§ 48. Mr. Rankinasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he is aware that squatters' huts are again being occupied by the poorer section of the Hong Kong community because of recent rent rises in the private and public sectors; and what steps he is taking to prevent the deterioration, as a result, of the living standard of the poor.
§ Mr. Anthony RoyleI have no evidence of any recent increase in the number of squatters in Hong Kong.
§ 66. Mr. Rankinasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he is aware that teachers' starting salaries in Hong Kong have recently been reduced from 1044 Hong Kong dollars to 889 Hong Kong dollars per month; and what steps he is taking to safeguard the living standards of the profession.
§ Mr. Anthony RoyleIn accordance with the policy that teachers' salaries should be the same in Government schools and in schools subsidised from public funds, new salary structures and scales are now under discussion with staff associations and representatives of the subsidised schools. The new starting points under discussion vary from Hong178W Kong 889 dollars per month for full-time trained non-graduate teachers to Hong Kong 1674 dollars per months for those with diplomas and honours degrees. I can assure the hon. Member that the Hong Kong Government has every intention of safeguarding the living standards of the teaching profession.