview of Hong Kong's transition to net zero emissions, followed by an expert panel discussion moderated by Partner and Head of Environment, Social and Governance, Hong Kong, KPMG China, Mr Pat Woo. Speakers included the Chief Corporate Development Officer of CLP Power Hong Kong Limited, Ms Quince Chong; the General Manager (Technical Services and Sustainable Development) of Swire Properties Limited, Dr Raymond Yau; the Assistant Director of Environmental Protection (Air Policy), Dr Kenneth Leung; and the Managing Director and Head of Sustainable Capital Markets, Global Markets Asia Pacific of BNP Paribas Banking, Ms Chaoni Huang. They shared their views on achieving the goal of carbon neutrality through net-zero carbon emission for electricity generation, sustainable buildings and green transport, and explored the opportunities for Hong Kong as an international green finance hub. The seminar took place in the College at North Point Government Offices, and was attended by around 90 civil servants at the directorate and senior ranks.
Opening remarks by SCS on civil service pay adjustment at media session (with video)
5.7.2022

Following is the opening remarks by the Secretary for the Civil Service, Mrs Ingrid Yeung, at a media session on offers of 2022-23 civil service pay adjustment at Central Government Offices this afternoon (July 5): The current-term Government highly values co-operation with the civil service, and expects the civil service to continue to discharge their duties professionally and efficiently to meet public expectations. The Government fully understands the concern of civil service colleagues about the timetable of the civil service pay adjustment exercise. In addition, civil service pay adjustment will have a bearing on non-civil service contract staff, as well as the subventions received by subvented organisations and the pay of their staff of these organisations. In order to expedite the exercise, the Government has decided to significantly compress the work timetable and handle this issue at the first meeting of the current-term Executive Council. Having taken into consideration the six relevant factors under the established mechanism, namely the state of Hong Kong's economy, changes in the cost of living, the Government's fiscal position, civil service morale, the net pay trend indicators (PTIs) and the pay claims of the staff side, the Chief Executive-in-Council (CE-in-Council) has decided earlier today that an offer be made to the staff side of the four civil service central consultative councils, under which the pay for civil servants in the upper, middle and lower salary bands and the directorate be increased at the same rate of 2.5 per cent for 2022-23, effective retrospectively from April 1. Hong Kong's economy has been in a complex situation in the past year. Despite the strong rebound in 2021, the economy was severely hit in the first quarter of 2022 amidst the fifth wave of the epidemic. Although the business atmosphere and the employment situation have changed for the better in recent months, there remain uncertainties in the overall economic situation. The offer to increase the pay at the same rate of 2.5 per cent across the board is a decision taken after balancing factors including the increase in the cost of living in the past year, the changes in the economic situation, the Government's fiscal position, the positive net PTIs for all three salary bands for 2022, and the exemplary commitment of civil servants from all ranks in fighting the epidemic. Moving forward, I will meet with the representatives of the four central consultative councils tomorrow (July 6) to listen to their views on the pay offer. We will then proceed to seek the CE-in-Council's decision on the final pay adjustment magnitude after taking into account the response from the staff side. Thank you.
Civil Service Bureau makes on-going efforts to strengthen training for civil servants (with photo)
5.7.2022

The Secretary for the Civil Service, Mrs Ingrid Yeung, said today (July 5) that strengthening training for civil servants is a major priority of the Civil Service Bureau (CSB) of the new-term Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Government. The CSB will, through the Civil Service College, make on-going efforts to enhance training for civil servants on various fronts so as to nurture the capacity of the civil service in better responding to the community's aspirations for public services. Mrs Yeung and the Permanent Secretary for the Civil Service, Mr Clement Leung, met with Mr Kwok Yam-shu, who took up the appointment as the Head of the Civil Service College today, at the Central Government Offices to discuss the upcoming priorities of the College in strengthening training for civil servants. Mrs Yeung welcomed Mr Kwok to join the team working on civil service training. She said, "The civil service plays a critical role in effective governance and implementation of policies. We place great emphasis on training for the civil service. In particular, we accord the highest priority to enhancing civil servants' understanding of the constitutional order of the HKSAR and the country's development. The College will also enhance training in leadership development and innovation and technology application, and broaden civil servants' international horizons and global outlook, by way of a variety of programmes." Since its establishment in December last year, the Civil Service College has been rolling out various initiatives to strengthen training for civil servants. As one of the new initiatives, starting from this month, all new recruits are required to complete within the probationary period a more comprehensive foundation training programme. The content covers understanding "One Country, Two Systems", the country's Constitution, the Basic Law, the Hong Kong National Security Law, the country's system and major policies, as well as the civil service's core values and public service culture. Officers of degree or professional grades are also required to take part in advanced training upon confirmation to the permanent establishment, so as to deepen their understanding of the country's development and its major policies, as well as subjects such as the principle of "One Country, Two Systems" and national security. Mrs Yeung emphasised, "Strengthening induction training is an important step to grooming the civil service as a learning and professional team. The foundation training and advanced training are comprehensive in content, covering what an officer should know and grasp, irrespective of the department or post in which he/she is serving." The Head of the Civil Service College reports to the Permanent Secretary for the Civil Service, and through him, to the Secretary for the Civil Service.
SCS inspects COVID-19 vaccination service (with photos)
3.7.2022

The Secretary for the Civil Service, Mrs Ingrid Yeung, visited the Central Command Centre (CCC) of the COVID-19 Vaccination Programme and the Community Vaccination Centre (CVC) at Kwun Chung Sports Centre this morning (July 3) to inspect the operation and vaccination arrangement of CVCs after the typhoon. "The Government will continue to provide free COVID-19 vaccination service to members of the public and encourage them to get vaccinated in a timely manner. In face of the COVID-19 epidemic, the Civil Service Bureau, the healthcare teams and the administrative support staff will not lower their guard and will continue to implement the COVID-19 Vaccination Programme. The Home Vaccination Service (HVS) for elderly persons and persons with special needs is also in full swing," said Mrs Yeung. In addition to monitoring the daily operation of vaccination centres, the CCC situated at the Central Government Offices also serves to cope with various kinds of unexpected situations such as inclement weather, and to maintain close contact with every vaccination venue to facilitate response and deployment of manpower and materials within a short time. Meanwhile, the CVCs will also notify the CCC in case of emergency. The Government has issued SMS notifications to persons with a vaccination booking at the CVCs during the passage of the typhoon to inform them of their new vaccination time slot. Members of the public can also select another vaccination time slot via the designated website of the COVID-19 Vaccination Programme ( www.covidvaccine.gov.hk ). In addition, the Home Vaccination Call Centre will inform persons affected of the updated vaccination arrangement under the HVS by phone tomorrow (July 4). Mrs Yeung expressed gratitude to the staff of the CCC and CVCs for their dedication in serving the public. "Recently, the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases remains at a high level. As the protection conferred by the vaccines will diminish over time, members of the public should take note of the dosing interval as recommended by experts and get their next vaccine dose on time. In particular, persons aged 60 or above should receive the fourth vaccine dose as soon as possible to enhance vaccine protection, so as to protect themselves and reduce the risk of serious illness and death from infection. Currently, there is surplus in the vaccination capacity of CVCs and other vaccination venues and members of the public should get vaccinated in a timely manner," she said. The designated website for the COVID-19 Vaccination Programme ( www.covidvaccine.gov.hk/en/programme ) provides the latest information including details on vaccination venues, reservation and enquiry hotlines.