§ Mr. Sillarsasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if blind workers in Hong Kong have presented a petition or made representations to the Governor at any time in the last two years about their working conditions; and what reply the Governor gave these workers.
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§ Mr. Anthony RoyleA number of petitions from blind workers in the Tok-wawan workshop for the blind were received between September and November 1971 seeking Government intervention in their dispute with the Hong Kong Society for the Blind. The workers were demanding:
- (i) re-instatement of those dismissed on grounds of misconduct;
- (ii) wage increases;
- (iii) improvement of administration and dismissal of the workshop supervisor.
In response the Government arranged mediation by officers of the Social Welfare Department and financial support to the society. All the workers' points were met. Since then the society has been reconstituted, and a number of improvements have been made in the relationship between management and workers and in the production processes generally.
§ Mr. Sillarsasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many employers have been prosecuted in Hong Kong in each of the last five years for employing child labour; and if he will state the highest, the lowest, and the average fine imposed by the courts in each of these years.
§ Mr. Anthony RoyleThe information requested by the hon. Member is as follows:
Financial Year Number of employers prosecuted Fines (in Hong Kong dollars) Highest Lowest Average 1967–68 260 1,000 20 104 1968–69 325 400 10 71 1969–70 541 2,000 10 171 1970–71 617 5,000 25 477 1971–72 207 2,000 25 310
§ Mr. Sillarsasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when the last official survey of employment conditions was taken in Hong Kong; and what were its findings with regard to the employment of children in manufacturing and other industries.
§ Mr. Anthony RoyleIn August 1972 the Ninth Special Survey into Child Employment covered 861 industrial undertakings employing 29,411 workers in the light metal and plastic trades. These trades were selected because of the greater 217W likelihood of children being employed in them. The survey detected only 84 children employed in 63 factories, against the owners of which summonses were subsequently taken out.
Of the 84 children detected, most claimed to be working only temporarily during school holidays. 70 came from low-income families in resettlement areas, low-cost housing estates or squatter areas. The remaining 14 came from poor families in private tenements. 49 children 13 years old were just below the minimum statutory age for employment in industry. 30 were aged 12 years, and five were 11 years. Most of the children were engaged in unskilled light work, such as assembling, trimming and packing. They worked between seven and eight hours a day and were paid between 10 and 13 HK dollars a day.
The outcome of this survey suggests that, although the laws relating to child labour are still being broken despite the efforts of the Labour Department, the incidence of the illegal employment of children is low.
§ Mr. Sillarsasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many people are estimated to live in the Kun Tong industrial area of Hong Kong; which hospitals are located within this area; and how many hospital beds
Sales by Auction Private Treaty Grants Exchange and Extensions Year Number Premia (Hong Kong Dollars) Number Premia (Hong Kong Dollars) Number Premia (Hong Kong Dollars) 1971–72 … 321 119,305,936 48 12,809,591 588 17,549,454 1970–71 … 66 158,029,771 60 8,059,999 363 48,372,863 1969–70 … 232 68,532,685 48 14,868,804 279 10,857,777 1968–69 … 190 18,183,142 46 9,955,920 452 5,072,524 1967–68 … 176 11,556,230 95 24,026,934 183 2,127,613 Total … 357,607,764 69,721,248 83,980,231
Modification Regrants Total Premia by years (Hong Kong Dollars) Year Number Premia (Hong Kong Dollars) Number Premia (Hong Kong Dollars) 1971–72 195 15,773,433 105 37,137,689 202,576,103 1970–71 11 16,050,535 89 39,411,874 269,925,042 1969–70 229 4,542,409 56 17,470,598 116,272,273 1968–69 79 1,477,088 41 8,139,639 42,828,313 1967–68 56 866,150 14 4,762,111 43,339,038 Total 38,709,615 106,921,911 674,940,769 The income derived in those years includes instalment payments arising from previous transactions and does not
218Wby specialty are available for the population of this area.
§ Mr. Anthony RoyleThe population in the Kwun Tong industrial area of Hong Kong is estimated at 270,000. At present there are 104 beds—of which 24 are maternity beds—provided in a medical centre and a clinic in the area. A private hospital providing a further 555 beds is now under construction and is expected to be ready for use by mid-1973. There are 13 hospitals providing a total of 7,853 beds in Kowloon, all of which are within a radius of five miles and in which various types of specialised treatment are available.
§ Mr. Sillarsasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will detail the land transactions undertaken by the Hong Kong Government in each of the last five years, showing the income derived by the Government from each individual transaction.
§ Mr. Anthony RoyleThe number of land transactions undertaken by the Hong Kong Government totals many thousands. To show income derived from each individual transaction would entail very considerable effort and the cost of obtaining it would not be justified. The following table shows the number of transactions completed in the past five years in the main categories:
include total sums payable under transactions completed in those years where payment is made by instalments.
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§ Mr. Sillarsasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will give figures, by rank, showing the make-up of the Hong Kong police force in each branch of the service; and if he will show the total expenditure on police services in each of the past 10 years.
§ Mr. Anthony RoyleDetails of the Hong Kong police establishment are being obtained and I shall write to the hon. Member on this point.
Details of police expenditure, including capital expenditure and costs of auxiliary police force are as follows:
Year Hong Kong Dollars 1963–64 93,400,000 1964–65 111,200,000 1965–66 122,600,000 1966–67 120,400,000 1967–68 131,800,000 1968–69 152,300,000 1969–70 170,100,000 1970–71 178,800,000 1971–72 207,800,000 1972–73 (revised estimate) 194,200,000
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Governor Sir Crawford Murray MacLehose. K.C.M.G., M.B.E EXECUTIVE COUNCIL Name Date of original appointment Status Occupation Lieutenant-General Sir Richard Erskine Ward K.C.B D.S.O., M.C. 11.12.70 Ex-officio Commander British Forces Sir Hugh Selby Norman-Walker, K.C.M.G., O.B.E., J.P. 28.3.69 Ex-officio Colonial Secretary D. T. E. Roberts, C.B.E., Q.C., J.P. 3.9.66 Ex-officio Attorney General D. C. C. Luddington, J.P. 18.5.71 Ex-officio Secretary for Home Affairs C. P. Haddon-Cave. M.A., J.P. 1.7.71 Ex-officio Financial Secretary Dr. G. H. Choa, C.B.E., J.P. 16.11.72 Nominated Official Director of Medical Services Sir Albert M. Rodrigues, C.B.E., E.D., J.P. 28.5.59 Unofficial Medical Practitioner Sir John Douglas Clague, C.B.E., M.C. Q.P.M., T.D., J.P. 28.5.61 Unofficial Company Chairman Sir Sidney S. Gordon, C.B.E., J.P. 1.7.65 Unofficial Chartered Accountant and Company Chairman Sir Yuet-Keung Kan, C.B.E., J.P. 28.5.66 Unofficial Solicitor and Company Chairman Woo Pak-Chuen, O.B.E., J.P. 13.12.71 Unofficial Solicitor Szeto Wai, O.B.E., J.P. 13.12.71 Unofficial Chartered Engineer and Architect D. R. Ross, O.B.E., J.P. 1.7.72 Unofficial Company Managing Director Gr. Chung Sze-Yuen, O.B.E., J.P. 1.7.72 Unofficial Company Managing Director and Industrialist These figures exclude relatively small sums spent from other than police Votes.
§ Mr. Sillarsasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is the current police-population ratio in Kong Kong; and if he will show how this compares with each of the past 10 years.
§ Mr. Anthony RoyleThe numbers of Hong Kong police per thousand of the population, based on police strength excluding civilians and auxiliary police for the years 1963 to 1972 inclusive are as follows: 2.31, 2.41, 2.55, 2.80, 2.90, 2.90, 2.97, 3.05, 3.09, 2.94.
§ Mr. Sillarsasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will publish the membership of Hong Kong's Executive and Legislative Councils, showing their status, occupation and length of membership.
§ Mr. Anthony RoyleThe composition of Hong Kong's Executive and Legislative Councils is as follows:
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LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL Name Date of original appointment Status Occupation Sir Hugh Norman-Walker Ex-officio members, see also Executive Council. D. T. E. Roberts D. C. C. Luddington C. P. Haddon-Cave D. R. W. Alexander, C.B.E., J.P. 1.4.68 Nominated Official Director of Urban Services J. J. Robson, C.B.E., M.I.C.E., A.M.I.S.E., J.P. 28.3.69 Nominated Official Director of Public Works John Canning, M.A., J.P 6.6.69 Nominated Official Director of Education Dr. G. H. Choa, C.B.E., J.P. 1.7.70 Nominated Official Director of Medical and Health Services Jack Cater, M.B.E., J.P. 24.9.70 Nominated Official Information Secretary D. C. Bray, M.A., B.Sc, J.P. 1.4.71 Nominated Official District Commissioner, New Territories Paul Tsui Ka-cheung, O.B.E., J.P. 17.8.70 Nominated Official Commissioner of Labour Ian MacDonald Lightbody, J.P. 8.9.71 Nominated Official Commissioner for Resettlement D. H. Jordan, M.B.E. 14.11.72 Nominated Official Director of Commerce and Industry Li Fook-kow 16.11.72 Nominated Official Director of Social Services Woo Pak-cheun, O.B.E., J.P. 1.7.64 Unofficial See also Executive Council Szeto Wai, O.B.E., J.P. 13.6.65 Unofficial Wilfred Wong Sion-bing, O.B.E., J.P. 24.6.65 Unofficial Company Managing Director Mrs. Ellen Li Shi-pui, O.B.E., J.P. 1.7.66 Unofficial Voluntary Social Worker Wilson Wang Tze-sam, O.B.E., J.P. 1.7.68 Unofficial School Proprietor and Supervisor H. J. C. Browne, O.B.E., J.P. 1.7.68 Unofficial Company Chairman Dr. Chung Sze-yuen, O.B.E., J.P. 1.7.68 Unofficial See also Executive Council Lee Quo-wei, O.B.E., J.P. 1.7.68 Unofficial Banker Oswald V. Cheung, O.B.E., Q.C., J.P. 1.7.70 Unofficial Queen's Counsel Ann Tse-Kai, O.B.E., J.P. 1.7.70 Unofficial Company Chairman and Industrialist Mrs. C. J. Symons, O.B.E., J.P. 1.7.72 Unofficial School Headmistress Peter G. Williams, J.P. 1.7.72 Unofficial Company Chairman James Wu Man-hon, J.P. 1.7.72 Unofficial Company Managing Director Roger H. Lobo, O.B.E., J.P. 1.7.72 Unofficial Company Chairman Mrs. Mary Wong Wing-Cheung MBE., J.P. 14.11.72 Unofficial Voluntary Social Worker
§ Mr. Sillarsasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many major fires there have been in squatter areas of Hong Kong in each of the last 10 years; and if he will state the deaths and serious injuries arising out of each incident.
§ Mr. Anthony RoyleFigures for major fires in squatter areas in Hong Kong between 1962–63 and 1971–72 inclusive are as follows:
- Number of fires:
- 2, 1, 1, 2, 1, 1, 2, 2, 1, 2—Total 15.
- Deaths:
- 1, 4, Nil, 3, Nil, 1, 2, 2, 1, 8—Total 22.
- Serious injuries:
- 3, Nil, 4, 21, Nil, 2, Nil, Nil, 13, 4—Total 47.
§ Mr. Sillarsasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will estimate how many private hospitals and hospital beds are available in Hong Kong; and if he will give a 222W sample of the scale of charges known to his Department.
§ Mr. Anthony RoyleThere are 11 private hospitals in Hong Kong providing a total of 1,888 beds. The charges vary from a few dollars a day for a bed in general wards to over 1,000 Hong Kong dollars for a single room.
§ Mr. Sillarsasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many free hospital beds are available per head of the population in Hong Kong.
§ Mr. Anthony RoyleIn Hong Kong there are 2,863 entirely free and 6,733 virtually free hospital beds, for which a nominal maintenance charge of 2 Hong Kong dollars per day is charged, which may be waived in case of need. This gives a ratio of 2.4 per 1,000 population.