​The Government yesterday (March 22) exercised the power under the Prevention and Control of Disease (Compulsory Testing for Certain Persons) Regulation (Cap. 599J) to make a "restriction-testing declaration" effec… read more
A Government spokesman announced today (March 22) that the supply of fresh food from the Mainland yesterday (March 21) was sufficient and stable.
According to the latest information, the quantity of vegetables supplied from the Mainland to Hong Kong yesterday (as of midnight) by land and water transportation was over 2 400 tonnes, comparable to the average daily supply from the Mainland on a normal day. The volume of vegetables supplied from the Mainland to Hong Kong sold through the wholesale markets of the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD) and the Vegetable Marketing Organization yesterday was about 594 tonnes. The average wholesale prices per catty for choi sum and pak choi stood at $9.20 and $7.00 respectively. The supply of eggs to the wholesale market remained steady, with the average daily supply standing at about 3.4 million for the past week, largely comparable to the average daily supply on a normal day last year.
The total supply of chilled meat from the Mainland yesterday was about 37 tonnes. The supply of live pigs was abundant.
The supply of chilled poultry from the Mainland was about 110 000 head yesterday and more than 8 600 live chickens were slaughtered locally. The supply was stable.
Regarding the rice supply, in compliance with the requirement of the Government, stockholders of rice have to maintain the reserve stock of rice at a level sufficient for consumption by the local population for 15 days. The trade generally stocks double the required amount, which is sufficient for one month’s consumption by Hong Kong citizens. In recent years, the import and consumption of rice in Hong Kong has stood at a steady level of around 320 000 to 330 000 tonnes per year. The import quantity (including reserve stock) as of end-January 2022 was 30 400 tonnes. Suppliers also maintain a reserve for food that can be stored, such as frozen meat, for around three months’ stock generally.
The Government will continue to maintain close liaison with the Mainland authorities and major food suppliers to ensure a stable food supply.
The AFCD updates and publishes the fresh food supply information daily. Members of the public may visit the AFCD website for updates on daily supplies and wholesale prices of fresh food (www.afcd.gov.hk/english/agriculture/agr_fresh/agr_fresh.html). read more
The Government yesterday (March 21) exercised the power under the Prevention and Control of Disease (Compulsory Testing for Certain Persons) Regulation (Cap. 599J) to make a "restriction-testing declaration" effe… read more
The following is issued on behalf of the Hospital Authority: During the winter surge, the Hospital Authority closely monitors the service demand of Accident and Emergency Departments and the occupancy rates in pub… read more
With regard to a media report on March 21 claiming the Government would only introduce one Bill into the Legislative Council (LegCo) for first reading in the first half of the year, a Government spokesman said the report has not reflected the facts in full.
The report claims that in this year’s legislative programme submitted by the Government, there were 15 Bills in the first half of this year, but owing to the epidemic situation, only one Bill was tabled, i.e. the Employment and Retirement Schemes Legislation (Offsetting Arrangement) (Amendment) Bill 2022. The fact is that the Government has already tabled the Appropriation Bill 2022, as well as the Employment (Amendment) Bill 2022 and the Revenue (Tax Concessions) Bill 2022 to the LegCo for first and second reading respectively on February 23 and March 16. In other words, a total of four Bills were tabled by the Government for first and second reading instead of only one Bill.
The spokesman added, in accordance with established practice, the Government will issue a projected legislative programme to the House Committee of the LegCo at the beginning of each legislative year, reflecting its plan at that moment, to facilitate Members to plan their work ahead. It is clear that the items in the legislative programme and the timetable will be updated from time to time having regard to the needs of the community, the priority of the Government’s policy, the drafting progress etc. Such arrangement was already explained in the Government’s letter to the Chairman of the House Committee of the LegCo on January 20.
Furthermore, the Government has already announced that the Temporary Protection Measures for Business Tenants (COVID-19 Pandemic) Bill will be introduced into LegCo on March 23. It is expected that bills will continue to be introduced into LegCo in end March and April as well.
The Bills introduced by the Government into LegCo in March are all legislative proposals that the Government decided to introduce in light of the rapidly developing epidemic situation, where it was considered that there was an imminent need to step up the support to the members of the public and businesses who are affected by the epidemic.
​As for the other Bills that were originally planned to be introduced into the LegCo in the first half of the year, the spokesman said as of now, the consultation and drafting work of only a small number of Bills have been affected as a result of the epidemic situation. Nonetheless, relevant bureaux have not put the drafting and preparation work on hold; they will continue to proceed in an orderly manner. read more