Following is a question by the Hon Mrs Regina Ip and a written reply by the Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury, Mr James Lau, in the Legislative Council today (May 29):

Question:

     Quite a number of staff members of the various disciplined services have relayed to me that only a Hong Kong-style café, a convenience store and a takeaway shop selling Japanese rice balls, but no government canteen, are provided in the Passenger Clearance Building at the Hong Kong Port of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge. As many types of the food items provided at the Hong Kong-style café are expensive and often sold out, and the lunch break is not long enough for disciplined services staff members working there to travel by car to other places for lunch, they often skip their meals, thus affecting both their health and work performance. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:

(1) of the names of the boundary control points (covering air, land and sea travel) currently provided with government canteens; and

(2) of the considerations and criteria adopted for determining the provision or otherwise of government canteens at boundary control points; whether it will consider providing a government canteen in the aforesaid Passenger Clearance Building; if so, of the anticipated commissioning date; if not, the reasons for that?

Reply:

President,

     My reply to the question is as follows:

(1) At present, there are government canteens at the boundary control points at Shenzhen Bay, Lok Ma Chau Spur Line, Lok Ma Chau, Man Kam To, Lo Wu and Sha Tau Kok. A government canteen will also be set up in the Heung Yuen Wai Boundary Control Point to be completed soon.

(2) To ensure the optimal utilisation of government resources, canteens are not normally provided in government buildings according to the Accommodation Regulations. If a department considers that there is a genuine need and proposes to set up a canteen in a government building, the Property Vetting Committee (PVC), which comprises members of the Financial Services and the Treasury Bureau, the Architectural Services Department and the Government Property Agency, will consider the proposal having regard to the relevant factors and criteria, including whether there is any practical alternative means to provide meals for the staff other than the proposed canteen.

     There are currently one restaurant and two takeaway food shops at the Passenger Clearance Building at the Hong Kong Port of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge (HZMB) to serve passengers and the staff working at the Port. Before the commissioning of the HZMB control point, the Government has made a special arrangement so that the restaurant would provide discounted menus at designated hours for selection by government staff working in the Passenger Clearance Building. The Government has also designated a dining room for the exclusive use of these staff.

     After the commissioning of the Hong Kong Port of the HZMB, the relevant bureau/departments have proposed to set up a canteen, having regard to the actual operation of the Port and the dining needs of the staff, for the exclusive use of government staff. The PVC is considering the proposal in accordance with the established policy and in the light of the actual circumstances.

Ends/Wednesday, May 29, 2019
Issued at HKT 11:35

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