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HONG KONG LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL — 25 May 1988
yet found a way to maintain accurate figures of the numbers of disabled pe This means we also have difficulty in maintaining accurate figures of the number of them in employment and in particular types of employment.
We maintain a Central Registry of the Disabled. However, its accuracy depends on voluntary registration and we know from operational experience that it is not complete. For planning purposes, we therefore have to supplement the figures in our central registry with estimates based on the advice of local experts and studies conducted in Hong Kong and elsewhere. We take a great deal of trouble over these estimates and have gradually improved them over the years; but they still need to be treated with great caution.
In the last quarter of 1986, the Rehabilitation Development Co-ordinating Committee and the Hong Kong Council of Social Service conducted a joint survey on the employment of disabled people. The survey was based on a sample of 3 415 people chosen at random from our Central Registry of the Disabled. Its results were analysed and were published in December 1987. They indicated that about 36 per cent of disabled people aged between 15 and 60 were then in open employment and, of these, 58 per cent were in the industrial sector. This percentage is close to that also indicated by Labour Department figures. The number of disabled people placed in jobs by the Labour Department's Selective Placement Service has increased from 113 in 1980 when the service started to 1 033 last year. Of these, about 60 per cent found jobs in production related work.
By applying these percentages to our estimate of the total number of disabled people of working age, we estimate that there are about 34 000 disabled people in open employment, of whom about 20 000 work in the industrial sector. Our experience is that most of them are engaged in light industrial work such as garment-making, toy-making, electronics, plastics and printing.
I will now turn to the question of publicity. In August, we will be launching a rehabilitation of the disabled campaign to promote the employment of the disabled in the industrial and commercial sectors. These promotional activities will be directed at employers in these sectors; at disabled people to bring home the importance of vocational training; and at the public at large to bring home the importance of the social integration of disabled people. The campaign will continue on a year-round basis. Publicity will mainly take the form of television announcements of public interest, radio announcements of public interests, poster displays at selected sites throughout the territory, and a comprehensive leaflet in English and Chinese on services relating to the employment of dis- abled people. In addition, regular visits will be paid by the Labour Department to various establishments to promote understanding of the working abilities of disabled people and to secure suitable job vacancies.
MR. NGAI (in Cantonese): Sir, according to the understanding of Government, to what extent are the handicapped people interested in working in the industrial