TNAG-1729-FCO40-2442-Minutes-and-Hansards-of-the-Legislative-Council-of-Hong-Kong-1988 — Page 144

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first asylum, and the United Kingdom's own role in these

matters, have been well taken and are being actively

considered. The Government has drawn the attention of all

parties concerned to the present situation and is seeking

practical and appropriate solutions to the immediate and

long-term problems which now affect Hong Kong.

Turning now to the subject of prison industries, MI.

Hilton CHEONG-LEEN has rightly suggested that they should

diversify to seek orders from the private sector, to make the

industries self-financing and the prison workers more

competetive and flexible.

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Prison industries have been developing in this

direction for some time. At present, they have orders not

only from Government departments, but also from other public

bodies such as the Urban Council, Vocational Training Council

and the Tung Wah Group of Hospitals. The department has

proposed a consultancy study on the future direction and

development of prison industries, including the feasibility of

expanding further into orders from the subvented and private

sectors. There are already 18 different trades in prison

industries, which suggests that prisoners are already exposed

to a reasonably wide range of skills and working environments.