TNAG-0585-FCO40-718-Employment-of-children-in-Hong-Kong-1976 — Page 214

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PARLIAMENTARY QUESTION

for WRITTEN answer on 8 December 1976

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HKD.

The draft reply should reach the Parliamentary Office through your Under-Secretary by

Noon, Tuesday 7 December 1976

Mr Robert Parry (Diverpool, Scotland Exchange): To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how many factory inspectors in Hong Kong are engaged in visits to factories to check for illegal employment under 14 years of age and illegal employment under 18 years of age in dangerous trades, respectively, in 1975 and 1976 to date; how many factories were visited; and what was the time allocat to such visits.

Mr Evan inard

Visits to factories to check for illegal employment are

carried out by labour inspectors in the Hong Kong Government's Labour Department. Seventy-one labour inspectors were engaged in visits to factories in 1975 and 1976. They carried out 124,257, and 97,737 visits in 1975 and the first ten months of 1976 respectively to industrial undertakings to check for the illegal employment of children and the illegal employment of young persons under 16 years of age in dangerous. trades. The time allocated to factory inspections varies according to the size of factory, area occupied, numbers employed, and other factors.

The Labour Department conducted three campaigns against the employment of children in industry in 1975 and three more in 1976.

The

YEAR

NUMBER OF INDUSTRIAL UNDERTAKINGS VISITED

NUMBER OF INDUSTRIAL UNDERTAKINGS EMPLOYING

1975

13,800

16.059

CHILDREN

131

NUMBER OF

CHILDREN

EMPLOYED

155

163

13.500 industrial undalikings were insited stuning these compaigns : 1975 1 16,059 i 1976

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