The following is issued on behalf of the Judiciary:

     The Chief Executive has accepted the recommendation of the Chief Justice of the Court of Final Appeal to extend the terms of office of three non-permanent judges of the Court of Final Appeal for a period of three years, consisting of two non-permanent Hong Kong judges and one non-permanent judge from another common law jurisdiction:

     Non-Permanent Hong Kong Judges
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     (commencing October 25, 2021)
 
     The Honourable Mr Justice Syed Kemal Shah Bokhary
     The Honourable Mr Justice Robert Tang Ching
 
     Non-Permanent Judge from Another Common Law Jurisdiction
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     (commencing October 1, 2021)
 
     The Right Honourable the Lord Phillips of Worth Matravers
 
     The Hong Kong Court of Final Appeal Ordinance provides for a list of non-permanent Hong Kong judges and a list of judges from other common law jurisdictions. The term of appointment of such judges is three years. That term may be extended for one or more periods of three years by the Chief Executive acting in accordance with the recommendation of the Chief Justice.

     The Centre for Food Safety (CFS) of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department announced today (September 21) that in view of a notification from the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) about an outbreak of highly pathogenic H5N8 avian influenza in Quang Tri Province in Vietnam, the CFS has instructed the trade to suspend the import of poultry meat and products (including poultry eggs) from the area with immediate effect to protect public health in Hong Kong.

     A CFS spokesman said that Hong Kong has currently established a protocol with Vietnam for the import of poultry eggs but not for poultry meat. According to the Census and Statistics Department, in the first six months of this year, Hong Kong imported about 13.42 million poultry eggs from Vietnam.

     "The CFS has contacted the Vietnamese authorities over the issue and will closely monitor information issued by the OIE and the relevant authorities on the avian influenza outbreak. Appropriate action will be taken in response to the development of the situation," the spokesman said.

The following is issued on behalf of the Legislative Council Secretariat:
 
     The meeting of the Legislative Council (LegCo) Finance Committee originally scheduled for 3pm this Friday (September 24) in Conference Room 1 of the LegCo Complex will be held at 3.15pm (or an earlier time between 3pm and 3.15 pm).

The following is issued on behalf of the Hong Kong Monetary Authority:

     The Government announced today (September 21) that the application period of the 100% Personal Loan Guarantee Scheme (PLGS) will be extended from the original expiry on October 27, 2021, to end-April 2022, so as to keep providing a supplementary financing option to individuals suffering from cessation of main recurrent incomes from employment in Hong Kong during the COVID-19 pandemic. Individuals wishing to apply can continue to contact the participating banks.
      
     The Financial Secretary, Mr Paul Chan, said, "While the unemployment rate in Hong Kong has eased recently, business conditions remain difficult for a number of sectors, and some citizens are still facing hardship. By extending the application period of the PLGS, we can provide support to more unemployed persons who are in need, helping them tide over the interim difficulty."
      
     The PLGS has received overwhelming response since its launch on April 28, 2021, and the participating banks have received numerous enquiries and applications. As at September 10, 2021, more than 30 000 applications have been approved for a total loan amount of around HK$2.1 billion, and the average loan size was around HK$69,000. Among the approved applications, more than 80 per cent (over 24 000 applications for a total loan amount of around HK$1.7 billion) benefited from the principal moratorium arrangement.

The following is issued on behalf of the Hong Kong Monetary Authority:

     Exchange Fund Bills tender results:
 

 
*"Pro rata ratio" refers to the average percentage of allotment with respect to each tender participant's tendered amount at the "highest yield accepted" level.
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     Hong Kong Monetary Authority tenders to be held in the week beginning – September 27, 2021: