Donald Ng to Succeed Leonia Tai as Postmaster General on September 26, 2026

Government announces senior appointment

The Government announced today (August 28) that Mr Donald Ng Man-kit, ex-Director of Food and Environmental Hygiene, will take up the post of Postmaster General on September 26, 2026, to succeed Miss Leonia Tai Shuk-yiu who will proceed on pre-retirement leave.

The Secretary for the Civil Service, Mrs Ingrid Yeung, said, "Mr Ng is a seasoned Administrative Officer with proven leadership and management skills. I have every confidence that he will continue to serve the community with professionalism in his new post."

On the retirement of Miss Tai, Mrs Yeung said, "Miss Tai has rendered 38 years of loyal and dedicated service to the community of Hong Kong. As Postmaster General, she firmly led the department to provide professional and quality postal services. She proactively addressed the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic and steered the department's adoption of technology for further enhancing service quality and operational efficiency. She was also committed to driving Hongkong Post's provision of logistics services for responding to market conditions and demands. I wish her a fulfilling and happy retirement."

Brief biographical notes of the two officers are set out below:

Miss Leonia Tai Shuk-yiu

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Miss Tai joined the Administrative Service in July 1988 and rose to the rank of Administrative Officer Staff Grade A in April 2023. She has served in various bureaux and departments, including the former City and New Territories Administration, the former Civil Service Branch, the former Finance Branch, the former Home Affairs Branch, the former Chief Secretary's Office, the former Business and Services Promotion Unit, the Chief Secretary for Administration's Office, the Civil Service Bureau, the Trade and Industry Department and Radio Television Hong Kong. She was Deputy Secretary for Labour and Welfare (Welfare) from July 2016 to November 2019, Government Property Administrator from November 2019 to September 2021, and has been serving as Postmaster General since September 2021.

Mr Donald Ng Man-kit

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Mr Ng joined the Administrative Service in August 1995 and rose to the rank of Administrative Officer Staff Grade A in April 2026. He has served in various bureaux and departments, including the former Health and Welfare Branch, the former Security Branch (later renamed as the Security Bureau), the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in Tokyo, the Housing Department, the former Environment, Transport and Works Bureau, the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in Geneva, the former Environment Bureau and the Environmental Protection Department. He was Head of the Working Family and Student Financial Assistance Agency from October 2019 to March 2022, Deputy Secretary for Housing/Deputy Director of Housing (Strategy) from April 2022 to November 2024, and Director of Food and Environmental Hygiene from November 2024 to June 2026.

Government announces senior appointment Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

Government announces senior appointment Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

Grading of beach water quality released

The Environmental Protection Department (EPD) today (August 28) released the latest grading of water quality for 39 gazetted beaches (see Note 1) and one non-gazetted beach (see Note 2).

Thirteen beaches were rated as Good (Grade 1) and 27 as Fair (Grade 2).

Grade 1 beaches are:

Chung Hom Kok Beach	Repulse Bay Beach*
Discovery Bay Tai Pak Beach	Shek O Beach*
Hap Mun Bay Beach*	South Bay Beach*
Hung Shing Yeh Beach*	St. Stephen's Beach
Lo So Shing Beach	Tai Po Lung Mei Beach*
Middle Bay Beach	Upper Cheung Sha Beach
Pui O Beach*

Grade 2 beaches are:

Anglers' Beach*	Kadoorie Beach
Approach Beach	Kiu Tsui Beach
Big Wave Bay Beach*	Kwun Yam Beach
Butterfly Beach*	Lido Beach*
Cafeteria New Beach	Lower Cheung Sha Beach
Cafeteria Old Beach	Ma Wan Tung Wan Beach*
Casam Beach*	Silver Mine Bay Beach*
Castle Peak Beach	Silverstrand Beach*
Cheung Chau Tung Wan Beach*	Stanley Main Beach*
Clear Water Bay First Beach	Ting Kau Beach*
Clear Water Bay Second Beach*	Tong Fuk Beach
Deep Water Bay Beach*	Trio Beach
Golden Beach*	Turtle Cove Beach
Hoi Mei Wan Beach

Compared with the grading released last week, Middle Bay Beach, Pui O Beach, St. Stephen's Beach and Tai Po Lung Mei Beach have been upgraded from Grade 2 to Grade 1. Cafeteria New Beach, Cheung Chau Tung Wan Beach, Kiu Tsui Beach and Kwun Yam Beach have been changed from Grade 1 to Grade 2.

"The changes in beach water quality are generally within the normal range of natural fluctuation," an EPD spokesman said.

Under the present grading system, beaches are classified into four grades, namely Good (Grade 1), Fair (Grade 2), Poor (Grade 3) and Very Poor (Grade 4), according to the level of E. coli in the water. Grades are calculated on the basis of the geometric mean of the E. coli counts on the five most recent sampling occasions.

While the ratings represent the general water quality at the beaches, the EPD spokesman reminded members of the public that water quality could be temporarily affected during and after periods of heavy rain. Bathers should avoid swimming at beaches for up to three days after a tropical cyclone or heavy rainfall.

A summary of beach grades is published weekly before the weekend. The latest beach grades based on the most current data may be obtained from the EPD's website on Beach Water Quality (www.epd.gov.hk/epd/beach) or the beach hotline, 2511 6666. Members of the public can also obtain the latest daily water quality forecast information for all beaches that are open for swimming through the EPD's dedicated webpage on the beach water quality forecast (www.epd.gov.hk/en/BWQForecast).

Note 1: Lifesaving services are provided by the Leisure and Cultural Services Department at 21 gazetted beaches, marked with an asterisk (*) above, from June 1. For details, please refer to the Leisure and Cultural Services Department's Special Announcement (www.lcsd.gov.hk/en/beach/index.html).

Note 2: This refers to Discovery Bay Tai Pak Beach which has no lifesaving service.