No timetable on mainland maids, says think-tank chief
The head of a top government think tank has said that it has no timetable or policy on bringing domestic helpers in from the mainland, despite the fact that it is conducting a feasibility study into the issue.
'In fact, when there are issues we are concerned about, we will look into them. But at this stage, we do not have any conclusion or suggestion [about importing mainland maids],' Lau Siu-kai, head of the Central Policy Unit, said yesterday.
Lau, who said he was not involved directly in the study, said there was no urgency about allowing mainlanders to work in Hong Kong as domestic helpers.
Therefore, the unit had set no timetable for proposing or launching any policy. Although the government think tank studied a variety of social issues and policies, Lau said that did not mean that every line of research by the CPU ended up producing a conclusion or became a proposal for the government.
His response came after a CPU official revealed earlier that the unit was researching issues surrounding the possibility of bringing in mainland maids. The research was initiated in the light of problems between employers and foreign domestic helpers because of language and cultural differences.
The issues include a consideration of restrictions aimed at stopping an abuse of the system by people trying to bring mainland wives and relatives into Hong Kong or people seeking to settle in Hong Kong permanently.
Controls include setting an age limit on mainland maids, limiting their stay in Hong Kong to no more than, for example, six years, as well as giving employers only a few candidates to choose from.
A spokeswoman for the Security Bureau yesterday said that these were 'very preliminary suggestions and there isn't any concrete conclusion or recommendation'.
Legislators have raised doubts about the possibility of mainland maids. Labour lawmaker Lee Cheuk-yan fears people abusing the system to bring in mainland wives.
Vice-chairman of the Legislative Council's security panel James To Kun-sun said he doubted whether many mainland domestic workers would qualify, given the likely restrictions.
'Asking a 50-year-old maid to work for a family whose members are in their 30s? The employer may need to take care of the maid instead,' To said. 'I don't think language problems lead to conflicts ... and there may be even more disputes when people speak the same language.'
Earlier this month, a domestic helper was jailed for eight months for spiking a baby girl's bottle of milk with bleach in an act of revenge. This came after a female employer was jailed last month for burning her maid's arm with an iron.
Army of helpers
According to the Immigration Department, the number of foreign domestic helpers in Hong Kong at the end of July was: 264,275
