§ Mr. Robin F. Cookasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on what constitutes the special circumstances or genuine hardship which are considered in determining whether to grant entry to Hong Kong to refugees from mainland China, as outlined in his answer of 10th December.
§ Mr. EnnalsAs I told my hon. Friend on 10th December, the Hong Kong Government authorities consider each case of illegal immigration on an individual basis. The circumstances in which a decision might be taken to allow an individual to stay cannot, because of the infinite variation in individual cases, be precisely defined. But the criteria used would be humanitarian in nature.
§ Mr. Hooleyasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many members of the Legislative Council in Hong Kong are bankers, merchants or industrialists.
§ Mr. EnnalsOf the fifteen unofficial members, two are bankers, five are merchants and three are industrialists. It is the Governor's policy to provide opportunities for wider public participation in all levels of Government, including the Legislative Council.
§ Mr. Hooleyasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will appoint a commission of inquiry into social and economic conditions in Hong Kong.
§ Mr. EnnalsI see no present need for the appointment of such a Commission of Inquiry. The Governor of Hong Kong keeps Her Majesty's Government fully informed about social and economic conditions in the Colony.
§ Mr. Hooleyasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many unofficial members of the Hong Kong Legislative Council have financial interests in organised prostitution.
§ Mr. EnnalsNone.
§ Mr. Hooleyasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth 312W Affairs how many unofficial members of the Hong Kong Legislative Council have financial interests in organised gambling.
§ Mr. EnnalsNone.
§ Mr. Hooleyasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he is aware that the Rooke versus Barnard judgment of the House of Lords in 1964 still governs labour relations in Hong Kong; and if he will take steps to alter this situation.
§ Mr. EnnalsIt would be for the Hong Kong courts to decide whether in the light of local legislation, the Rookes versus Barnard judgment has any application to Hong Kong. There is no existing decision of the courts on the points of issue in the judgment.
§ Mr. Hooleyasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many crimes of violence, including murder, were recorded in Hong Kong in 1965, 1969, 1974 and 1975, respectively.
§ Mr. EnnalsThe figures are as follows: 1965, 3,028; 1969, 5,911; 1974, 19,682; 1975, 19,129.
§ Mr. Hooleyasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many members of the Legislative Council in Hong Kong are manual workers.
§ Mr. EnnalsNone.
§ Mr. Hooleyasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will instruct the Governor of Hong Kong to make a report on the right of trade union organisation, including the right to picket and the right to strike in the Colony, and publish any such report as a White Paper.
§ Mr. EnnalsI see no need to instruct the Governor to make such a report. The rights and obligations of trade union organisations are set out in the Hong Kong Trade Unions Ordinance, which includes provisions relating to picketing. The Labour Relations Ordinance, which came into effect on 1st August 1975, repealed the Illegal Strikes and Lock-outs Ordinance, and there is no legislation in Hong Kong limiting the right to strike.
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§ Mr. Hooleyasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will advise Her Majesty the Queen to appoint as Governor of Hong Kong, on the expiry of the term of office of the present Governor, a British citizen who is Chinese by birth.
§ Mr. EnnalsI do not think it would be appropriate for me to speculate now on what advice my right hon. Friend might give Her Majesty the Queen at the time.