TNAG-0687-FCO40-836-Disturbances-by-police-in-Hong-Kong-1977 — Page 150

i

+

1387

Hong

[Lord Goronwy Roberts.]

[LORDS]

was two years ago. It can be expected to rise in the future, and I understand that a Working Party is at present actively considering the question of an extended system of social welfare allowances.

There are no unemployment benefits as such, but public assistance for needy families and individuals is extended on a means test. So it is not true to say that there is no provision for people who are unemployed. Admittedly, able-bodied persons aged 15 to 55 are not eligible if they have no family commitments. On sickness benefit, again there are provisions for this, not as lavish as those in this country, but more lavish in many count- ries comparable to Hong Kong, and there are programmes for improving such bene- fits. Already, all manual and non-manual workers earning less than 2,000 dollars a month are entitled to sickness benefit on a formula which, as I said, is not as lavish as ours but is certainly there and improving all the time.

I have dealt at some length with these programmes, because they represent the great effort that is being made in Hong Kong to plan ahead for the future well- being of the population, and I think that 'the Administration can be proud of their achievements bearing in mind the heavy odds against them. This is an area which has no resources, except what it can attract into itself from outside, and to attract foreign investment places certain constructions on one's fiscal policy. This is inevitable. If you have no resources you must attract them from outside, and in order to do that you must extend inducements. It is the balance between the production of fiscal inducements and direct taxation in order to finance a pro- gressive social programme. That is the question which the Hong Kong Govern- ment must face every year-indeed, every day. The Governor himself-a pro- gressive and humane man-Sir Murray MacLehose deserves particular credit for what has been done in recent years.

There are three other fields which have been referred to in this debate about which I shall comment. First, there is the question of the increase in crime, in the last few years in particular, and the problem of corruption. Violent crime increased sixfold between 1965 and 1974 -a macabre experience not confined to Hong Kong Hong Kong Government

Kong

1388

are radically reforming the organisation and methods of the police force to cope with this situation, and are achieving very considerable success. At the same time, the Independent Commission against Corruption, which began opera- tions in February 1974, has made impres- sive progress in the fight against corrup- tion. The work of this Commission, com- bined with a large-scale public educa- tion programme, has played a vital part in combating the problem.

I have some figures here which my noble friend gave me notice he would like me to provide. From February 1974 to date, the Independent Commission against Corruption has received 7,026 complaints of corruption, as a result of which 2,820 investigations were launched. Of course, complaints vary. When there is a determined attempt to persuade people to feed in reports and complaints in the fight against corruption, you are bound to receive many reports and com- plaints which, after fairly cursory examin- ation, are found to be without content.

Lord HALE: My Lords, I may have misunderstood my noble friend and I may be unjuşt in what I am about to say. If so, I apologise. I thought, how- ever, that my noble friend suggested that the determined effort to obtain complaints came from outside. In fact, it came from the Commission themselves who very properly published illustrated advertise- ments all over Hong Kong appealing to people to make complaints of any kind of corruption which they thought it proper to make,

My

Lord GORONWY-ROBERTS: Lords, in my own inexpert way I was trying to convey to the House that in fact there had been a determined campaign by the Commission to get the general public to send in any complaints which they thought the Commission should look

at.

As a result, there was this very large number of complaints—7,026 in two years -which were all looked into. As a result, 2,820 investigations were launched. Of those 2,800 investigations, 2,400 odd have been concluded; 408 people have been prosecuted, resulting in 275 convictions; and a further 57 are still before the courts..

The budget for the ICAC in 1976-77 has been increased to 38 million Hong Kong dollars, an increase of 52 per cent.,

་

Page 150Page 151