TNAG-1732-FCO40-2445-Minutes-and-Hansards-of-the-Legislative-Council-of-Hong-Kong-1988 — Page 199

PROTECTION OF WAGES ON INSOLVENCY (AMENDMENT) BILL 1988

THE SECRETARY FOR EDUCATION AND MANPOWER moved the Second Reading of 'A Bill to amend the Protection of Wages on Insolvency Ordinance'.

He said:

Sir,

I move that the Protection of Wages on Insolvency

cap (Amendment) Bill 1988 be read a second time.

cap.

न

Members will remember that in reply to

reply to a question

I said from Mr. Tam Yiu-chung in this Council on 18 May 1988,

that I would soon be proposing an amendment to the

of

on. Insolvency Wages

enable

Protection

Ordinance

to

exfgratia payments to be made from the

to be made from the Protection of Wages

on Insolvency Fund in cases where total claims against the

employer are $5,000 or less. This is the

the purpose of

present bill.

are

unpaid, provided

that

either

the

a

Section 16 of the Ordinance provides that the

Commissioner for Labour may make exfgratia payments from the Fund to an applicant whose wages or wages in lieu of notice,

both,

due and

bankruptcy or winding up petition has been presented against the employer. However, Section 6(1)(a) of the Bankruptcy

Ordinance does not allow the presentation of a bankruptcy

petition if a debt

if a debt or the total sum of debts is $5,000 or

le

or

le

less.