CONFIDENTIAL
2
Elsewhere in his statement the Governor made it clear that the objective was to achieve this target within five years. It is this objective which needs to be kept in mind in considering what progress the Hong Kong Government has made since the Governor's last visit, both in implementing the programme and in making future plans.
RECENT DEVELOPMENTS
Social Welfare
4.
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The Governor announced on 6 October that the existing public assistance scheme would be extended next year to cover 15-55 year old able-bodied persons, a group who had particularly suffered from the steep rise in unemployment during the 1973/74 recession. He left open .the terms of the proposed criteria for payment of what amounts to a form of unemployment benefit. He had earlier informed us that he was proposing a residence qualification of three years (as opposed to one year in the case of the public assistance scheme as it stands at, present) mainly with a view to discouraging an increase in the number of illegal immigrants from China and a period of two months' unemployment before assistance was paid. Lord Goronwy-Roberts was of the view that the Governor's proposed criteria were unduly restrictive. Following further exchanges, Ministers agreed with the Governor that a residence qualification of two years and a period of one month's unemployment would be acceptable. The Governor secured the approval of his Executive Council to these modified criteria immediately prior to his departure from Hong Kong in early November.
5. The Hong Kong Government have recently informed us that they wish to take up our offer, made at Lord Goronwy-Roberts' meeting with the Governor in July, to provide a social security expert to review their social welfare arrangements with a view to drawing up a new, comprehensive programme for implementation by the end of 1980. We are supporting the Hong Kong Government's approach to the Department of Health and Social Security to secure the services of a suitable person.
/ Labour
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CONFIDENTIAL