TNAG-1609-FCO40-22131-Minutes-and-Hansards-of-the-Legislative-Council-of-Hong-Kong-1987 — Page 166

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Importation of Labour

کھر

My hon. Friend Mr. HO Sai-chu rightly issued warnings

about the consequences of allowing Vietnamese refugees to join

our workforce until we can be sure that we would not trigger

off another exodus from Vietnam. He suggested, on the other

hand, that the admission of one-way exit permit holders from

China should be implemented with a certain degree of

flexibility so that persons allowed to enter under the scheme

could contribute towards alleviating the present labour

shortage. In answer, I would like to point out that the

present scheme of admitting one-way exit permit holders has

been working well. But we have no intention whatsoever of

seeking to increase the present quota. The 27,000 entering

Hong Kong annually under the scheme are already equivalent to

and that, Sir, per cent 0.5 of the population, by international standards a very high

I monit

proportion for immigration.

It is as much as our community

can deal with in terms of facilities including housing,

medical and social services. Nor would we wish to see the

content of the 75-a-day one-way permit holders changed to

favour those who are able to work. At present the system is

being used primarily to achieve family reunion. We would very

much hope that it remains that way.

་་་་་་དུ་མ་མ་བྷ་ཌ་