§ Mr. Ashleyasked the Lord Privy Seal if he will consider the setting up of a comprehensive social insurance scheme for the workers of Hong Kong.
§ Mr. RidleyThis is a matter for the Hong Kong Government.
§ Mr. Ashleyasked the Lord Privy Seal what is the ceiling of compensation for the industrially injured in Hong Kong; and what consideration he has given to changing the level.
§ Mr. RidleyThe new levels of compensation for the industrially injured, introduced on 1 November, range from HK $56,000 to $168,000 for death and $64,000 to $192,000 for total incapacity. The levels will be reviewed biennially to take account of rising wages and costs.
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§ Mr. Ashleyasked the Lord Privy Seal what steps he is taking to increase the number of factory inspectors in Hong Kong.
§ Mr. RidleyThis is a matter for the Hong Kong Government. The establishment of the Factory Inspectorate was recently raised to 179 as part of a five-year expansion programme. It takes three years to train an inspector and so it is not possible to fill all posts immediately. It is intended to have 250 inspectors by 1984.
§ Mr. Ashleyasked the Lord Privy Seal what consideration he has given to the proposal that the construction industry of Hong Kong should be declared a dangerous trade and that new, inexperienced workers should be trained at employers' expense before being allowed to work.
§ Mr. RidleyThe Hong Kong Government are considering designating the more hazardous trades within the construction industry as "dangerous trades". It is not, however, practical to apply this to the industry as a whole, since workers engaged in it perform a wide variety of jobs, some of which are less dangerous than others. Facilities for training new construction workers are available at the construction industry training centre, which is financed by a levy on the industry. A second centre is expected to come into operation in 1982. Safety training courses are at present attended by over 6,000 workers per year.
§ Mr. Ashleyasked the Lord Privy Seal what consideration has been given to the proposal that the Workers Compensation Ordinance in Hong Kong should be implemented as from 1 January 1979.
§ Mr. RidleyThis has been considered. However backdating would present very serious problems of principle including that of making employers liable for increased statutory compensation against which they could not have been fully insured.
§ Mr. Ashleyasked the Lord Privy Seal what proposals are being considered to set up a code of practice for civil and electrical engineers in Hong Kong to ensure industrial safety.
§ Mr. RidleyCodes of practice are issued as and when necessary for the 589W guidance of employers and workers. Regulations governing electrical safety are currently under preparation.
§ Mr. Ashleyasked the Lord Privy Seal what steps have recently been taken or are about to be taken to prevent industrial accidents in Hong Kong; and if the employees will participate or will be asked to do so.
§ Mr. RidleyA labour advisory board committee on industrial safety and accident prevention was established in 1979 with Government, employer and union representation to promote voluntary industrial safety.
Number of accidents per 1,000 industrial workers Year Fatal Total Fatal Total Industrial workforce, including construction 1975 … 87 24,890 N.A. N.A. N.A. 1976 … 115 32,670 0.14 38.70 844,118 1977 … 136 37,073 0.15 42.14 879,755 1978 … 141 39,242 0.15 42.36 926,390 1979 … 163 45,991 0.16 45.73 1,005,757 The industries having the highest accident rate are construction, manufacture of transport equipment, manufacture of non-electrical machinery and manufacture of fabricated metal products (except machinery and equipment).