XN000022-1995-01-25 — Page 57

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The Immigration Department has not received any complaints of such abuse. No imported workers have been prosecuted for taking up unauthorised employment as domestic helpers. Neither have any employers been prosecuted for deploying imported workers to jobs other than those stipulated in their employment contracts under the General Importation of Labour Scheme.

To ensure that imported workers are employed in accordance with the terms of employment under their employment contracts, four special teams of labour inspectors of the Labour Department pay regular inspections to places of employment of imported workers. Prosecutions will be taken against employers who have breached the terms of the employment contracts, according to the relevant labour legislation. Other irregularities concerning breach of conditions under the Scheme which are detected during inspections will also be referred to the Immigration Department for further action.

The Immigration Department conducts regular raids, including joint operations with the Police, at such places of employment to see whether there are breaches of conditions under the General Scheme, such as whether the imported workers have taken up jobs different from those specified in their employment contracts. Any imported workers engaged in unauthorised work are liable on conviction to a fine of $5,000 and imprisonment for two years. They will also be liable to removal from Hong Kong. Likewise, any employers who are prosecuted for deploying their imported workers illegally are liable to the same penalty, although the liability to removal from Hong Kong will not apply to them. Moreover, they may have their quotas withdrawn and be debarred from participation in the Scheme in future as their adverse record will be taken into account when considering any new applications for importation from them.

Foreign domestic helpers have been allowed to work in Hong Kong for over two decades to meet a specific demand in Hong Kong. We have been making regular improvements to the scheme to cope with the needs of our community, and the arrangements have been working well. Since the importation of domestic helpers from China will pose an immigration problem, we do not consider that it is in our best interest to allow such domestic helpers to enter Hong Kong for employment.

End/Wednesday, January 25, 1995