CONFIDENTIAL
LAG 011/393/1
Reference....
22.
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Mr Duffy, HKGD
HONG KONG:
1.
IMPROVED DECLARATIONS ON ILO CONVENTIONS
You told me that you were considering whether to write to Hong Kong about the present state of play on the current programme of improved declarations on ILO Conventions, bearing in mind the date of the next meeting of the Standing Committee to Monitor the Planning Paper and the fact that Lord Goronwy Roberts, in the last paragraph of his letter of 7 April, has asked the Governor to send a progress report by the beginning of October. In this connection you asked for a note on the declarations which have been made so far.
2. The programme of declarations which it has been agreed Hong Kong should aim for in 1977 is summarised in the fourth paragraph of Lord Goronwy-Robert's letter of 7 April. Of the six Conventions listed, action on one, No. 92, had already been completed. Since then an improved declaration has also been made on Convention 94; this was submitted by Hong Kong on 5 May. You will recall that both these Conventions were carried over from last year's programme.
3.
For ease of reference I attach a note giving details of all the declarations made by Hong Kong from the beginning of 1976 to date.
4.
I also attach a note showing the position in regard to the remaining four Conventions in the 1977 programme. This can be summarised as follows:
5.
Convention 101: the necessary legislation has now been enacted and the way would appear to be open for the improved declaration to be made. The OLA's Office are awaiting the usual trial report by the Social Services Branch.
Conventions 17 and 90: the timetable for the enactment of legislation has slipped from, respectively, the third and second quarters of 1977 but the Hong Kong Government are confident that it will be completed by the end of the year.
Convention 42: the proposed legislation, previously scheduled for the third quareter of 1977, has run into difficulty; in May the Governor hoped, but could not be certain, that it would be enacted by the end of the year, and it is now scheduled for the final quarter.
I attach a draft which you may care to use as the basis of a letter to the Secretary for Social Services should you decide that it would in fact be desirable to write in advance of the Governor's progres: report requested by Lord Goronwy-Roberts.
Elliatt
R Willcocks
Overseas Labour Adviser's
Office
5 September 1977
CODE 18 - 77
CONFIDENTIAL