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HKK 1/8
CONFIDENTIAL
Hong Kong Department
18
14 March, 1969
Cpy 16/ε/i
16/12/11 18/27:
Lovitt, the head of our Parliamentary Commissioner and Committees Unit, has recently been in touch with you on the subject of the possible appointment of a Commissioner for Administration in Hong Kong. I expect that Lovitt has told you that when the Governor was over here last December he left with us a copy of a draft Bill and mentioned that he would appreciate your views on the draft. However, we subse- quently learnt that a revised draft Bill was being prepared in Hong Kong and we accordingly saw little point in referring the matter to you at that stage, although we knew, from Lovitt, that you had very kindly offered to give us any advice that we might seek.
We have now heard further from Hong Kong on this matter. They have sent us a revised draft Bill (their fourth revised draft) on which they have asked us to seek your comments. A copy of the Bill is accordingly enclosed. This draft was referred to the Governor's Executive Council at the end of January and Council Members were asked for their views on the question whether any further action should be taken on the proposal to have a Commissioner for Administration in Hong Kong. Some of the Unofficial Members of the Council had considerable reservations about the whole idea and these have since been ventilated in the Governor's Address to the Legislative Council on Budget Day. A copy of the relevant extract from that Address is also enclosed. The third enclosure to this letter
is a copy of a note setting out the background against which this issue is being considered in Hong Kong. The note describes certain constitutional problems and gives details of the existing machinery in Hong Kong through which members of the public may bring to the notice of Government authorities any complaints which they may have;
The present position in Hong Kong is that the Executive Council have decided that an examination should be carried out into the possibility of strengthening some of the existing machinery to enable it to deal more effectively with public complaints. They had in mind particularly the "U.M.E.L.C.o." office. This office is described in the enclosed background note. Hong Kong have asked us, in forwarding the enclosed draft Bill to you, to make it quite clear that the Bill is a restricted document which has not yet been examined by Heads of Departments in Hong Kong; and that no decision has yet been made,
E. L. Sykes, Esq., C.M.G.
Secretary to Parliamentary Commissioner
Church House,
for Administration,
Great Smith Street,
LONDON, S.W.1.
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CONFIDENTIAL