TNAG-0435-FCO40-500-Adjournment-Debate-on-Hong-Kong--18-December-1974-1974 — Page 6

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12.55 a.m.

Hong Kong

18 DECEMBER 1974

The Minister of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (Mr. David Ennals): I am grateful to the hon. Mem- ber for Howden (Sir P. Bryan) for raising the question of the United Kingdom's largest remaining dependency. I was glad to hear that he will be visiting Hong Kong. I am sure that as chairman of the Anglo-Hong Kong Parliamentary Group he will have a warm welcome. We look forward to hearing his impressions when he returns. It will be interesting for him to compare views with those of my noble Friend Lord Goronwy-Roberts, who is visiting Hong Kong shortly before he goes. Hong Kong's population has grown from 600,000 in 1945 to 44 million today. The overwhelmingly Chinese population have chosen to live in Hong Kong of their own free will. This has been to the benefit of all. Up to this year real wages have increased by about 5 per cent. a year over the last 10 years and are now the highest in the region outside Japan.

The hon. Gentleman painted a glowing picture of the situation in Hong Kong, but it would be unwise to underestimate some of the serious problems. I am cer- tain that he will become aware of them on his visit next month. Rapid expansion has brought congestion and grave social problems. In parts of Kowloon the popu- lation is over 400,000 to the square mile, 10 times the rate in Tokyo. There has been a grave shortage of housing. In the early 1960s there was an overwhelming squatter problem, which has even now not been completely resolved. Education and health services have had to be continu- ously expanded to meet the demand.

The Hong Kong Government's social programme, which started in 1972, is a 10- year programme to provide satisfactory living standards for all. It is an ambitious programme designed to meet urgent human needs.

As with so many other countries, world economic problems in the past year have posed great difficulties for Hong Kong, which is totally dependent on trade Exports are down this year compared with last year. The Government are faced with a need to raise new revenue, per- haps with new taxation, to keep the social programme going. Real wages have declined by about 12 per cent. this year, and future prospects are still doubtful. In this situation there may have to be

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some review and rephasing of the social programme, but the Governor, who is now on a visit to London, has confirmed that the social programme

will go forward,

The hon. Gentleman asked about the

housing programme. The Hong Kong Government already house 1.56 million people, which is 38 per cent, of the total population. The 10-year housing plan aims to provide housing for an additional 1.8 million. The broad objective is to provide by 1984 acceptable self- contained accommodation for every family in Hong Kong. It is a massive programme by any standard. We all hope that it will continue.

As for the health and medical pro- gramme, the main proposal in the 1974 White Paper is a target of 5.5 hospital beds per thousand population by 1983. At present there are 41 per thousand. This compares with about nine per thousand in the United Kingdom.

increase by about 80 percent. between Expenditure on social welfare should

1974 and 1978. This will be through a continued and expanded public assistance scheme, disability and infirmity allow- ances, and emergency relief.

The hon. Gentleman referred to the new 10-year education programme announced in October 1974. The main objective is to provide by 1979 nine years' subsidised education for every child up to the age of 14. In the senior secondary classes the aim is to provide places for 40 per cent. of the 15-16 year age group by 1979. This programme will remove one of the main criticisms of the educa- tional system in Hong Kong, that child- ren who have completed their primary schooling at the age of 12 have been left in limbo because there were no secondary school places for them and because they could not legally start work in industrial undertakings until the age of 14.

Recently there has been interest on both sides of the House in labour condi- tions. Determined efforts have been and are now being made to raise general labour standards by improvements in workmen's compensation, factory safety, paid holidays, severance pay and reduced hours of work. The legislation is backed up by a much strengthened inspectorate. Much remains to be done, but much has been achieved.

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