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

     The President of the Legislative Council (LegCo), Mr Andrew Leung Kwan-yuen, today (January 28) issued a statement, expressing strong disapproval and staunch opposition to the decision by the United Kingdom Branch of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA UK) to withdraw its invitation to the LegCo of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) to attend the 2023 Westminster Seminar on Effective Parliaments on the ground of the deteriorating situation in Hong Kong. The decision by CPA UK, which was based on political prejudice and hearsay, showed that they do not understand the actual situation of Hong Kong and attempt to derogate and sideline Hong Kong. The LegCo will not participate in this so-called "seminar" that carries blatant political bias.

     Mr Leung stressed that each jurisdiction has the right to pursue a political system that can best suit its actual situation, and this right should be respected by other parliamentary bodies. The LegCo always respects and welcomes representatives of governments or parliamentary bodies from different regions or with different political systems and is more than willing to explore development opportunities with them.

     Mr Leung pointed out that the improvement of the electoral system in HKSAR manifests the broad representation, political inclusiveness and balanced participation in the LegCo. This enables a spectrum of different voices in the Legislature that upholds the overall interest of Hong Kong. While suiting the actual situation of Hong Kong, the improved electoral system is conducive to better quality of democracy, higher governing effectiveness and good governance.

     Mr Leung emphasized that the LegCo is, as always, committed to adopting an inclusive and respectful approach to establish a constructive relationship with other parliamentary bodies with different political systems. The LegCo also welcomes various liaison activities, including receiving other regions' parliamentarians and parliamentary delegations visiting Hong Kong, and will continue to send delegations of the LegCo Members for overseas exchange.

     A fire broke out at an industrial building on Choi Hung Road at 5.17am today (January 28), and was upgraded to No. 3 alarm at 8.53am. The fire was surrounded at 1pm, put under control at 2.50pm and largely put out at 8.08pm.

     Firemen used five jets and mobilised five breathing apparatus teams to fight the blaze.

     Firemen led seven people to places of safety. One person felt unwell and was sent to Queen Elizabeth Hospital for treatment.

     â€‹In response to a media report alleging that the total number of 5-a-side and 7-a-side soccer pitches provided by the Leisure and Cultural Services Department (LCSD) is 60 more than the 247 proposed in the Hong Kong Planning Standards and Guidelines (HKPSG), a spokesman of the LCSD today (January 28) clarified as follows:

     At present, the LCSD provides a total of 235 such soccer pitches, slightly falling short of the proposal of the HKPSG. It is believed that as some of the hard-surface soccer pitches are suitable for both 5-a-side and 7-a-side soccer, the media concerned may have mistakenly double counted a hard-surface soccer pitch into one 5-a-side pitch and one 7-a-side pitch, making the total number of pitches mentioned in the media report more than the actual number.

     Regarding the usage of hard-surface soccer pitches, the demand for advance booking of such facilities from both individuals and organisations is keen, especially during the peak hours. The Government will continue to provide 5-a-side soccer pitches in accordance with the actual situation so as to meet the demand from members of the public for such facilities. 

     When there are no football activities, the LCSD will open these venues to members of the public for other activities, such as Tai Chi, badminton, shuttlecock, etc. Besides, applications for use of hard-surface pitches for non-designated activities may also be considered on individual merits. Meanwhile, in order to promote different kinds of sports, 11 hard-surface soccer pitches are now open for playing cricket.

     A man who went missing in Cheung Sha Wan has been located.

     Tsui Sze-yuen Comwillian, aged 50, went missing after he left a caring centre on Nam Cheong Street on December 30, 2022 morning. A staff member of the caring centre made a report to Police on the same day.

     The man was located on Des Voeux Road Central, Central District yesterday (January 27) afternoon. He sustained no injuries and no suspicious circumstances were detected.

The following is issued on behalf of the Hospital Authority:
 
     As at yesterday (January 27), a total of 2 107 patients who tested positive for COVID-19 were hospitalised for treatment. Among the hospitalised confirmed patients, 154 were new patients, 967 required isolation, 316 required oxygen therapy and 41 required ventilator support. There were six newly reported critical patients and eight newly reported serious patients. There were a total of 99 patients in critical condition and 96 in serious condition, of which 28 critical patients were receiving intensive care. Moreover, there were 249 patients who had recovered, including 180 patients who had been discharged. In addition, 33 patients who passed away in public hospitals were reported. According to preliminary analysis, the cause of death of 13 patients was related to COVID-19, while that of the remaining 20 patients was not.
      
     The overall occupancy of medical beds in acute hospitals is around 97 per cent.
      
     The Hospital Authority will maintain close contact with the Centre for Health Protection to monitor the latest developments and to inform the public and healthcare workers on the latest information in a timely manner.