Government Task Forces Intensify Support Efforts for Wang Fuk Court Fire Victims in Tai Po

Government announces updates on follow-up work on Tai Po fire

The three task forces set up by the Government for the fire at Wang Fuk Court in Tai Po - the Task Force on Investigation and Regulation, the Task Force on Emergency Support and Fund-Raising, and the Task Force on Emergency Accommodation Arrangements - are making full efforts to follow up on the support, relief, and investigation work related to the incident. Details are as follows:

Financial and welfare support

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For the Support Fund for Wang Fuk Court in Tai Po, established by the Government, donations received are about $3.4 billion as of noon today (December 15). With the start-up capital of $300 million from the Government, the fund's total has now reached around $3.7 billion. The fund will be used to assist residents in rebuilding their homes and providing long-term and sustained support.

The Government earlier announced that a living allowance from the Support Fund will be provided to each affected household, and the amount has been increased from $50,000 to $100,000. As of today, 1 883 cases have been processed. In addition, the Government will provide families of each deceased victim with a token of solidarity of $200,000, as well as $50,000 to cover funeral costs. As of today, a total of 130 cases have been processed. The allowance will be disbursed in phases.

Social workers from the Social Welfare Department (SWD) have been in contact with more than 1 980 affected households, providing the "one social worker per household" follow-up service to more than 4 900 residents. The SWD will maintain liaison with the affected households to provide all necessary assistance while fully supporting the relief work of the Government.

In addition, the Government also provides support and assistance to foreign domestic helpers (FDHs) affected by the fire. The Labour Department has been maintaining close liaison with the Consulates-General of the Philippines and Indonesia in Hong Kong to co-ordinate and follow up on the relevant work. Besides providing tokens of solidarity of $200,000 and funeral grants of $50,000 to families of each deceased FDH, as well as injury grants of $50,000 or $100,000 to injured FDHs, the Government has disbursed a special subsidy of $20,000 to 110 FDHs employed at Wang Fuk Court.

Meanwhile, the Immigration Department (ImmD) has made special arrangements for FDHs whose employers are unable to continue their employment contracts due to the fire. Under these arrangements, affected FDHs are allowed to remain in Hong Kong for three months as visitors to seek new employers (extendable if necessary), without having to return to their places of origin first. The ImmD will also waive the relevant fees for their extension of stay.

Accommodation support

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As of this morning, a total of 1 336 residents have been accommodated, through the co-ordination of the Home and Youth Affairs Bureau, in youth hostels, camps, or hotel rooms. Another 3 247 residents are currently living in transitional housing units provided by the Housing Bureau, units from the Hong Kong Housing Society (HKHS), or Po Tin Interim Housing in Tuen Mun.

Currently, there is still an abundant supply of more than 1000 units that can provide affected residents with longer term accommodation. The transitional housing and HKHS projects in different districts can altogether provide around 400 units at the moment. Besides, Po Tin Interim Housing in Tuen Mun and Runway 1331 at Kai Tak can provide a supply of around 900 units.

In consideration of the extremely urgent situation of the residents affected by the fire incident, a special arrangement of a full rent exemption has been made earlier by the Housing Bureau to provide accommodation support to those affected residents moving into transitional housing or HKHS projects. In other words, if needed, the affected residents can stay for a longer period of time. The Government will continue to support the affected residents in terms of accommodation, and the residents in need do not have to worry about the relevant rental expenses or the duration of stay.

In addition, staff from the operating organisations of transitional housing and HKHS, as well as volunteers have been working around the clock to furnish the units with essential supplies, striving to meet the needs of the residents. All the currently available units in transitional housing and HKHS projects are equipped with furniture and appliances such as bed frames, mattresses, induction cookers and water heaters, etc, enabling the residents to settle in comfortably. At the same time, a number of organisations have proactively stationed their staff in some projects to provide residents in need with various forms of support. Taking T-Loft@Kai Tak in Kai Tak and T-Loft@Lok Wo in Ma On Shan as examples, the operators have not only arranged social workers to provide emotional support and assist with daily needs for the affected residents, but also set up dedicated emotional support stations within these projects. Volunteers were organised to serve on shifts, providing ongoing companionship and care to the affected residents, standing with them through the difficult time.

Relief supplies and donations

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Thesupplies donation online platform, established by the Government and the information technology sector, continues to operate, facilitating the registration of supplies donations from organisations and the public. The Government has so far received over 1 800 registrations, of which approximately 30 per cent were submitted by organisations, whereas the others were contributed by the public. The various registered donation items include food and beverages, clothing, daily necessities, bedding, and electrical appliances. The Government is actively assessing residents' actual needs through the relevant policy bureau, government departments, and service organisations for the matching of donated supplies in order to distribute appropriate items in phases to places in need. So far, about 23 000 donation items covering various categories have been distributed to different places. The matching and distribution of supplies will continue.

Regulation and inspection work

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The Development Bureau (DEVB) announced on December 11 a new mechanism for sampling and testing scaffold nets for external walls in Hong Kong. The DEVB is moving ahead in full steam the supporting arrangements to ensure that there are sufficient designated laboratories and a suitable site for off-site sampling work.

Wang Fuk Court in Tai Po, Photo by Bastille Post

HKMA and AMCM sign revised MOU to further strengthen co-operation

The following is issued on behalf of the Hong Kong Monetary Authority:

The representatives of the Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) and the Monetary Authority of Macao (AMCM) held a meeting today (March 3) to foster closer financial co-operation between the two authorities in several key areas. During the meeting, they signed a revised Memorandum of Understanding (MOU).

The HKMA and the AMCM have maintained close co-operation in banking supervision for many years. Building on the existing framework, the revised MOU expands the scope of collaboration to cover additional areas including financial infrastructure linkage, information exchange on currency and data statistics, and industry training and engagement.

The Chief Executive of the HKMA, Mr Eddie Yue,said, "As core cities in the development of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, Hong Kong and Macao share a common goal to maintain financial stability and support financial development. Our joint efforts not only enhance mutual synergy but also enable both cities to make greater contributions to the country's economic and financial development. The revised MOU expands our co-operation to broader areas such as financial infrastructure and information exchange, laying a more solid foundation for deepening financial collaboration between Hong Kong and Macao."

The Chairman of the AMCM, Mr Simon Vong, said, "The financial co-operation between Macao and Hong Kong is built on solid foundations. In recent years, both sides have been continued to explore new areas for collaboration, including the bond market and financial infrastructures. The newly amended MOU will serve to deepen and broaden the comprehensive co-operation between the two authorities, enabling both parties to uphold the sustained and steady development of our financial markets, while also providing strong support for the national strategic goal of developing the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area into an international financial hub."

HKMA and AMCM sign revised MOU to further strengthen co-operation Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases