Enquiry hotline for Wang Fuk Court long-term housing arrangement plan commences operation
The Government announced that the enquiry hotline at 2129 8133 for the long-term housing arrangements for Wang Fuk Court (WFC) commences operation today (March 2).
The Government announced on February 21 the plan for the long-term housing arrangements for WFC (the Plan). The Plan provides various options including the acquisition of titles from flat owners by cash, a "Flat-for-Flat" arrangement, and the reservation of flats under the Home Ownership Scheme (HOS), the Green Form Subsidised Home Ownership Scheme and the Hong Kong Housing Society projects for priority purchase by owners who have sold their titles. It also includes the construction of new HOS flats at Chung Nga Road West in Tai Po. The Plan enables affected owners to make choices based on their circumstances and needs, assisting them in rebuilding their homes.
Wang Fuk Court in Tai Po, Photo source: reference image
To help owners grasp the specific details of each option in the Plan, the Government has established a cross-departmental "engagement team" co-ordinated by the Housing Bureau (HB). The more than 100 team members come from departments under the HB, the Labour and Welfare Bureau, the Home and Youth Affairs Bureau, the Security Bureau and the Development Bureau, and will receive special training provided by the HB before they contact owners of WFC through referrals made under the "one social worker per household" service starting this week.
"The enquiry hotline has been set up to answer general enquiries regarding the Plan. On the other hand, owners may directly contact team member of the 'engagement team' assigned for their household through referrals made under the 'one social worker per household' service. Owners are reminded that they should not disclose personal information to strangers without referral made under the 'one social worker per household' service," a spokesman for the Government said.
During the engagement process, team members of the "engagement team" will wear light blue vests and carry identification cards for easy recognition.
Wang Fuk Court in Tai Po, Photo source: reference image
Online appointment for counter services for direct issue of Hong Kong Full Driving Licence to be fully implemented from March 16
The Transport Department (TD) today (March 2) announced that the full implementation of online appointment for counter services for applications for the direct issue of the Hong Kong Full Driving Licence ("direct issue") will be launched from March 16 with increased booking slots. Such counter services will also be extended to all four Licensing Offices to provide greater convenience to applicants and make better use of resources. The "Online Same-day Queue Ticket" arrangement will be cancelled on March 16.
Increasing processing capacity
Starting from March 16, the booking slots for "direct issue" counter services will be increased to 550 per working day, and the service will be expanded to all four Licensing Offices. To divert applicants more effectively, the new "direct issue" counter services at the Kowloon Licensing Office at Cheung Sha Wan Government Offices, the Kwun Tong Licensing Office at Kowloon East Government Offices and the Sha Tin Licensing Office at Sha Tin Government Offices will be designated to process applications submitted with Mainland driving licences. The Hong Kong Licensing Office at United Centre, Admiralty, will continue to handle applications submitted with driving licences issued by all recognised countries or places (including Mainland).
Full implementation of online appointment to improve application procedures and user experience
From the same day, to ensure fair use of services by applicants in an orderly manner, all applicants must make an advance appointment for "direct issue" counter services via the designated online appointment booking system (ABS) (www.gov.hk/en/residents/transport/drivinglicense/diabs.htm) (open on March 10), and submit their applications at the designated Licensing Office according to the booked date and time. This will save queuing time and also improve crowd management. Same-day ticketing arrangement will be ceased on March 16. Applicants who have already secured an appointment for counter service via the ABS beforehand are not affected.
To allow applicants to make appointments for additional slots in an orderly manner, the TD will launch the enhanced ABS on March 10, and open new booking slots from March 16 to April 10 (four weeks in total) in batches from March 10 to 13. The detailed arrangements are as follows:
Time |
New appointment slots open for booking |
5pm, March 10 |
March 16 to March 20 |
5pm, March 11 |
March 23 to March 27 |
5pm, March 12 |
March 30 to April 2 |
5pm, March 13 |
April 8 to April 10 |
Starting March 16, the system will open up available booking slots in the coming four weeks for booking, and the slots will be updated at 5pm on every working day.
Applicants are required to verify their identity when making a booking. Hong Kong identity card (HKIC) holders must log in using a registered "iAM Smart" account; while non-HKIC holders or those who have not registered an "iAM Smart" account must upload their identity document and driving licence as instructed by the system. All applicants have to provide an email address to receive the one-time password for verification. If any information provided or submitted is found to be untrue, the appointment will be cancelled and such quota will be released for booking by other applicants, enabling more effective system operation. The eligibility criteria, necessary documents and applicable vehicle classes of "direct issue" applications remain unchanged.
The enhanced online ABS has been integrated with various measures on security and online traffic management, including a human-machine verification mechanism and a virtual queue management solution. Such measures can detect and block automated programmes from snapping up bookings while regulating traffic as appropriate, thereby ensuring a smooth appointment booking process.
A spokesman for the TD said, "We will continue to process and verify each 'direct issue' application in a stringent manner. Applicants must submit sufficient, true and accurate supporting documents to prove that they fully meet the eligibility criteria stipulated under the law for their applications to be approved."
The TD will closely monitor the implementation of the new arrangements to ensure smooth system operation, and will put up notices at the Licensing Offices. The TD will also continue to actively explore the use of technology to further streamline the "direct issue" application procedures, with a view to providing greater convenience for applicants to submit applications.
Following the full implementation of online appointment for counter services, the 24-hour Appointment Booking Service at 3763 8080 will stop providing bookings for "direct issue" counter services concurrently.
Source: AI-found images
