Examination of Estimates of Expenditure Reply Serial No. (49) Food and Environmental Hygiene Department

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1 Question Serial No.: 0515 Reply Serial No.: FHB(FE)145 FHB(FE)145 (Question Serial No. 0515) Head: (49) Food and Environmental Hygiene Department Subhead (No. & title): (-) Not Specified (1) Food Safety and Public Health Director of Food and Environmental Hygiene (Miss Vivian LAU) Please advise on the reason(s) for the increase in the number of mosquito breeding places eliminated for two successive years, as well as the details and effectiveness of the work concerned in Please also advise whether sufficient resources have been earmarked with relevant measures drawn up, including the deployment of manpower and allocation of resources, to prevent the spread of mosquito-borne diseases; if yes, please give details of the work, the manpower and the estimated expenditure in this respect; if not, the reason(s). Asked by: Hon LEE Kok-long, Joseph (Member Question No. 34) In 2015 and 2016, and mosquito breeding places were eliminated respectively. The increase in 2016 was attributable to the enhanced mosquito prevention and control measures taken by the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (the Department) in public places in response to a number of confirmed local cases of dengue fever and imported cases of Zika virus infection in that year. In addition to about 700 departmental staff deployed to pest control (including mosquito control), the Department engages private contractors to provide pest control services in the territory through roving teams. As regards the winter season from November 2016 to March 2017, the Department has increased the number of roving teams by 56 in order to maintain the same number of teams as in the wet season. Together with the additional roving teams under the District-led Actions Scheme, the number of roving teams this winter is largely maintained at about 280 (with a workforce of about 1 680) to strengthen mosquito control in the season. Additional funding has been provided to the Department for sustaining its anti-mosquito work throughout the winters of 2014, 2015 and We would keep up the work on mosquito prevention and control in with an estimated expenditure of $263.6 million.

2 Question Serial No.: 0517 Reply Serial No.: FHB(FE)146 FHB(FE)146 (Question Serial No. 0517) Head: (49) Food and Environmental Hygiene Department Subhead (No. & title): (-) Not Specified (1) Food Safety and Public Health Director of Food and Environmental Hygiene (Miss Vivian LAU) Please advise on the reason(s) for the rising trend in the number of pest control surveys conducted for two successive years, as well as the details and effectiveness of the work concerned in As it is estimated that the number will continue to increase in the current year, please also advise whether sufficient resources have been earmarked with relevant measures drawn up, including the deployment of manpower and allocation of resources; if yes, please give details of the work, the manpower and the estimated expenditure in this respect; if not, the reason(s). Asked by: Hon LEE Kok-long, Joseph (Member Question No. 35) In 2015 and 2016, and pest control surveys were conducted respectively. The increase was mainly attributed to (i) the strengthening of dengue vector surveillance in the community, whereby the number of locations covered by the surveys has been increased from 44 to 52 since October 2015, and the frequency of the surveillance has been increased from once per month to once every fortnight for 2 consecutive months since September 2016 in surveyed areas that fall within 500 meters radius from locations visited by patients of local dengue fever cases during incubation and infectious periods of the disease, as well as areas with Area Ovitrap Index reaching or exceeding 20% for 2 consecutive months; (ii) the increase in the frequency of the surveillance in port areas from once per month to once every fortnight since November 2015, and increase in the number of ports including Tuen Mun Ferry Terminal and Midfield Concourse of the Airport since February 2016; (iii) the increase in the number of surveys relating to biting midges; and (iv) the extension of the Japanese encephalitis vector surveillance to cover Tuen Mun, North, Sai Kung, Kwai Tsing, Southern and Sham Shui Po districts in addition to Yuen Long district since October The implementation of the strengthened measures, involving a total of 7 staff, would continue in The revised estimated expenditure in and the estimated expenditure in in this respect is $37.1 million and $38.3 million respectively.

3 Question Serial No.: 3472 Reply Serial No.: FHB(FE)346 FHB(FE)346 (Question Serial No. 3472) Head: (49) Food and Environmental Hygiene Department Subhead (No. & title): (-) Not specified (1) Food Safety and Public Health Director of Food and Environmental Hygiene (Miss Vivian LAU) The number of food complaints handled has increased for 2 consecutive years. In this connection, please advise whether sufficient resources, including manpower, have been earmarked to meet the demand in the current year; if yes, the details of the manpower and resources involved; if not, the reason(s). Asked by: Hon LEE Kok-long, Joseph (Member Question No. 71) Food complaints are handled by a dedicated team of staff in the Centre for Food Safety of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (the Department). The manpower establishment of the team was 21 in and is/will be 23 in both and The Department will ensure that there will continue to be sufficient manpower to handle food complaints.

4 Question Serial No.: 3473 Reply Serial No.: FHB(FE)347 FHB(FE)347 (Question Serial No. 3473) Head: (49) Food and Environmental Hygiene Department Subhead (No. & title): (-) Not specified (1) Food Safety and Public Health Director of Food and Environmental Hygiene (Miss Vivian LAU) The number of food samples collected for testing has kept on rising. Please advise whether the Department has earmarked adequate resources, including manpower, to meet the demand in 2017; if yes, the details of the manpower and resources required; if not, the reason(s). Asked by: Hon LEE Kok-long, Joseph (Member Question No. 72) The Food Import and Export Section and the Food Surveillance and Complaint Section of the Centre for Food Safety under the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department are responsible for carrying out food surveillance work, including collection of food samples for testing at the import, wholesale and retail levels. With an estimated establishment of 376 staff members in , the estimated expenditure of the two Sections in is about $255 million. Apart from food surveillance, both Sections are involved in other duties. There is no separate breakdown on the expenditures incurred by the two Sections on food surveillance. The current manpower and resources are able to meet the operational requirements.

5 Question Serial No.: 3474 Reply Serial No.: FHB(FE)348 FHB(FE)348 (Question Serial No. 3474) Head: (49) Food and Environmental Hygiene Department Subhead (No. & title): (-) Not specified (1) Food Safety and Public Health Director of Food and Environmental Hygiene (Miss Vivian LAU) Under Matters Requiring Special Attention, it is mentioned that the Department will continue to study the regulation of cooked meat. Please advise on the work progress in 2016 and the specific work plan and timetable for 2017, including the estimated manpower and resources required. Asked by: Hon LEE Kok-long, Joseph (Member Question No. 73) The Government will continue to study the regulation of cooked meat, including looking into international practices. Also, the Government will continue to monitor the safety of meat products, conducting risk assessment on the safety of cooked meat, and taking samples for testing in The required manpower and expenditure will be absorbed from within existing resources. In 2016, the Centre for Food Safety of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department has taken 851 samples of meat products (including dried meat, meat sausage, Chinese sausage, red sausage, meatball, shredded meat, ham, bacon, BBQ pork, luncheon meat, etc.) for testing. Test results were satisfactory except 2 pre-packaged cold cut samples and 1 roasted pork sample which were found to be contaminated with pathogens. End

6 Question Serial No.: 3475 Reply Serial No.: FHB(FE)349 FHB(FE)349 (Question Serial No. 3475) Head: (49) Food and Environmental Hygiene Department Subhead (No. & title): (-) Not specified (2) Environmental Hygiene and Related Services Director of Food and Environmental Hygiene (Miss Vivian LAU) The number of inspections to food premises has increased for 2 consecutive years, notably with an increase of inspections in Please advise whether the Department has earmarked adequate resources, including manpower, to meet the demand in If yes, please provide details including the manpower and resources required; if not, the reason(s). Asked by: Hon LEE Kok-long, Joseph (Member Question No. 74) At present, the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (the Department) deploys about 290 health inspectors to 19 district environmental hygiene offices across the territory to handle various environmental hygiene issues including, inter alia, the inspection and regulatory control of licensed food premises. The Department will keep under review the service requirements and suitably deploy manpower and resources to meet relevant operational needs. The Department does not keep separate statistics on the manpower and resources involved in the inspection of food premises.

7 Question Serial No.: 0520 Reply Serial No.: FHB(FE)016 FHB(FE)016 (Question Serial No. 0520) Head: (139) Government Secretariat: Food and Health Bureau (Food Branch) Subhead (No. & title): (-) Not Specified (2) Agriculture, Fisheries and Food Safety Permanent (Food) (Mrs Cherry TSE) Regarding the follow-up on the proposals to introduce a pre-market safety assessment scheme for genetically modified food, what was the progress of work in 2016? What are the specific work plan and timetable for 2017, and the estimated manpower and resources required? Asked by: Hon LEE Kok-long, Joseph (Member Question No. 36) According to the World Health Organisation, genetically modified (GM) food currently available on the international market has passed the safety assessments of the respective food safety regulatory authorities and is not likely to be harmful to human health. GM food is treated like any other food and is covered in the regular Food Surveillance Programme (FSP) of the Centre for Food Safety (CFS) of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD). The CFS takes food samples at the import, wholesale and retail (including online retailers) levels and adopts a risk-based principle in determining the types of samples to be collected, the frequency and number of samples taken for testing, and types of laboratory analysis to be conducted. The CFS releases the test results to the public through various channels. The CFS has issued the Guidelines on Voluntary Labelling of Genetically Modified Food which sets out the principles underlying recommended labelling approaches for GM food, and provides reference for the trade to make truthful and informative labels in a consumer-friendly manner. The CFS will continue to promote the voluntary labelling regime to traders, provide the public with information on GM food and address food safety issues related to GM food, while keeping in view international development in GM technology and GM food labelling standards. The Government has been considering introducing a mandatory pre-market safety assessment scheme, with a view to providing additional safeguard to consumers on GM

8 Question Serial No.: 0520 Reply Serial No.: FHB(FE)016 food being sold in Hong Kong. In this regard, the Food and Health Bureau (FHB) and the CFS/FEHD have been keeping in view international developments on the regulation of GM foods and the local circumstances with a view to coming up with a proposal for public consultation. We need more time to formulate the proposal, and are not ready to come up with an estimated timetable for the public consultation exercise at this stage. The aforementioned preparatory work has been and will continue to be undertaken by the existing manpower and resources in FHB and CFS/FEHD.

9 Question Serial No.: 3476 Reply Serial No.: FHB(FE)207 FHB(FE)207 (Question Serial No. 3476) Head: (139) Government Secretariat: Food and Health Bureau (Food Branch) Subhead (No. & title): (-) Not Specified (2) Agriculture, Fisheries and Food Safety Permanent (Food) (Mrs Cherry TSE) As regards studying the feasibility of reprovisioning and expanding the Food Safety Laboratory of the Government Laboratory to increase its testing capability and enhance its operational efficiency for tests relating to food safety stated under Matters Requiring Special Attention, please advise on the progress and details of work, and the manpower and estimated expenditure involved. Asked by: Hon LEE Kok-long, Joseph (Member Question No. 75) The Government Laboratory (GL) is currently in shortage of laboratory area. To enhance GL s testing capability and operational efficiency for tests relating to food safety, we are exploring the option of reprovision or expansion. Expansion of the facility in the Victoria Road and redevelopment at another site are among the options being explored. Details such as implementation timelines and budget estimates can only be ascertained when the site search and other related technical considerations are complete. The manpower and expenditure required by the Food and Health Bureau and GL for pursuing this exercise are absorbed from within existing resources.

10 Question Serial No.: 3477 Reply Serial No.: FHB(FE)208 FHB(FE)208 (Question Serial No. 3477) Head: (139) Government Secretariat: Food and Health Bureau (Food Branch) Subhead (No. & title): (-) Not Specified (2) Agriculture, Fisheries and Food Safety Permanent (Food) (Mrs Cherry TSE) Regarding the continuation of implementing a multi-pronged strategy to prevent avian influenza outbreak, what was the progress of the relevant work in 2016? What are the specific work plan and timetable for 2017, and the estimated manpower and resources required? Asked by: Hon LEE Kok-long, Joseph (Member Question No. 76) The Government implements a range of preventive and control measures against the risk of avian influenza (AI). For local live chickens, the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD) ensures local farms comply with the requirements related to biosecurity, farm hygiene and vaccination of chickens against AI virus through regular inspections at the farms, and education on farm management and disease prevention to local farmers and their workers. For imported live poultry, the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD) conducts surveillance on AI virus in imported live poultry at the Man Kam To Animal Inspection Station, and regularly inspects registered farms on the Mainland that export poultry to Hong Kong. At the wholesale poultry market and retail outlets, samples are collected for testing to closely monitor if AI virus is present in the environment, and cleansing is strictly implemented to ensure observance of the hygiene requirement. The Government has just completed a consultancy study on the future development of the live poultry trade in Hong Kong, including whether the sale of live poultry should continue. A public consultation exercise is now being conducted to gauge public views on the recommendations. Taking into account the Consultant s recommendations, views of the public and stakeholders collected during the public consultation, the Government will formulate the policy direction on the way forward of the live poultry trade. The Food and Health Bureau is, among other duties, responsible for overseeing the policy work on implementing a multi-pronged strategy to prevent AI outbreak. The work in combating AI is carried out by AFCD and FEHD within their resources for the monitoring,

11 Question Serial No.: 3477 Reply Serial No.: FHB(FE)208 prevention and control of AI. The estimated manpower and expenditure in for AFCD are 46 staff and $50.8 million, while those for FEHD are 53 staff and $17.1 million.

12 Question Serial No.: 3478 Reply Serial No.: FHB(FE)209 FHB(FE)209 (Question Serial No. 3478) Head: (139) Government Secretariat: Food and Health Bureau (Food Branch) Subhead (No. & title): (-) Not Specified (2) Agriculture, Fisheries and Food Safety Permanent (Food) (Mrs Cherry TSE) Regarding continuing to review and update the existing standards on food safety having regard to international practices and local needs, please advise on the progress and details of the work concerned, as well as the manpower and estimated expenditure involved. Asked by: Hon LEE Kok-long, Joseph (Member Question No. 77) Ensuring that our food safety regime is backed up by the requisite food safety legislation and the provisions in the food safety legislation are adequate and effective is one of the functions of the Food and Health Bureau (FHB). In this regard, FHB works closely with the Centre for Food Safety (CFS) of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department to review the food safety legislation from time to time. In general, we make reference to the international food safety standards set by the Codex Alimentarius Commission, relevant standards by different jurisdictions, and local food consumption patterns, etc, in reviewing, updating and setting our food safety standards and their categories. To better protect public health, facilitate effective regulation and promote harmonisation between local and international standards, FHB and CFS have embarked on the preparatory work to review and update the Food Adulteration (Metallic Contamination) Regulations (Cap. 132V) (the regulation). CFS is working out details of the proposed legislative amendments. We plan to conduct a public consultation exercise on the proposed amendments to the Regulations in Formulating and reviewing food safety legislation form part and parcel of the work of the FHB under the food safety portfolio. We do not have separate breakdown on the manpower expenditure specifically on this area of work.