Foreign and Commonwealth officek 210/2
London SW1A 2AH
RECEIVED IN OBTRY NO. 51 10 MAR 1978
Rev A J Ward
74 Chiltern Drive
SURBITON Surrey
Telephone 01-DESK OF!
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Date 10 March 1978
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I have been asked to reply to your letter of 2 March to the Prime Minister on child labour in Hong Kong.
I can assure you that the Government has long been concerned about the employment of children in Hong Kong and maintains a close interest in the Hong Kong Government's attempts to eradicate the problem. Legislation in Hong Kong now prohibits the employ- ment of children under the age of 15 in industrial undertakings, and this will soon be extended to cover non-industrial under- takings.
Furthermore, with effect from September 1978, Hong Kong will provide compulsory free education for all children up to their fifteenth birthday. This will significantly reduce the illegal employment of children.
You may also like to know that the Hong Kong Government have recently increased the maximum fine for employers found guilty of this crime from HK$ 5,000 to HK$ 10,000. In fact, the latest figures available show that from January to September 1977 a total of 466 cases of illegal employment of children were detected by Hong Kong Government Inspectors, so you will see that the problem is somewhat smaller than you estimate.
4
M J Upton
Hong Kong and General
Department