The Home Affairs Bureau and the Home Affairs Department will extend their services on weekdays when they move to a five-day week on July 1, while emergency relief services will continue to be provided as and when needed.

Opening hours of the department's Public Enquiry Service Counters, except on Cheung Chau and in Mui Wo, will be extended 90 minutes on weekdays - from 9am to 7pm.

People can make appointments for the free Legal Advice and Meet-the-Public Schemes at Public Enquiry Service Counters during the extended opening hours and follow-up action will be made the next working day.

The department's Central Telephone Enquiry Centre (2835 2500) will extend its operating hours from 9am to 7pm, Monday to Friday. Enquiries can also be made by fax (2834 7649) or email (hadgen@had.gov.hk).

District Offices, sub-offices and the Office of the Licensing Authority will open at 8.45am and close at 6pm weekdays. Applications for licences of hotel and guesthouse accommodation, bedspace apartments, clubs and karaoke establishments can be submitted by post or email (hadlaenq@had.gov.hk) during weekends.

The enquiries hotline of the Home Affairs Bureau's Race Relations Unit, 2835 1579, where staff take calls and handle enquiries from speakers of different languages, will operate from 8.45am to 6pm, Monday to Friday. Written enquiries can be sent to rru@hab.gov.hk).

Also operating from 8.45am to 6pm, the Gender Identity & Sexual Orientation Unit at 2835 1565 will continue to handle enquiries. The unit can be contacted at gisou@hab.gov.hk.

The same hours will also apply to the Civic Education Resource Centre and the Youth Resource Centre.