The Hong Kong Judiciary will implement a five-day week in three phases starting from July 1.

Having regard to the policy initiative proposed by the Administration and that Judiciary Administration staff are essentially civil servants, the Judiciary has decided on a three-phase implementation of a five-day week.

Phase one will begin on July 1, under which a five-day week will apply to court sittings and back offices without any interface with members of the public.

No court sittings will be listed on Saturdays, except for admission ceremonies for senior counsel, barristers and solicitors in the High Court, hearings fixed by individual Judges or where statute provides for Saturday hearings.

Phase two will begin on January 1, 2007. The services to be covered are essentially those which have a public interface but there is no need for legislative amendments, such as information counters and public enquiry services.

Phase three would cover services with a public interface where the implementation of a five-day week will require legislative amendments to primary and/or subsidiary legislation.

These services include Court Registries and general offices of Magistrates' Courts, Accounts Offices, Bailiffs' Offices, Probate Registry and Oaths and Declarations Office.

The implementation of phase three and its timing would depend on the completion of the necessary amendments to legislation.

(CRI June 7, 2006)