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PARLIAMENTARY QUESTION
for WRITTEN answer on 5 November 1974
HR HODOR!
The draft reply 'should reach the Parliamentary Office through your Under-Secretary by
Noon Wedesday to Noveber.
Mr James Sillars (South Ayrshire): To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how many people in Hong Kong hold British passports; and how many of these would be permitted unimpeded access to the United Kingdom under current immigration laws.
I cannot
Imals
It is impossible to say how many people in Hong Kong hold currently valid British passports. 246,484 Hong Kong British passports were issued between the 1st of January 1965 and the 31st of October 1974 and a high proportion of these are still valid. Only a very small number of the holders of these passports would be permitted unimpeded access to the United Kingdom under current immigration laws.
CONFIDENTIAL
Mr Male
Parliamentary Unit
PARLIAMENTARY QUESTIONS:
1.
HONG KONG
Mr James Sillars MP (Labour, South Ayrshire) has put down ten Questions for written answer on 5 November, to ask the Secretary of State:
(1) How many people in Hong Kong hold British passports:
and how many of these would be permitted unimpeded access to the United Kingdom under current immigration
laws.
(2)
cuhid b
MKK 5/6 1KC20/4
(3)
(4)
NICK 2014
(5)
HICK 18/35
HKK5/10
HKCK 9/2
HICK 5/32-
What, in 1973, was the average weekly industrial wage in Hong Kong: and what was the average number of hours worked for that wage.
What are the present rates of income tax and
corporation tax in Hong Kong: and when these taxes were last increased.
What was the Hong Kong Government's income in 1973 from income tax and corporation tax, respectively. What are the size of the electorate for the Hong Kong
Urban Council and the estimated size of the adult
population in the areas covered by the Council. (6) How much of the Hong Kong Budget surplus has been
transferred to London in each of the past ten years. (7) When free primary education was introduced in Hong
(8)
(9)
1KK 19/2
(10)
10KX5/22
Kong: and what plans the Hong Kong Government have to introduce compulsory secondary education for children between the age of 12 and 15 years.
What proportions of Hong Kong's Gross National Product
are currently devoted to public sector housing, education, social welfare, railway system development, airport development, water storage, and tourist development, respectively.
In the light of the forecast by the Hong Kong Commissioner for Narcotics that within the next few
years the Colony will succeed in bringing its hard drugs problem under control, if he will indicate any new measures introduced to achieve this objective.
What was the estimated value of Hong Kong's GDP in 1973:
and what this yielded in per capita income.
CONFIDENTIAL
/2.
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2.
Flag A
Flag B
CONFIDENTIAL
Some of these questions take up points which Mr Sillars made in his speech on 28 October during the Debate on the Queen's Speech. Mr Sillars also put down a question for oral answer on 6 November to ask the Secretary of State if he would instruct the
Hong Kong Government to introduce a wealth tax in the Colony.
3. I now submit draft replies to the ten questions for written
answer. These have all been cleared with the Governor of Hong
Kong, on whom we have had to rely for most of the detailed information which they contain. The replies to the first and sixth questions have also been cleared with Migration and Visa Department and the Bank of England, respectively.
4.
Because of the need to consult the Governor, the
Parliamentary Unit have agreed that the answers will be in time provided they reach them by 4.00 p.m. on 6 November.
ACSha
A C Stuart
Hong Kong & Indian Ocean Dept.
6 November 1974
1.
I submit the ten replies prepared by the Department. 2. I should like to record the point that in making this submission against the required time limit I have not been able to devote the time that I should wish to a proper analysis of the adequacy of the proposed answers, though I believe them to be factual and correct. The resources of the Department are not such that a major exercise of this type can be undertaken, including necessary consultation, on a production line basis.
PR Male
P JE Male
6 November 1974
CONFIDENTIAL