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(c) Unemployment benefit
The Governor does not seem to have understood that the Paper proposes the immediate extension of public assistance to the unemployed (and able-bodied) male workers; and the subsequent consideration of a more ambitious social security scheme, including unemployment benefit, for introduction at a later date. He seems to believe that Ministers will be satisfied if Hong Kong adopts the first; whereas we know from Mr Lipsey that they attach great importance to both. This again is a point that will need to be discussed with the Governor, not one justifying a change in the Planning Paper.
(a) Social Securityi
The Governor has a point here. We are all agreed that social security should assume a high priority among a number of important social programmes not that it should be first. What we were trying to say in Annex C was that some of the other programmes, e.g. housing, education and health, were on the right lines and that, assuming extra money were available, the first new priority should be social security. I think we can meet the Governor here by the insertion of the word "extra" in the first line of paragraph 12, which
I would then begin "Assuming extra money is available". have made this change in manuscript in the attached copy of
the Planning Paper.
8 July 1976
cc:
Mr Larmour
Mr Male
Mr Lipsey
川
3
Whath
PL O'Keeffe
Hong Kong Department
адже
HerColage 8/vii
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