NEW INSPECTION REGIME - PHASE 1

In view of rising community concern over whether personal information contained in public registers is adequately protected, a new inspection regime under the Companies Ordinance (Cap 622) was introduced.

Message from BVI on service arrangement

… working remotely as from 26 August 2020 for 14 days and suspension of contactless-in-person services until 31 August 2020

The BVI Government have announced that they have further cases of Covid-19 meaning the Territory is now classified as having ‘clusters of cases’.

Employment Support Scheme (“ESS”) – Update

The HKSAR Government held a press conference yesterday and announced that online application for the second tranche (providing wage subsidies for the months from September to November 2020) will be accepted from 31 August 2020 to 13 September 2020. Employers who have applied for the first tranche of wage subsidies (whether successful or not)must submit a fresh application and should use the same bank account to receive the subsidies. Once the application is approved, employers should be able to receive the wage subsidies in 3-4 weeks’ time

Employment Support Scheme ("ESS") - Official website now available

The official website can be found here. Link to online application will be available for use from 25 May 2020 (7:00 am) next Monday to 14 Jun 2020.

During and after the vetting of applications, the ESS Secretariat and/or its processing agent will vet and conduct sample verification of the information submitted by employers, and conduct on-site checking at those employers’ offices.

List of employers who have received subsidies, the total number of employees benefited and the amount of subsidies, will likely be made public to enable monitoring by employees concerned and the society. If employers fail to use all the wage subsidies to pay wages of their employees in the same month, Government will claw back the unspent balance of the subsidies.

If the number of employees on the payroll in any one month of the subsidy period (ie Jun, Jul and Aug 2020 for first trench of payment) is less than the number of employees (whether paid or unpaid) in Mar 2020, employers will have to pay a penalty to the Government. You may find out more details from the said website.

Frances Chan
19 May 2020