Consultation
15
The Labour Advisory Board was consulted in July 1978 and it agreed that the Employment Ordinance should be amended to achieve the Government's intentions. The Board's comments have been taken into consideration in formulating the draft legislation.
16
As regards the number of permitted working hours for school children during the summer holidays (paragraph 12 above), the Commissioner for Labour's view is that 8 hours work a day is excessive for children aged 13 and 14 and he considers that this should be limited to not more than 4 hours as on any other non-school day. However, since paragraph 13 of memorandum XCC(77) 72 (Annex A) stated that children "would also be permitted to take up full-time employment, except in factories, during the school holidays" and in the light of the Governor in Council's decision set out in paragraph 1 above, the present proposals are in accordance with Council's previous advice.
Enforcement
17
The Labour Inspectorate at present enforces the law prohibiting the employment of children in industrial undertakings. It is intended that their enforcement role will be extended to cover the non-industrial sector when the new legislation comes into operation. In consequence the Labour Inspectorate will need to be strengthened.
Financial and staffing implications
18
Enforcement of this bill and subsidiary legislation, if enacted, will entail gradual expansion of the Labour Inspectorate, the cost for which is estimated at about $1 million for the remainder of 1979/80, rising to about $10 million a year in three years time.
Public relations aspects
19
The Government's intention to extend compulsory education and, as a corollary, the prohibition of employment (with some flexibility)
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