XN000022-1995-12-14 — Page 11

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Dr John Tse Wing-ling (in Chinese): The Governor talked about the disabled and the difference between the more affluent and those who are in need and according to a report 80 per cent of those working in sheltered workshops. Now every month, every month, the monthly earning is less than $500. The Hong Kong Government is the biggest employer in Hong Kong with 180,000 employees and there are only 34 mentally handicapped within the civil service and so the percentage in fact is extremely low and even in the fast food chain they employ more mentally handicapped than the Government does. So how can you enhance employment for the mentally handicapped, particularly in the civil service because in this way we will be able to narrow the gap between the rich and the poor?

The President: We asked for elucidation only but if the Governor is prepared to answer your question.

Governor: Always prepared to answer everything. circumlocutory way than others.

Sometimes in a more

We've had two extremely useful summit meetings on the employment prospects of those with disability, just as we've had now I think three similar meetings on the transport requirements of those with disability. I think we've been more successful at moving things forward on the transport front, not least thanks to the excellent reactions from the MTRC and the Kowloon Canton Railway. But even on employment prospects for those with disability, we've made some progress. I think that we are in Government making progress in offering more opportunities for those with disabilities, as a whole, though I'm not sure of the breakdown and I'm not sure exactly how many of those who are mentally handicapped feature among the quite large number of disabled that we employ. But I know that some of the groups representing the disabled think that the Government sometimes draws the bounds of disability too wide when its defining the employment prospects that it offers to the disabled. But we will continue to do more. We will continue to try to encourage our management to give the disabled the opportunity of applying for jobs and taking on jobs and we'll continue to try to give a lead to other employers. I think it's fair to say that both the Housing Authority and the Hospital Authority give a very good lead. If one looks at the commercial sector, some firms in the sector do extremely well. One of our broadcasters does extremely well in offering employment prospects for those with disabilities, others do, it seems very little. So there is plainly more that everybody could do and I'll be holding another summit on this subject next year so that we can review progress since the last summit.