XN000022-1995-12-14 — Page 18

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Governor:

I did, of course, discuss this issue when I was in the Philippines. Understandably, it is of considerable concern to the Philippine authorities. There are at present 129,000 Filipino domestic helpers in Hong Kong. There are about 140,000 members of the Filipino community but the others are either about 1,000 working in other labour importation schemes, or about 10,000 in professional and managerial capacities, including 1,000 members of the stall of Cathay Pacific.

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One hundred and twenty-nine thousand Filipino domestic helpers - up 47,000 since I arrived in 1992 a very steep increase over the last decade. And, I think, the whole community recognises that those domestic helpers play an extremely important part in our society. First of all in helping to keep together families in a stable way. Secondly, giving spouses the opportunity to work who would not otherwise be able to do so. So they make a major contribution to our harmony as a society and to our economic prospects.

There are problems from time to time, and there are occasional abuses, and we have to deal with those. But by and large it is a story of 129,000 people giving a lot of support to Hong Kong.

I did have to point out, when I was asked by President Ramos and by others, that there was a limit to how much reassurance I could give because the policy after 1997 would be one for the SAR Government. But let me underline that: it is a policy not to be decided by the authorities in Peking but by the SAR Government. Under the Basic Law, labour policy is a matter for the SAR. It is not a matter for anybody else. So it will be for the Chief Executive and her or his team to decide whether or not the present policies regarding Filipino domestic helpers should continue.

I find it difficult to imagine any sense in which things could change so dramatically in 1997 as to mean that the reasons for employing 129.000 people in 1996 suddenly were not there in 1998. It seems to me that if we concede, if we agree, that there is a substantial job for these 129,000 women, and a few men, to do before 1997, then that job is going to continue, in all probability, to be there after 1997, and I would find it difficult to imagine circumstances in which that was not the case. I said all that to President Ramos and to his officials when I was asked, and they seemed reasonably satisfied with the reply.