The Financial Secretary, Mr Paul Chan, visited Kwun Tong District today (February 7). He met with the elderly as well as children and young people in the district and paid a visit to a co-working space for start-ups. He also had a meeting with members of the Kwun Tong District Council (KTDC).

     Mr Chan first visited senior citizens at the Po Leung Kuk Lau Chan Siu Po Elderly Centre and learned about the facilities and services for the elderly, such as a stress management class and social and leisure activities. He took the opportunity to wish the elderly people good health and happiness in the Year of the Dog. Joining him were the District Officer (Kwun Tong), Mr Steve Tse; the District Social Welfare Officer(Kwun Tong), Ms Ip Siu-ming; the Chairman of the KTDC, Dr Bunny Chan; and Vice Chairman of Po Leung Kuk Dr Margaret Choi.
      
     Mr Chan said that the elderly deserve credit for their hard work in the past and their remarkable contributions to the prosperity of Hong Kong. The community should show its care for them, he said, adding that the Government will continue to allocate resources to improve healthcare services for senior citizens and elderly care services.
      
     Mr Chan then visited The Wave, a co-working space, to understand more about the development of start-ups operating there. Located in a revitalized industrial building, The Wave is an integrated business platform which provides business facilities and support for young entrepreneurs, from office space and accounting services to secretarial support.
       
     He stressed that the Government will strive to promote diversified economic development and to further enhance the ecosystem for local start-ups, in order to create more quality opportunities for the younger generation to realise their aspirations for entrepreneurship.

     Later, he went to Kwun Tong Happy Teens Club of Hong Kong Christian Service and was briefed by the Director of Hong Kong Christian Service, Mr Suen Lai-sang, on how the centre helped nurture children and young people from disadvantaged backgrounds through a range of services, including personal counselling and interest groups.
      
     Mr Chan chatted with the youths and encouraged them to equip themselves with knowledge, keep learning and follow their dreams.

     He said that the Government will continue to allocate resources for launching appropriate measures to improve the livelihood of the grass roots, enhance their upward mobility and alleviate inter-generational poverty, thereby promoting a caring and inclusive society.  

     Before concluding the visit, Mr Chan met with members of the KTDC to exchange views on various livelihood and development issues of the district.

Ends/Wednesday, February 7, 2018
Issued at HKT 20:15

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