§ Mr. Parryasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is the present state of progress of the 1976 by-census in Hong Kong; when it will be published; and if the full details and appendices of the 1971 census report will also be a feature of the 1976 by-census report.
§ Mr. LuardThe basic tables will be published in mid-1977 and the main 1976 by-census report in mid-1978. These two publications will contain generally the same details and appendices as the 1971 census report but with certain necessary changes in the tabulation and presentation.
§ Mr. Parryasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many children aged between 10 and 14 years there are in Hong Kong; and in each case for children aged between 10 to 11, 11 to 12, 12 to 13 and 13 to 14 years, how many are economically active.
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§ Mr. LuardThe following is the information requested:
Age Total number Economically active 10–11 … … 93,400 Nil 11–12 … … 99,000 Nil 12–13 … … 104,400 1,500 13–14 … … 106,900 5,100 Total … … 403,700 6,600 The total of 6,600 for the economically active 12–14-year-olds represents 3.1 per cent. of the total population in this age group. The information is based on the March 1976 Labour Force Survey. However, these figures do not include the marine population. The latest totals, including the marine population, are reckoned to be as follows:
Age Total number Economically active 10–11 … … 95,600 Nil 11–12 … … 101,400 Nil 12–14 … … 214,900 8,300 Total … … 411,900 8,300 The total of 8,300 for the economically active 12–13-year-olds represents 3.8 per cent. of the total population in this age group.
§ Mr. Parryasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is the total of outworkers in Hong Kong; and how many of these are employed in textiles, plastics, toys, and electronics, respectively.
§ Mr. LuardThe March 1976 Labour Force Survey showed that the total number of out-workers is 61,500. I regret that a breakdown of the figures into each of the industries concerned is not available.
§ Mr. Parryasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many employers in Hong Kong have been prosecuted for employing children below 14 years of age during 1975 and 1976 to date.
§ Mr. LuardDuring 1975 and 1976—up to 30th November—306 and 300 employers, respectively, were prosecuted 253W for employing children below 14 years of age in industrial undertakings.
§ Mr. Parryasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many employers in Hong Kong have been prosecuted for employing children below 18 years of age in dangerous trades in 1975 and 1976 to date.
§ Mr. LuardThe employment of any female persons of whatever age or of male young persons below 16 years of age in any dangerous trade is prohibited except with the written permission of the Commissioner for Labour. There were no prosecutions against employers during the period in question.
§ Mr. Parryasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many children were involved in the prosecutions in Hong Kong for employment under 14 years of age and employment under 18 years of age in dangerous trades in 1975 and 1976 to date.
§ Mr. LuardDuring 1975 and 1976—up to 30th November 1976—350 and 349 children, respectively, were involved in prosecutions for illegal employment in industrial undertakings. The employment of male workers over 16 in dangerous trades is not illegal. There were no prosecutions for employment of persons below 16 in dangerous trades.
§ Mr. Parryasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many factory inspectors in Hong Kong are engaged in visits to factories to check for illegal employment under 14 years of age and illegal employment under 18 years of age in dangerous trades, respectively, in 1975 and 1976 to date; how many factories were visited; and what was the time allocated to such visits.
§ Mr. LuardVisits to factories to check for illegal employment, carried out by labour inspectors in the Hong Kong Government's Labour Department. Seventy-one labour inspectors were engaged in visits to factories in 1975 and 1976. They
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PRIMARY AND FURTHER ENROLMENT FOR THE AGE-GROUP 10–13 (INCLUSIVE) (SEPTEMBER 1973) Grade Government Aided Private Total P.1 … … … 2 342 242 586 P.2 … … … 41 2,656 1,280 3,977 P.3 … … … 630 15,633 5,115 21,378 carried out 124,257, and 97,737 visits in 1975 and the first 10 months of 1976, respectively, to industrial undertakings to check for the illegal employment of children and the illegal employment of young persons under 16 years of age in dangerous trades. The time allocated to factory inspections varies according to the size of the factory, area occupied. numbers employed, and other factors.
The Labour Department conducted three campaigns against the employment of children in industry in 1975 and three more in 1976. 13,800 industrial undertakings were visited during these campaigns in 1975 and 16,059 in 1976.
§ Mr. Parryasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many children aged between 10 and 14 years in Hong Kong were not enrolled in any school in each of the years 1973 to date.
§ Mr. LuardI regret that figures for 1976 are not available but figures for previous years are as follows:
At September 1973 … 26,600 At September 1974 … 22,300 At September 1975 … 25,100 These figures exclude children enrolled in special schools and classes for which an age distribution is not available, and children enrolled in certain specialist trade schools. Nor is statistical information available for the number of Hong Kong children being educated abroad.
§ Mr. Parryasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many children aged between 10 and 14 years in Hong Kong were enrolled in Government schools, Government-aided or assisted schools and private schools, respectively, in each year from 1973 to date; and in each case how many were enrolled in each form.
§ Mr. LuardThe number of children aged between 10 and 14 years in Hong Kong enrolled during the daytime in Government schools, aided schools and private schools at September 1973, September 1974 and September 1975 was as follows:
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PRIMARY AND SECONDARY ENROLMENT FOR THE AGE-GROUP 10–13 (INCLUSIVE) (SEPTEMBER 1973) P.4 … … 4,813 51,904 13,190 69,907 P.5 … … 10,301 84,107 20,347 114,755 P.6 … … 11,691 75,324 19,157 106,172 F.1 … … 3,276 15,970 46,268 65,514 F.2 … … 1,514 5,711 12,386 19,611 F.3 … … 173 509 613 1,295 Total … … 32,441 252,156 118,598 403,195
PRIMARY AND SECONDARY ENROLMENT FOR THE AGE-GROUP 10–13 (INCLUSIVE) (SEPTEMBER 1974) Grade Government Aided Private Total P.I … … 10 327 190 527 P.2 … … 65 2,282 988 3,335 P.3 … … 615 14,271 3,882 18,768 P.4 … … 3,935 49,664 10,877 64,476 P.5 … … 9,554 84,732 18,477 112,763 P.6 … … 10,548 78,079 16,947 105,574 F.1 … … 3,352 16,331 52,528 72,211 F.2 … … 1,776 7,451 15,452 24,679 F.3 … … 240 579 783 1,602 Total … … 30,095 253,716 120,124 403,035
PRIMARY AND SECONDARY ENROLMENT FOR THE AGE-GROUP 10–13 (INCLUSIVE) (SEPTEMBER 1975) Grade Government Aided Private Total P.1 … … 8 276 120 404 P.2 … … 83 1,790 525 2,398 P.3 … … 540 11,783 2,380 14,703 P.4 … … 3,136 44,860 8,157 56,153 P.5 … … 8,114 85,506 15,836 109,456 P.6 … … 9,912 80,500 15,747 106,159 F.1 … … 3,349 17,799 50,456 71,604 F.2 … … 2,050 8,892 18,795 29,737 F.3 … … 239 820 1,174 2,233 Total … … 27,431 252,226 113,190 392,847 The figures for September 1976 are not yet available.
§ Mr. Parryasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many children aged 10 to 14 years in Hong Kong did not complete three years of secondary schooling in each year from 1973 to date.
§ Mr. LuardI regret that the information requested will not be available until the results of the 1976 by-census are known in mid-1977.
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Age Group Industry 1973 1974 1975 Under 14 … … … Textiles … … … 0 0 0 Plastic toys* … … … 1 0 0 Electronics† … … … 1 0 1 Total … … … 2 — 1
§ Mr. Parryasted the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many children aged between 10 and 16 years in Hong Kong suffered an industrial injury in each of the following industries: (a) textiles, (b) electronics and (c) plastic toys, in each year from 1973 to date.
§ Mr. LuardThe following information is available, but it is not necessarily complete:
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Age Group Industry 1973 1974 1975 14–15 … … … Textiles … … 76 50 44 Plastic toys* … … 57 37 48 Electronics† … … 45 28 30 Total … … 178 115 122 16–17 … … … Textiles … … 560 397 367 Plastic toys* … … 202 162 152 Electronics† … … 172 153 131 Total … … 934 712 650 GRAND TOTAL … … 1,114 827 773 The figures for 1976 are not yet available. NOTES: * There is no separate figure for the plastic toy industry. The figure given refers to the manufacture of plastic products not elsewhere classified and to other manufacturing industries, including the assembly of plastic toys in both of which the plastic toy industry is included. The figure is higher than it might otherwise have been because it includes other injuries not associated with plastic toy making. † There is no separate figure for the electronics industry. The figure given refers to the manufacture of electrical machinery, apparatus, appliances and supplies and is therefore higher than it would be for the electronics industry alone.
§ Mr. Parryasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many children in Hong Kong aged 14 years or less are presently legally employed; in which industries they are employed; and how many of this total are employed as outworkers.
§ Mr. LuardThe employment of children under the age of 14 in industry is illegal. Subject to certain regulations made under the Factories and Industrial Undertakings Ordinance, all employment of young persons of 14 years of age or over in industry is legal. As at 30th September 1976 13,083 young persons aged 14–15 were employed mainly in the electrical, garments, plastics and textiles industry. It is not possible to say how many of these were aged 14, nor is it possible to give a precise division between industries, nor is information yet available
CORRUPTION COMPLAINTS AND PROSECUTIONS AGAINST THE LABOUR DEPARTMENT Number of corruption complaints received Corruption as percentage of total complaints Convictions Prosecutions Acquittals Total 1970 1 0.3 — — — 1971 8 2.1 — — — 1972 2 0.2 — — — 1973 12 0.8 — — — 1974 32 1.0 1 — 1 1975 16 0.5 — — — 1976 (up to November) 12 0.5 — — — The Hong Kong Government Labour Department conducted two inquiries following complaints of corruption that did not result in prosecutions. As a result, one labour inspector was transferred in 1973 and another dismissed in 1975.
258Won the number of out-workers involved in this total. I would also refer my hon. Friend to the answer I have given to another of my hon. Friend's Questions today.
§ Mr. Parryasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many factory inspectors have been involved in corruption investigations in Hong Kong in each year from 1970 to 1976; in each year, how many were prosecuted, how many were convicted, and how many departmental inquiries arose out of inquiries that did not lead to prosecutions; and how many inspectors were dismissed, transferred, resigned or compelled to retire as a result of such inquiries.
§ Mr. LuardI regret that the information is not available in the form requested but the following information is relevant:
§ Mr. Parryasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many health inspectors, safety inspectors and fire department officers engaged in visiting industrial undertakings, shops, offices and garages in Hong 259W Kong were the subject of corruption investigations in each of the years 1970 to 1976 in respect of these duties; and in each year how many were prosecuted, how many convicted, how many departmental inquiries arose out of inquiries that did not lead to prosecution, and how many officers were dismissed, transferred, resigned or were compelled to retire as a result of such inquiries.
FIRE SERVICES DEPARTMENT Number of corruption complaints received Percentage of total complaints Convictions Prosecutions Acquittals Total 1970 4 1.4 2 1 3 1971 16 4.3 3 — 3 1972 27 2.2 — — — 1973 37 2.3 1 — 1 1974 51 1.6 — 1 1 1975 49 1.5 3 — 3 1976 (up to November) 26 1.2 1 1 2
URBAN SERVICES DEPARTMENT Number of corruption complaints received Percentage of total complaints Convictions Prosecutions Acquittals Total 1970 28 9.5 1 — 1 1971 35 9.4 1 — 1 1972 82 6.6 — — — 1973 69 4.3 1 — 1 1974 188 5.9 2 — 2 1975 207 6.5 4 — 4 1976 (up to November) 123 5.5 1 (3 cases pending) 4 The number of departmental inquiries in the Fire Services Department and the Urban Services Department which arose out of inquiries that did not lead to prosecutions and the results of such inquiries are as follows:
FIRE SERVICE DEPARTMENT OFFICERS Year Number of inquiries Result 1970 … 5 No further action warranted. 1971 … 9 1972 … 9 1973 … 5 1974 … 37 1975 … 30 1976* … 13 * Up to November. 260W
URBAN SERVICES DEPARTMENT HEALTH INSPECTORS Year Number of inquiries Result 1970 … 8 1 transferred. 1971 … 9 1 transferred. 1972 … 6 1 transferred. 1973 … 4 No further action warranted. 1974 … 7 No further action warranted. 1975 … 5 2 transferred. 1976* … 4 No further action warranted. * Up to November.
§ Mr. LuardIn Hong Kong factory inspectors carry out the work of safety inspectors. Information concerning their involvement in corruption has been given in answer to another of my hon. Friend's Questions. The following information is available concerning corruption complaints and prosecutions against Urban Services Department and Fire Services Department personnel: