Director of Hong Kong and Macao Work Office of CPC Central Committee and Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of State Council Mr Xia Baolong to visit Hong Kong for inspection
The Director of the Hong Kong and Macao Work Office of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of the State Council, Mr Xia Baolong, will visit Hong Kong on June 16 and 17, to inspect Hong Kong's alignment with the National 15th Five-Year Plan and the advancement of the Northern Metropolis.
Mr Xia Baolong, Photo source: reference image
The Chief Executive, Mr John Lee, expressed gratitude to Mr Xia for his continued concern and support for Hong Kong. He enthusiastically looked forward to and extended his warmest welcome to Mr Xia for visiting Hong Kong for the inspection. The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government endeavours to support and facilitate the inspection to ensure a smooth visit.
Mr John Lee, Photo source: reference image
Suspected use of fraudulent life-saving attendant certificate at private housing estate's swimming pool in Happy Valley
A spokesman for the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD) said today (August 6) that a life-saving attendant at the licensed swimming pool of a private housing estate, located at 1-5 Ventris Road, Happy Valley, is suspected of using a fraudulent life-saving attendant certificate. As the qualification of the life-saving attendant is in doubt and the swimming pool has allegedly failed to provide a sufficient number of qualified life-saving attendants as required by law, the FEHD has ordered the immediate closure of the pool and is considering prosecuting its licensee. The incident has been reported to the Police, and the FEHD has also notified the Property Management Services Authority to take parallel follow-up action.
Officers from the FEHD yesterday (August 5) verified a batch of lifeguard records with the Hong Kong China Life Saving Society (HKCLSS), and received the verification result today. It is discovered that the credentials of a life-saving attendant on duty at the aforementioned swimming pool yesterday did not match the records of the HKCLSS. The FEHD immediately took action regarding the pool.
The spokesman stressed, "Swimming pool licensees must strictly comply with the Swimming Pools Regulation (Cap. 132CA) and the licensing conditions, ensuring that sufficient qualified life-saving attendants are on duty during the opening hours of the pool. The FEHD will continue to implement various regulatory measures, including stepping up surprise inspections and increasing the frequency of spot checks during the peak swimming season."
Since May 2025, the FEHD has implemented a series of enhancement measures, including stepping up surprise inspections, clearly stipulating the responsibility of licensees to verify the qualifications of life-saving attendants, introducing a tiered penalty mechanism, and strengthening collaboration with relevant organisations. From January to the end of July this year, officers from the FEHD had conducted about 7 000 inspections of over 1 400 licensed private swimming pools across the territory, and had verified the qualifications of about 2 100 life-saving attendants through the HKCLSS. According to the records, since the implementation of enhanced regulatory measures in 2025, the FEHD also discovered a case involving the suspected employment of unqualified life-saving attendants on duty in 2025.
To ensure that licensees fulfil their responsibilities properly, the FEHD explicitly requires them through licensing conditions to verify the identity documents of life-saving attendants before employment, and to keep copies of their Pool Lifeguard Awards and personal logbooks on proper record. The FEHD has also established a standard template of life-saving attendants' duty records. Licensees are required to clearly record the relevant information of life-saving attendants on duty in accordance with the prescribed format, and the records have to be verified and signed by both the inspecting staff assigned by the licensees and the life-saving attendants. FEHD officers will check the relevant records as necessary during inspections or complaint investigations, and will follow up on any violations.
In addition, the FEHD will continue to maintain close collaboration with relevant organisations and regulatory bodies to enhance compliance with the regulatory measures. This includes sustaining close liaison with the HKCLSS and making good use of its mechanism for verifying life-saving attendants' qualifications, and strengthening co-operation with the Property Management Services Authority to require property management companies to exercise strict gatekeeping over the recruitment procedures of life-saving attendants.
The FEHD will continue to implement the relevant measures straightly to enhance the safety standards of licensed swimming pools and safeguard the safety of swimming pool users. Members of the public are called on to take part in the monitoring and report suspected cases of irregularities to the department.
Source: AI-found images
