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Some service units of the Social Welfare Department would join phase two of the five-day week scheme from January 1, a department spokesman said today (December 26).
They are the Community Service Orders Office, Probation Offices and the Medical Social Services Unit in the Kowloon Bay Integrated Treatment Centre.
The spokesman said the migration of these offices to five-day week operation would have little impact on the public.
The service hours of these offices will be extended during weekdays while services on Saturday will be discontinued. The new opening hours are as follows:
Community Service Orders Office
Mon to Fri: 8.45am - 6pm
Probation Offices
Mon to Fri: 8.45am - 6pm
Medical Social Services Unit in the Kowloon Bay Integrated Treatment Centre
Mon: 8.30am ﷿ 5.30pm
Tue to Fri: 8.30am ﷿ 5.15pm
The offices will have a lunch break from 1pm to 2pm on weekdays.
The Social Welfare Department started to implement the five-day week scheme in phases from July 1 this year. In phase one, back offices, offices providing in-house professional and administrative support and services the suspension of which on Saturdays would have little impact on the public were covered.
The majority of the units providing direct services to the public will not change their work patterns in the second phase. Examples are the Departmental Hotline Service Unit, Medical Social Services Units in public hospitals, Integrated Family Service Centres and Social Security Field Units.
"We will closely monitor the public reaction and operation of the five-day week and fine-tune the arrangements as necessary. We will ensure that quality services will continue to be maintained," the spokesman said.
For details of the five-day week arrangements, see the department website(http://www.swd.gov.hk/en/index/site_aboutus/page_fivedayweek/sub_index/)and the Government dedicated website (www.gov.hk/info/5day/). For enquiries, call the departmental hotline at 2343 2255 or the 1823 Citizen﷿s Easy Link.
Ends/Tuesday, December 26, 2006
Issued at HKT 10:00
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