TNAG-0747-FCO40-951-Visits-of-Foreign-and-Commonwealth-officials-to-Hong-Kong-1978 — Page 12

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Brief No 4

J

TUESDAY 3 OCTOBER

MEETING WITH THE SECRETARY FOR SOCIAL SERVICES MR E P HO

ACCOMPANIED BY THE COMMISSIONER FOR LABOUR MR JN HENDERSON

AND THE DIRECTOR CF SOCIAL WELFARE MR THOMAS LEE

a.

Proposed Social Security Scheme

Our views on the draft EXCO Paper outlining the proposed new Social Security System were telegraphed

to Hong Kong at the end of last month but we have not yet heard when the final paper will be considered by

the Council. We proposed that the limited scheme now under consideration should be viewed as only the

starting point for a comprehensive Social Security System in which it would be essential that the Hong Kong Government played a positive role. Ministers

believe this could be best achieved by making the Scheme compulsory (the Governor has expressed a preference for this anyway, although the draft EXCO paper did not contain a firm recommendation to this effect) and by the Hong Kong Government's making a

financial contribution to the scheme's fund: this

would make it easier for the scheme to include eg retirement and unemployment benefits. We also expressed disappointment that there was no provision for death. benefits. The Governor fears that proposals that are too ambitious could lead to public hostility and particularly hostility in EXCO to the whole idea of a contributory Social Security Scheme.

b.

Industrial Relations and Labour Conditions

Please see Brief No

for your dinner with the

Commissioner for Labour. .

/c.

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