Mr Murray PS/Lord Gor
HKK 016/2
vale, Quite MOS SET #
RE
3 APPRIDENTIAL
~ Upto 2. 822913
Imaydal
HONG KONG QUARTERLY PROGRESS REPORTS
Murray
(3
1. As the Minister may be aware, each branch of the Hong Kong Government is required to prepare quarterly reports detailing progress achieved in the previous three months towards the objectives set out for it in the government's development plans. We have just received the reports for the three months from November 1977 to January 1978: they show a generally satisfactory overall rate of progress in social development.
2.
The main points from the individual branch reports are:
(i)
Education
It is estimated that places in schools will be generally available on schedule. In some areas Hong Kong hopes to improve upon previous targets, such as in Form 5, when places will be available for 40% of children from 1982 onwards. This is a significant improvement. However, there appears to be slight slippage in technical education, where the number of places available to students continues to lag slightly behind the Planning Paper's recommendations.
(ii) Labour
The introduction of two labour reforms, on Workmen's Compensation and on Construction Sites Safety, is some three months behind schedule; they both should now be enacted in the second quarter of 1978. In other respects Hong Kong has fulfilled the Planning Paper's requirements so far.
(iii) Social Welfare
Hong Kong hopes to implement certain of the proposals embodied in the Social Security Development Green Paper in April 1978. Consideration is now being given to future
programmes.
CONFIDENTIAL
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