The Financial Secretary, Mr Paul Chan, will deliver the 2021-22 Budget at the Legislative Council at 11am tomorrow (February 24). The full text of the Budget Speech and other related materials will be released simultaneously on the Budget website (www.budget.gov.hk). Members of the public may access the information online.
 
     The public can also watch the live broadcast of the delivery of the speech by the Financial Secretary in the Legislative Council, the Budget-related press conference, a television forum and a radio programme on the above-mentioned website.

     Copies of the Budget Speech and a leaflet highlighting key Budget proposals will be available for collection tomorrow afternoon at the 20 Home Affairs Enquiry Centres (HAECs) of the Home Affairs Department.

* 20 HAECs:

Central & Western Home Affairs Enquiry Centre
Eastern Home Affairs Enquiry Centre
Southern Home Affairs Enquiry Centre
Wan Chai Home Affairs Enquiry Centre
Kowloon City Home Affairs Enquiry Centre
Kwun Tong Home Affairs Enquiry Centre
Sham Shui Po Home Affairs Enquiry Centre 
Wong Tai Sin Home Affairs Enquiry Centre
Yau Tsim Mong Home Affairs Enquiry Centre
Islands Home Affairs Enquiry Centre (Cheung Chau)
Islands Home Affairs Enquiry Centre (Mui Wo)
Islands Home Affairs Enquiry Centre (Tung Chung)
Kwai Tsing Home Affairs Enquiry Centre
North Home Affairs Enquiry Centre
Sai Kung Home Affairs Enquiry Centre
Sha Tin Home Affairs Enquiry Centre
Tai Po Home Affairs Enquiry Centre
Tsuen Wan Home Affairs Enquiry Centre
Tuen Mun Home Affairs Enquiry Centre
Yuen Long Home Affairs Enquiry Centre

     Copies of the highlights leaflet will also be available for collection at the following places:
 
* 16 government office buildings:
 
Queensway Government Offices, Admiralty
Immigration Tower, Wan Chai
Revenue Tower, Wan Chai
Wanchai Tower, Wan Chai 
North Point Government Offices
Tokwawan Market and Government Offices
Cheung Sha Wan Government Offices
Ho Man Tin Government Offices
Lai Chi Kok Government Offices
Mongkok Government Offices
Trade and Industry Tower, Kowloon City
West Kowloon Government Offices, Yau Ma Tei
Sha Tin Government Offices
Tai Hing Government Offices, Tuen Mun
Tai Po Government Offices
Tsuen Wan Government Offices

* Seven public libraries:
 
Hong Kong Central Library, Causeway Bay
City Hall Public Library, Central
Kowloon Public Library, Kowloon City
Ping Shan Tin Shui Wai Public Library, Yuen Long
Sha Tin Public Library
Tsuen Wan Public Library
Tuen Mun Public Library

* Offices of the Labour Department (10 Offices of Labour Relations Division and 14 Job Centres):
 
CityPlaza Three, Taikoo Shing
Revenue Tower, Wan Chai
Western Magistracy Building
North Point Government Offices
Kowloon East Government Offices
Trade and Industry Tower, Kowloon City
Mongkok Government Offices
Cheung Sha Wan Government Offices
Kwai Hing Government Offices
Tsuen Wan Government Offices
Tuen Mun Central Square
Sha Tin Government Offices
Tai Po Government Offices
Landmark North, Sheung Shui
Victory Building, Tuen Mun
Tin Ching Amenity and Community Building, Tin Shui Wai
Yat Tung Shopping Centre, Tung Chung
Hong Kong Institute of Construction – Kowloon Bay Campus

* 60 shopping centres in public housing estates:
 
Hong Kong and Islands
————————
Siu Sai Wan Plaza, Chai Wan
Wan Tsui Shopping Centre, Chai Wan
Oi Tung Shopping Centre, Shau Kei Wan
Hing Tung Shopping Centre, Shau Kei Wan
Stanley Plaza, Stanley
Shek Pai Wan Shopping Centre, Aberdeen
Wah Fu (II) Commercial Complex, Aberdeen
Fu Tung Plaza, Tung Chung
 
Kowloon
———
Lei Yue Mun Plaza, Yau Tong
Kai Tin Shopping Centre, Lam Tin
Tsui Ping North Shopping Circuit, Kwun Tong
Shun Lee Commercial Centre, Kwun Tong
Yau Lai Shopping Centre, Kwun Tong
On Kay Commercial Centre, Kwun Tong
Lok Wah Commercial Centre, Ngau Tau Kok
Sau Mau Ping Shopping Centre, Sau Mau Ping
Tsz Wan Shan Shopping Centre, Tsz Wan Shan
Choi Wan Commercial Complex, Wong Tai Sin
Chuk Yuen Plaza, Wong Tai Sin
Temple Mall South, Wong Tai Sin
Fung Tak Shopping Centre, Diamond Hill
Lok Fu Place, Wang Tau Hom
Shek Kip Mei Shopping Centre, Sham Shui Po
Hoi Fu Shopping Centre, Mong Kok
Oi Man Plaza, Ho Man Tin
Homantin Plaza, Ho Man Tin
 
New Territories East
———————
Choi Yuen Plaza, Sheung Shui
Ching Ho Shopping Centre, Sheung Shui
Fu Shin Shopping Centre, Tai Po
Tai Wo Plaza, Tai Po
Heng On Commercial Centre, Ma On Shan
Yan On Shopping Centre, Ma On Shan
Mei Tin Shopping Centre, Sha Tin
Shek Mun Shopping Centre, Sha Tin
Hin Keng Shopping Centre, Sha Tin
Kwong Yuen Shopping Centre, Sha Tin
Sha Kok Commercial Centre, Sha Tin
Mei Lam Commercial Centre, Sha Tin
Wo Che Plaza, Sha Tin
Pok Hong Shopping Centre, Sha Tin
Yue Tin Court Commercial Centre, Sha Tin
Shui Chuen O Plaza, Sha Tin
TKO Gateway, Tseung Kwan O
Po Lam Shopping Centre, Tseung Kwan O
TKO Spot, Tseung Kwan O
 
New Territories West
———————-
Cheung Fat Plaza, Tsing Yi
Lei Muk Shue Shopping Centre, Tsuen Wan
Kwai Chung Shopping Centre, Kwai Chung
T Town, Tin Shui Wai
Tin Ching Shopping Centre, Tin Shui Wai
Tin Shui Shopping Centre, Tin Shui Wai
Tin Yan Shopping Centre, Tin Shui Wai
Long Ping Commercial Centre, Yuen Long
Long Shin Shopping Centre, Yuen Long
Butterfly Plaza, Tuen Mun
Leung King Plaza, Tuen Mun
Tai Hing Commercial Centre, Tuen Mun
Siu Hong Commercial Centre, Tuen Mun
Yan Tin Shopping Centre, Tuen Mun
Hung Fuk Shopping Centre, Hung Shui Kiu

     The Centre for Food Safety (CFS) of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department announced today (February 23) that in view of a notification from the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs of Korea, about an outbreak of highly pathogenic H5N8 avian influenza in Tongyeong-si of Gyeongsangnam-do Province in Korea, the CFS has instructed the trade to suspend the import of poultry meat and products (including poultry eggs) from the above-mentioned areas with immediate effect to protect public health in Hong Kong.

      A CFS spokesman said that according to the Census and Statistics Department, Hong Kong imported about 1,190 tonnes of chilled and frozen poultry meat and about 11.15 million poultry eggs from Korea last year.

      "The CFS has contacted the Korean authority over the issue and will closely monitor information issued by the World Organisation for Animal Health and the relevant authorities on avian influenza outbreaks. Appropriate action will be taken in response to the development of the situation," the spokesman said.

     The Labour Department (LD) is investigating a fatal work accident in Fanling this morning (February 23) in which a man died.
              
     The LD immediately deployed staff to the scene upon receiving a report of the accident, and is now conducting an investigation to look into its cause.

     Following is the transcript of remarks by the Chief Executive, Mrs Carrie Lam at a media session before the Executive Council meeting today (February 23):
 
Reporter: Secretary Patrick Nip said Hong Kong Government is studying legislation to prohibit insulting public officials. What do you think of this effort? Could it restrict the free speech of Hong Kong residents? Thank you.
 
Chief Executive: First of all, we are not in a so-called "very mature stage" of considering legislation in that respect, but it has been the aspiration of many of my frontline officers. It's not just police officers but many public officers in the front line. In recent years, they have been intimidated, threatened and insulted in carrying out their duties, and this is no good for a civic society. There have been suggestions in the Legislative Council that the Government should seriously look into enacting a piece of legislation to prohibit or to control that sort of behaviour. But as I said, we have a lot of competing demands on our plate, so to speak. I have already outlined earlier this month, there are five important areas that the Government needs to legislate within the current term of the Legislative Council, which is about a few months. I would say that this is not one of the pieces of legislation that has been put at the very high priority. But one day, if we were to legislate, I think we would be very careful in striking the needed balance. Yes, the Basic Law protects and upholds rights of individuals including freedom of speech, freedom of expression, freedom of assembly, but as many court cases have made it very clear, these rights and freedoms are not without limitations. When they undermine another person's right, then something needs to be done. There has to be a very delicate and very serious balancing act to be done if one were to consider such a piece of legislation. At the moment, we have not reached that stage.
 
(Please also refer to the Chinese portion of the transcript.)

The following is issued on behalf of the Hospital Authority:

     During the winter surge, the Hospital Authority is closely monitoring the service demand of Accident and Emergency Departments and the occupancy rates in public hospitals. Key service statistics are being issued daily for public information. Details are in the appended table.