TNAG-1230-FCO40-1543-Visit-by-Richard-Luce--Minister-of-State-for-Foreign-and-Com-1983 — Page 180

IN CONFIDENCE

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for schooling expenses, household wares, and where necessary, for schooling special duties etc. The Special Needs Allowance scheme provides a non means-tested and non-contributory allowance on top of public

assistance for the severely disabled ($450) and those aged 70 or

over ($225). Both Public Assistance and Special Needs Allowances

scales are revised annually

3.7 A wide range of welfare services is provided by the Social

Welfare Department and subvented agencies for target groups (eg the

disabled, the elderly, offenders). The Government is taking steps

to reduce the current shortage of social workers.A White Paper on

Social Welfare Services published in April 1979 envisaged an estimated HK$2,000 million increase in capital and recurrent expenditure up to 1986-87. Estimated expenditure in 1982/3 financial year was HK$1,812, approximately 5% of total Government

expenditure.

LABOUR LEGISLATION

3.8 Hong Kong has an extensive range of labour legislation,

modelled on and comparable with that in the UK, controlling working

hours and conditions for women and young people, paid holidays and leave, workmen's compensation, safety at work, etc. The employment

of children under the age of 15 is banned in both industrial and

non-industrial undertakings.

3.9 There are no legal obstacles to the development of effective

trade unions, though in the absence of a tradition of labour unionisation and because of political factors, only a minority of workers belong to unions and those that exist tend to be small and

relatively ineffective.

SECTION 4: TOPICAL ISSUES (INTERNAL)

CORRUPTION

4.1 Public attention focused on the problem of corruption in 1973 following the arrest and subsequent conviction on corruption charges

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