IN CONFIDENCE
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for schooling expenses, household wares, and where necessary, for schooling special duties etc. The Special Needs Allowance scheme provides a non means-tested and non-contributory allowance on top of public
assistance for the severely disabled ($450) and those aged 70 or
over ($225). Both Public Assistance and Special Needs Allowances
scales are revised annually
3.7 A wide range of welfare services is provided by the Social
Welfare Department and subvented agencies for target groups (eg the
disabled, the elderly, offenders). The Government is taking steps
to reduce the current shortage of social workers.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. Estimated expenditure in 1982/3 financial year was HK$1,812, approximately 5% of total Government
expenditure.
LABOUR LEGISLATION
3.8 Hong Kong has an extensive range of labour legislation,
modelled on and comparable with that in the UK, 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 15 is banned in both industrial and
non-industrial undertakings.
3.9 There are no legal obstacles to the development of effective
trade unions, though in the absence of a tradition of labour unionisation and because of political factors, only a minority of workers belong to unions and those that exist tend to be small and
relatively ineffective.
SECTION 4: TOPICAL ISSUES (INTERNAL)
CORRUPTION
4.1 Public attention focused on the problem of corruption in 1973 following the arrest and subsequent conviction on corruption charges
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