The following is issued on behalf of the Legislative Council Secretariat:

     The Legislative Council (LegCo) Finance Committee (FC) holds an additional meeting from 1pm to 3pm today (April 18) in Conference Room 1 of the LegCo Complex. During the meeting, FC members continue to deliberate on the support measures for individuals and businesses impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.
 

     In view of the latest situation of the COVID-19 pandemic and the experience gained in the past three weeks, the Buildings Department (BD) announced today (April 18) that starting from next Monday (April 20) the opening hours of the Receipt and Dispatch Counter at the office of its New Buildings Divisions located at 7/F, 14 Taikoo Wan Road, Taikoo Shing, Hong Kong, will be adjusted to 8.30am to 5.30pm on Monday, Wednesday and Friday (except public holidays) for receipt of statutory submissions and related documents and forms for new building works, and collection of the processed plans and related documents.

     The BD will continue to provide emergency, essential and limited public services listed in the press release issued on March 22.

     Emergency reports can be made on 1823. For general enquiries and reports, members of the public may call 1823 or inform the department by email (enquiry@bd.gov.hk), online reporting (eform.one.gov.hk/form/bd0001/en/), fax (2537 4992) or post (North Tower, West Kowloon Government Offices, 11 Hoi Ting Road, Yau Ma Tei, Kowloon). In addition, electronic information can be submitted to the BD via receipt@bd.gov.hk.

     The Labour Department (LD) today (April 18) said that starting from April 20, its counter services will be adjusted to provide limited services to members of the public. Branch offices under the Labour Relations Division and the Employment Agencies Administration will provide counter services on Monday, Wednesday and Friday, while other counter services will remain suspended until further notice.
      
     The two Occupational Health Clinics and the Occupational Medicine Units under the department will remain closed. Those who have made service appointments will be individually informed of the alternative arrangements.
      
     The LD will review the situation in due course and make further announcements as appropriate.

     For enquiries, members of the public can call the LD's 24-hour enquiry hotline at 2717 1771 (the hotline is provided by 1823), or email the department at enquiry@labour.gov.hk.

     Following is the transcript of remarks by the Secretary for Education, Mr Kevin Yeung, at a media session after attending a radio programme today (April 18).
 
Reporter: How well prepared are schools in terms of the DSE examinations (Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education Examination) coming soon? In terms of school resumption, you said that there is no deadline as to decide when or if school will resume at all. Could you explain a little bit more on that?
 
Secretary for Education: The schools are now very well prepared for the coming DSE examinations. In terms of the distance between the seats, in terms of all the procedures for cleansing, and also the detailed arrangements including the toilet arrangement and other things, all the schools, all the examination centres, are well prepared to provide a very safe environment for our candidates to take the examinations. Regarding the school resumption, we have not made any firm decision yet. At this stage, we have not set any deadline or a D-Day that school has to resume.
 
(Please also refer to the Chinese portion of the transcript.)

     The Social Welfare Department (SWD) has been informed by the three flag day organisers that the regional flag-selling activities in public places scheduled to be held today (April 18) have been cancelled, a spokesman for the SWD said.
 
     The three charities are Saint Barnabas' Society and Home, Regeneration Society Limited and Centre for Restoration of Human Relationships Limited. They had been issued Public Subscription Permits to hold flag sales on Hong Kong Island, in Kowloon and in the New Territories respectively from 7am to 12.30pm today.
 
     For enquiries, please contact the individual organisations. Contact information for the above three organisations is as follows: