TNAG-0585-FCO40-718-Employment-of-children-in-Hong-Kong-1976 — Page 251

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The Earl of LAUDERDALE: My Lords, could the noble Lord help us in this further way? Would he agree that one of the difficulties confronting the Govern- ment at the present time is a slump in investment confidence in the offshore, and that that in turn is due to the Govern- ment's behaviour in going back on the ground rules affecting previous licences and their penal taxation exactions?

Lord MELCHETT: No, my Lords; I would not agree with what the noble Earl says, and I suggest that it might be wise to wait until we see how the oil companies respond to this Fifth Round of licences before we make such sweeping generalisations about the position.

Lord SLATER: My Lords, is the noble Lord aware that it would be very wise for this House and the other place to take particular note of what my noble friend has said in the course of his replies to the five questions asked about this matter by the noble Earl, Lord Lauderdale? In the course of the noble Earl's questions to my noble friend, I hope my noble friend took particular note of one word the noble Earl used; that is, when he talked about "blackmail ". In the course of consulta- tions, surely to goodness we do not enter such an avenue when we seek to discuss and arrive at an agreement with these people.

Lord MELCHETT: My Lords, as my noble friend knows, there are occasions when the noble Earl uses language which I think it is wise to take with a pinch of salt.

HONG KONG: CHILD LABOUR

2.42 p.m.

Lord BROCKWAY: My Lords, I beg leave to ask the Question which stands in my name on the Order Paper.

The Question was as follows:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what action is being taken by the Hong Kong Labour Department to combat the increase in child labour, and whether an investigation is being made into the allegation of Triad Soceity involvement in the recruitment of such labour.

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Exploration Licences The MINISTER of STATE (FOREIGN and COMMONWEALTH OFFICE] Lord Goronwy-Roberts): My Lords, the Hong Kong Labour Department is carrying out a progressively increasing number of inspections of factories in order to detect whether there is illegal employment of child labour and to bring offending employers before the courts. Over 120,000 such visits were carried out in 1975, as compared with about 76,000 in 1973. The Royal Hong Kong Police have not received any complaints that organised Triad societies are involved in recruiting child labour.

Lord BROCKWAY: My Lords, I thank the Minister for that reply. Is it not the csae that this year there has been a great shortage of labour in Hong Kong and, as a result of that, increasing illegal employment of child labour? Is he aware that the Director of Education states that 68,000 children between 10 and 14 years of age are not at school because their parents cannot afford the school costs? Has he seen the report of the students of the Hong Kong Baptist College, which includes the fact that in the industrial area of Shamshaipo 8 out of 10 factories are now employing child labour? Is he satisfied that 70 inspectors are sufficient to deal with this problem?

My

Lord GORONWY-ROBERTS: Lords, as the shortage of labour, as Hong Kong is virtually extricating itself from a very marked economic recession no doubt there is a new call for labour. I would not for a minute say that at this stage it is creating a new problem of child employment. As to the figure of 68,000 children between the ages of 10 and 14 who are not at school, I should like to tell the House that the Hong Kong Government has plans to provide, by September 1978, schooling for all up to the age of 14. It has been demonstrated to me that these plans are realistic and will be pressed forward with all due expedi- ency. The report to which my noble friend refers, if it is the one to which my attention has been drawn, was based on a survey conducted in 10 factories out of a total of 35,500 factories in the Colony. I suggest that a survey based on such a minuscule area is not totally dependable.

Lord BROCKWAY: My Lords, refer- ring to the second point that the

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