The following is issued on behalf of the Hospital Authority: As at 9am today (May 19), four COVID-19 confirmed patients were discharged from hospital in the last 24 hours. So far, a total of 11 539 patients with confirm… read more
​In the preceding week till 11.59pm on May 16, the Department of Health (DH) received 237 reports (Note 1) of adverse events following COVID-19 immunisation, including one death case reported by the Hospital Authority (H… read more
A Government spokesman expresses regret over a newspaper report today (May 19) alleging that the politically appointed officials (PAOs) would receive a pay rise this year, saying that the report is misleading and deliberately distorts the adjustment mechanism of the remuneration of the Chief Executive (CE) and PAOs in order to attack the officials of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Government.
The spokesman said, “To show that the governing team is fighting the disease and riding out the difficult times with the public, the CE and all PAOs announced in February 2020 that they would donate one month’s remuneration to the Community Chest of Hong Kong for charity purposes. The CE further announced on April 8, 2020 that she and the Chief Secretary for Administration, the Financial Secretary, the Secretary for Justice, 13 Directors of Bureaux and the Director of the CE’s Office would take a 10 per cent pay cut for the coming 12 months to show togetherness with the people.”
“Subsequently, the CE announced on June 9 of the same year that the remuneration of the CE and all PAOs would not increase in accordance with the Consumer Price Index (C) under the established mechanism, in order to show solidarity with the community to tide over the difficult times.”
The spokesman explained that the estimated expenditure for the salaries of the CE, the Secretaries of Departments, the Directors of Bureaux and the Director of the CE’s Office in 2021-22 is slightly higher than the revised estimates in 2020-21 because the voluntary pay cut of 10 per cent will end by the end of this June and that the estimated expenditure for the remaining nine months (i.e. July 2021 to March 2022) is calculated based on the level excluding pay cut factor.
The remuneration of the CE and PAOs has all along been adjusted according to the established mechanism. The mechanism is in accordance with the recommendations of the Independent Commission on Remuneration Package and Post-office Arrangements for the Chief Executive of the HKSAR, and the Independent Commission on Remuneration for Members of the Executive Council and the Legislature, and Officials under the Political Appointment System of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region in 2005 and 2016 respectively, and was approved by the Legislative Council Finance Committee (LegCo FC) in the respective years of 2005 and 2017. read more
The Home Affairs Department has opened 19 temporary night heat shelters for people in need of the service.
The shelters will be open until 8am tomorrow.
For further information, please call the department’s hotline before midnight on 2572 8427.
The 19 temporary night heat shelters are located at:
Hong Kong Districts:
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Central and Western –
Sai Ying Pun Community Complex Community Hall
3/F, Sai Ying Pun Community Complex
2 High Street, Sai Ying Pun
Eastern –
Causeway Bay Community Centre
3/F, 7 Fook Yum Road, Causeway Bay
Southern –
Wah Kwai Community Centre
Wah Kwai Estate, Kellett Bay
Wan Chai –
Wan Chai Activities Centre
LG/F, Wan Chai Market, 258 Queen’s Road East, Wan Chai
Kowloon Districts:
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Kowloon City –
Hung Hom Community Hall
1/F, Kowloon City Government Offices
42 Bailey Street, Hung Hom
Kwun Tong –
Lam Tin (West) Estate Community Centre
71 Kai Tin Road, Lam Tin
Sham Shui Po –
Shek Kip Mei Community Hall
G/F, Block 42, Shek Kip Mei Estate, Sham Shui Po
Wong Tai Sin –
Tsz Wan Shan (South) Estate Community Centre
45 Wan Wah Street, Tsz Wan Shan
Yau Tsim Mong –
Henry G Leong Yaumatei Community Centre
60 Public Square Street, Yau Ma Tei
New Territories Districts:
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Islands –
Tung Chung North Park (Zone B) Activity Room
29 Man Tung Road, Tung Chung
Kwai Tsing –
Kwai Shing Community Hall
Podium, Block 6, Kwai Shing West Estate, Kwai Chung
North –
Cheung Wah Community Hall
Cheung Wah Estate, Fanling
Sai Kung –
King Lam Neighbourhood Community Centre
King Lam Estate, Tseung Kwan O
Sha Tin –
Lung Hang Estate Community Centre
Lung Hang Estate, Sha Tin
Tai Po –
Tai Po Community Centre
2 Heung Sze Wui Street, Tai Po
Tsuen Wan –
Lei Muk Shue Community Hall
G/F, Hong Shue House, Lei Muk Shue Estate, Tsuen Wan
Tuen Mun –
Butterfly Bay Community Centre
Butterfly Estate (near Tip Sum House), Tuen Mun
Yuen Long –
Long Ping Community Hall
Long Ping Estate, Yuen Long
Yuen Long –
Tin Yiu Community Centre
Tin Yiu Estate, Tin Shui Wai
The temporary night heat shelters will resume their functions as either community centres or community halls in the daytime for hire by the local community and cannot continue to be open as heat shelters. People may choose to take refuge from the heat during the daytime in the common areas in any of the 22 designated community centres or community halls. Their opening hours are from 9am to 10pm. For the addresses of the community centres and community halls, please browse the following document: www.had.gov.hk/file_manager/en/documents/public_services/emergency_services/List_CH_CC_Day_E.pdf. read more
The Chief Executive, Mrs Carrie Lam, today (May 19) welcomed the Central People’s Government’s appointment of Mr Liu Guangyuan as the Commissioner of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR).
Mrs Lam said that, with the support of the Office of the Commissioner of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the HKSAR (OCMFA), the HKSAR has been developing its external affairs in accordance with the Basic Law proactively since its establishment, including participating in international organisations and international conferences using the name “Hong Kong, China”, and signing a number of bilateral or multilateral agreements with other economies. On numerous occasions in recent years when the HKSAR Government was subject to unfair attacks by some foreign government officials and politicians, the OCMFA strongly refuted them to set the record straight. The OCMFA has also been maintaining close contact with the HKSAR Government to render assistance to Hong Kong residents in distress abroad. Recently, the OCMFA has helped promote development of Hong Kong young people, including arranging HKSAR young civil servants to take up positions in the United Nations as Chinese personnel. Mrs Lam said that Liu Guangyuan is a veteran diplomat and strongly believed that under his leadership, the OCMFA will continue to work closely with the HKSAR Government to take forward various work.
Mrs Lam also thanked the former Commissioner, Mr Xie Feng, for his contributions during his tenure and wished him every success in his new post. read more