TNAG-1449-FCO40-1953-Minutes-and-Hansards-of-the-Legislative-Council-of-Hong-Kong-1986 — Page 184

HKR 011/3

- 6 MAY 1986

T

AB A8615

SPEECH BY THE SECRETARY FOR EDUCATION AND MANPOWER

LEGISLATIVE, COURCIL 23.4.86

neumoconiosis Compensation (Amendment) Bill 1986

Sir,

Dr. Chiu supports the (Amendment) Bill as far as it

goes, and I am grateful for this support. He also urges the

Government to consider further amendments to the Pneumoconiosis

(Compensation) Ordinance to allow a proportion of the Fund's levy

income to be spent on education and publicity to encourage workers

in high-risk industries to take protective measures against the

danger of contracting pneumoconiosis.

Ordinance.

This is at first sight an attractive suggestion, and

indeed has been made previously in this Council by the Hon. HO Sai-chu

on 4th December 1985, in connection with a proposal to reduce the

rate of the levy imposed under the Pneumoconiosis (Compensation)

On that occasion I pointed out that the arrangements

made for compensating victims of pneumoconiosis should not be

viewed in isolation but should be seen in their context as an

aspect of employees' compensation generally. Under the Employees'

Compensation Ordinance, an employer is required to pay a specified

sum, or a determined percentage of that sum, by way of compensation.

He is not in addition subject to a levy to finance educational and

publicity activities to promote industrial health and safety.

the case of pneumoconiosis employers are held collectively responsible

In

/for compensation

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