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Following is a written reply by the Secretary for Security, Mr Ambrose S K Lee, to a question by the Hon Lau Kong-wah on foreign domestic helpers prosecuted in Hong Kong in the Legislative Council today (November 7):
Question:
Will the Government inform this Council:
(a) of the number of foreign domestic helpers ("FDHs") prosecuted in Hong Kong during the past two years and, among them, the number and percentage of those convicted;
(b) whether it has statistics on the number of FDHs currently employed in Hong Kong with a history of being prosecuted or convicted in the territory; and
(c) whether it will consider providing prospective employers with local criminal and prosecution records of FDHs; if not, of the reasons for that, and whether it has evaluated if prospective employers are deprived of their right to know?
Reply:
Madam President,
(a) According to information provided by the Police and the Immigration Department, for prosecution cases and conviction cases involving foreign domestic helpers in the past two years, the number of offences involved is as follows:
2007
2005 2006 (Jan - Sept)
---- ---- ------------
Number of 862 1,035 713
offences
prosecuted
Number of 799 983 727
offences
convicted
Note: The same foreign domestic helper may be involved in more than one offence. As the prosecution figures and the conviction figures are counted on the basis of the actual year of prosecution and conviction respectively, we are unable to calculate the percentage of offences convicted over offences prosecuted in the same year for the respective years.
(b) The Administration has not kept statistics on the number of foreign domestic helpers currently employed in Hong Kong who has been prosecuted or convicted previously in Hong Kong.
(c) An individual's criminal record is personal data as defined under the Personal Data (Privacy) Ordinance. Such information generally cannot be disclosed without the consent of the data subject.
Ends/Wednesday, November 7, 2007
Issued at HKT 16:20
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