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a minimum age has also been established in certain
specified fields, e.g. underground work, employment in
sea-going vessels, and employment in licensed premises.
Consideration ought to be given to the imposition of a
minimum age (to coincide with the usual age for leaving
school) below which no child may be employed in any
capacity other than with its own parents. The existing
legislation would continue to protect children in regard
to employment with special risks, standards being
progressively improved with the rise of the age at which
primary education ends.
6.
At the present time, it is the Hong Kong Government's
policy to maintain selective legislation only 'until such
time as it is possible to introduce compulsory education'.
There seems no good reason why, as in other parts of the
world, children should not be protected under at least the
age of 12.
The Staffing of the Labour Department
7. The Labour Department is a key sector of the Hong Kong
Government machine. It is much in the public eye and, in
the absence of effective trade union organisation or an
elected legislature, special responsibilities fall upon
the department to respond to the social needs of the workers
of Hong Kong. ̧
By the end of November the two posts of
Adviser on Labour Legislation and Adviser on Joint
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