HKK 211/1
RECEIVED IN REGISTRY MO. 51 12 JUN 1978
DESK OFFICER
INDEX
PA
REGISTRY Action Teen
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233-4069
Mr E Ho
Secretary for Social ervices
Government Secretariat HONG KONG
9 June 1978
85
APPLICATION CF 1LO CONVENI 10ND
1.
Thank you for your letter C. 7/5603/74 11 of 10 April. 2. You are quite correct in saying that strictly speaking the date of registration of a declaration by the ILC represents the most accurate basis for recording the position. The additional delay involved would not in fact be disproportionate: we usually receive an acknowledgement from the 110, with noti- fication of the date of registration, within three weeks of our sending off a declaration. The only cause of lengthy delays is likely to be when, as John tewart mentioned in his letter of 2 March, the Overseas Labour Adviser's office need to ask you for further information about the application of the Convention concerned, or to query the precise terms of the proposed declaration, or perhaps to seek clarification from the 1LC as to how the Convention is to be interpreted in the light of Hong kong law and practice. Although we keep them to a minimum, delays on this account are, I am afraid, sometimes inevitable if we are to ensure that the declaration is made in the correct terms and subsequent criticism by the 11 Committee of Experts in the form of Observations or Lirect hequests avoided.
3. 1 agree therefore that to make things easier for everyone we should use the date of registration as the basis for monitoring progress with declarations in future. It will still be open to us to indicate in appropriate cases that the terms of a declaration have been agreed and that all that remains is notification by the ILO of the date of registration.
4. I note that you are considering the possibilities for improved declarations after 1978 and that these include Conventions 100, 120 and 140. 1 look forward to receiving your conclusions in regard to these in due course.
cc:
OLA
J Thompson
Hong Kong & General Dept