The following is issued on behalf of the Judiciary:

Attention duty announcers, radio and TV stations:

Please broadcast the following as soon as possible and repeat it at suitable intervals:

     As the Tropical Cyclone Warning Signal No. 8 has been cancelled, the Judiciary has announced that all hearings of the courts and tribunals will be resumed/held as scheduled tomorrow (July 18).

     Those who were due to attend court hearings today (July 17) but were affected by the issuing of the Tropical Cyclone Warning Signal No. 8, including the jurors, should do so at 9.30am tomorrow.

     Those who have been summoned for jury empanelment in the High Court today are not required to attend court until further notice in writing.

     As for those who have been summoned for jury empanelment in the Coroner's Court today, they are required to appear in court at 9.30am tomorrow.

     Court/tribunal registries and offices will open as usual tomorrow.  Court users may also use the integrated Court Case Management System (iCMS) for electronic services provided by the registries of the District Court and Magistrates’ Courts as usual.  Any documents filed via the iCMS during the registries’ closure period will be deemed to have been received upon their reopening tomorrow.

     It is anticipated that there will be a significant number of people going to the courts. In particular, for the High Court, District Court and West Kowloon Law Courts Building, given the need for security screening, court users are advised to arrive at the court buildings earlier to allow time for screening, particularly during the peak hours in the morning.

     The Labour Department (LD) today (July 17) reminded employers to make practical and reasonable work arrangements for staff after tropical cyclone and rainstorm warnings.  Employers should also make flexible arrangements for staff to resume work or work from home (if applicable) after a tropical cyclone or rainstorm warning is cancelled, with due consideration to road and traffic conditions and other factors. This will help maintain good labour-management relations and ensure the safety of employees and the smooth operation of establishments.
 
     "For staff who have practical difficulties in resuming work on time upon the cancellation of a tropical cyclone or rainstorm warning, employers should give due consideration to the situations of individual employees and handle each case flexibly. For example, employers may permit employees who have difficulties in returning to workplaces to work from home or allow more time for them to report for duty and resume work," an LD spokesman said.
 
     "As typhoons and rainstorms are natural occurrences that cannot be avoided, for employees who are not able to report for duty or resume work on time due to adverse weather conditions, employers should not withhold their wages, good attendance bonuses or allowances without reasons. Employers should enquire into the reasons and give due consideration to the exceptional circumstances in each case and should not penalise or dismiss the employee concerned rashly," he said.
 
     The spokesman also reminded employers to observe the statutory liabilities and requirements under the Employment Ordinance, the Occupational Safety and Health Ordinance, the Factories and Industrial Undertakings Ordinance, the Employees' Compensation Ordinance and the Minimum Wage Ordinance. 
 
     Employers should not deduct annual leave, statutory holidays or rest days to which employees are entitled under the Employment Ordinance to compensate for the loss of working hours resulting from employees' failure to report for duty when Tropical Cyclone Warning Signal No. 8 or the Black Rainstorm Warning Signal is in force or when the post-super typhoon "extreme conditions" exist. An employer who without reasonable excuse fails to comply with the relevant provisions under the Employment Ordinance is liable to prosecution. 
 
     Employers should also note that they have an obligation to provide and maintain a safe working environment for their employees under the Occupational Safety and Health Ordinance.
 
     The LD has published the "Code of Practice in Times of Typhoons and Rainstorms", which provides a reference for employers and employees on the work and resumption of work arrangements in the event of the Government making the post-super typhoon "extreme conditions" announcement, as well as the major principles, the framework, the reference guidelines and information on relevant legislation for reference in drawing up the work arrangements under adverse weather conditions. The booklet can be obtained from branch offices of the Labour Relations Division or downloaded from the department's webpage (www.labour.gov.hk/eng/public/wcp/Rainstorm.pdf).

Attention duty announcers, radio and TV stations:

Please broadcast the following special announcement immediately, and repeat it at frequent intervals:

     "With the change to Tropical Cyclone Warning Signal No. 3, the Social Welfare Department advises members of the public not to take their children or family members to child care centres, centres providing after school care programmes, elderly services centres or day rehabilitation units including sheltered workshops, integrated vocational rehabilitation services centres, integrated vocational training centres and day activity centres. These centres will resume normal service in two hours after the cancellation of Tropical Cyclone Warning Signal No. 8 to serve those whose families cannot provide alternative care for them, if the weather and conditions permit. Members of the public who have the need for the services mentioned may contact the centres or service units concerned in advance."

The following is issued on behalf of the Communications Authority:

     The Communications Authority (CA) today (July 17) invites members of the public to give their views on proposals for relaxing or updating the codes of practice (CoPs) relating to programme and advertising standards of television and sound broadcasting services. The consultation period will last for one month until August 16.

     The mid-term review of the domestic free television programme service licences and sound broadcasting licences was completed in February 2023. During the consultation process of the mid-term review, the CA received a number of suggestions from the public and the licensees relating to regulation of programme and advertising contents. In response to the views received and with the support of its Broadcast Codes of Practice Committee, the CA has reviewed the CoPs along the general direction of refining the regulatory regime to enable the licensees in meeting the challenges of the rapidly evolving business environment while protecting the interests of the community at large. Following the review, the CA has formulated a set of proposals (see Annex for a summary) for consulting the public. The CA will consider all the views received during the public consultation in taking the proposals forward.

     The consultation document is available on the CA's website (www.coms-auth.hk/filemanager/en/content_711/cp20230717_2.pdf). Members of the public may give their views on the proposals on or before the deadline by email (consultation-cop@ofca.gov.hk), fax (2507 2219) or mail (Office of the Communications Authority, 20/F, Wu Chung House, 213 Queen's Road East, Wan Chai, Hong Kong; Attn: Broadcasting Section 23). Late submissions would not be considered.

The following is issued on behalf of the Hospital Authority:

     â€‹The Hospital Authority announces that as the Hong Kong Observatory will cancel the Tropical Cyclone Warning Signal No. 8 shortly, its General Out-Patient Clinics will resume service gradually within two hours after the cancellation of the warning signal, while its Specialist Out-patient Clinics, Allied Health and other day services will remain closed.
      
     General Out-patients whose telephone or mobile app booked appointment being affected by the typhoon may make a new appointment through the telephone appointment system or mobile app around one hour after the cancellation of the Signal No.8. Chronic patients of General Out-patient clinics and patients of specialist clinics who have scheduled appointments should call the respective clinics during office hour to make a new appointment.