IN CONFIDENCE
paid to people over 60 who do not receive the old-age allowance (payable to everyone over 70 regardless of income) and there is also an annual long-term supplement, to meet extra costs for replacement of household wares and durable goods.
3.10 A contributory scheme to provide insurance against the risks of sickness, injury, retirement and death is under discussion, and the Governor confirmed in his speech at the opening of the current session of the Hong Kong Legislative Council that the Government intend to introduce proposals to provide such coverage.
3.11 A White Paper on Social Welfare Services published in April .1979 envisaged an estimated HK $2,000 million increase in capital and recurrent expenditure up to 1986-87. HK $630 million allocated for the current financial year represents a threefold increase over the past five years.
LABOUR LEGISLATION
3.12 Hong Kong has an extensive range of labour legislation, controlling working hours and conditions for women and young people, paid holidays and leave, workmen's compensation, safety at work etc. The employment of children under the age of 14 is banned in industrial undertakings and, from 1980, will be banned in non- industrial undertakings as well.
3.13 There are no legal obstacles to the development of effective trade unions, though in the absence of a tradition of labour unionisation, only a minority of workers belong to unions and those that exist tend to be small and relatively ineffective.
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