TNAG-0747-FCO40-951-Visits-of-Foreign-and-Commonwealth-officials-to-Hong-Kong-1978 — Page 95

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CONFIDENTIAL

(b): The thrice-yearly campaigns to check on the illegal employment of children should be continued by the Labour Department (para. 10 of the Report)

Agreed. The position will be reviewed

when child employment in the non-industrial sector is regulated.

(c): Care should be token in defining exemptions from the general rule making illegal the employment of children in non-industrial undertakings or occupations (para. 12 of the Report

Agreed. The Commissioner for Labour is awaiting Mr. Hurst's advice on what exemptions should be made in the new regulations controlling the employment of children in the non-industrial

sector.

(a): Proposals by the Commissioner for Labour to expand the Labour Inspectorate and the ratio of senior to junior posts in the Department as ત whole are supported (para. 13 of the Report)

Recruitment of Labour Inspectors is in

hand to fill the 32 existing vacancies.

Commissioner for Labour is now preparing a staff submission for the creation of 60 posts of Labour Inspector during 1978/79 (not in 1978/79 Estimates) as a first step towards implementing any new legislation on child employment in the non-industrial sector.

Proposals to re-structure the Labour

Inspectorate are being considered by the Commissioner for Labour and are expected to be ready for submission to the Secretariat in June.

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CONFIDENTIAL

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