XN000022-1994-05-12 — Page 10

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TH

THURSDAY, MAY 12, 1994

DR CH LEONG: GOVERNOR, HONG KONG UNFORTUNATELY STILL HAS A FAIRLY SIZEABLE NUMBER OF INDUSTRIAL ACCIDENTS. NOW WHAT IS GOVERNMENT'S POLICY, IF ANY, AND HOW WILL THESE POLICY AND PRINCIPLES BE IMPLEMENTED IN THE RETRAINING OF THESE DISABLED TO GET THEM BACK INTO SOCIETY AND WILL GOVERNMENT TAKE A LEAD IN EMPLOYING THESE PEOPLE AS TO REALLY MAKE A GOOD START?

SO

GOVERNOR: I THINK THE HONOURABLE MEMBER WILL KNOW THAT WE HAVE BROADENKD THE REMIT OF THE EMPLOYEES RETRAINING BOARD IN ORDER TO COVER THOSE WHO HAVE BEEN INJURED AT WORK AND ALAS, THERE ARE ALL TOO MANY WHO FALL INTO THAT CATEGORY. I'VE HAD OCCASION TO SAY BEFORE, NOT LEAST WHEN AT THE SCENE OF APPALLING INDUSTRIAL ACCIDENTS, THAT OUR FIGURES FOR INDUSTRIAL ACCIDENTS IN HONG KONG ARE OBSCENELY HIGH. FOR AN ECONOMY AS SOPHISTICATED AS THIS ONE WE STILL HAVE APPALLINGLY PRIMITIVE STATISTICS FOR INDUSTRIAL ACCIDENTS, PARTICULARLY, THOUGH NOT EXCLUSIVELY, IN THE CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY AND WE'VE TAKEN STEPS WITH THE ACTIVE LEADERSHIP OF THE COMMISSIONER FOR LABOUR TO TRY ΤΟ ADDRESS THAT QUESTION, I'D LIKE TO SAY WITHOUT RESERVATION THAT I THINK THE PRESSURE THAT WE'VE HAD FROM THE TRADE UNION MOVEMENT IN HONG KONG ON THE SUBJECT HAS BEEN WHOLLY IN THE ENTIRE COMMUNITY'S INTEREST AND I WELCOME THE INTELLIGENT AND EFFECTIVE LOBBYING THAT THEY HAVE DONE ON THIS ISSUE. I VERY MUCH HOPE THAT WE CAN TRY TO ENSURE IN OUR TRAINING AND RETRAINING PROGRAMMES THAT A PROPER REGARD FOR INDUSTRIAL SAFETY IS INCORPORATED. IT SHOULD CERTAINLY BE THE CASE FOR ALL THOSE COURSES RUN BY THE CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY BUT Ι WILL CHECK EXACTLY WHAT IS DONE ON THAT FRONT AND LET THE HONOURABLE MEMBER KNOW.

DR

H LEONG: WILL THE GOVERNMENT TAKE A LEAD ON EMPLOYING THESE PEOPLE, SIR?

GOVERNOR : I ATTENDED, NOT VERY LONG AGO, WHAT WAS CALLED A SUMMIT ON DISABILITY IN WHICH WE TALKED ABOUT THE EMPLOYMENT OF THOSE WHO WERE DISABLED AND WE MADE COMMITMENTS IN GOVERNMENT FOR THOSE DISABLED IN GENERAL RATHER THAN THOSE INJURED AS A RESULT OF INDUSTRIAL ACCIDENTS. 1 THINK IT'S DIFFICULT TO DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE TWO BUT WE DO HAVE ΤΟ MAKE GREATER EFFORTS IN GOVERNMENT TO EMPLOY THOSE WITH HANDICAP, WHETHER IT'S CAUSED AT WORK OR WHETHER IT'S GENETIC OR WHETHER THERE'S SOME OTHER REASON FOR IT.

DR K C LAM: MR PRESIDENT, UP TO NOW EDUCATIONAL STANDARDS IN THE UNIVERSITIES IN HONG KONG ARE MAINTAINED AT COMPARABLE LEVELS TO THOSE IN OTHER COMMONWEALTH COUNTRIES BY A SYSTEM OF EXTERNAL EXAMINERS. IN 1997, HONG KONG WILL CEASE TO BE A MEMBER OF THE BRITISH COMMONWEALTH AND THE EXTERNAL EXAMINERS SYSTEM PRESUMABLY, WITH THE OTHER PARTS OF THE BRITISH COMMONWEALTH, WILL CEASE TO EXIST.

WOULD THE GOVERNOR INFORM THIS COUNCIL WHAT IS BEING DONE NOW AND WHAT THE ARRANGEMENTS FOR THE FUTURE WILL BE TO ENSURE THAT OUR UNIVERSITY GRADUATES WILL REMAIN AT COMPARABLE LEVELS, IN COMPETENCE TO AND ARE RECOGNISED BY MAJOR ACADEMIC CENTRES IN THE WORLD? PARTICULARLY IMPORTANT IS THE CASE OF POSTGRADUATE MEDICAL TRAINING OVERSEAS WHERE A TRAINEE IS REQUIRED BY LAW ΤΟ HAVE A RECOGNISED QUALIFICATION BEFORE HE IS ALLOWED TO TOUCH A PATIENT.

MEDICAL

/GOVERNOR:

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