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L4
HONG KONG: 'ACCOMMODATION FOR BRITISH TRADE COMMISSION STAFF
GENERAL
Of the UK based staff administered by the Trade Commission 15 are Diplomatic Service. Ten are in representational grades (DS8 or equivalent and above). All these and the 21 other UK based staff are in post hirings. The annual rent bill is £134,000 and the average rent, apart from that of the Trade Commissioner, is £3,500.
RESIDENCE
2.
This is leased for two years (1974-76) with provision for
The rent is one year's retention at the lessee's option.
£10,435 per annum. Mr Kinnear occupies one of the few houses in Hong Kong; the situation is excellent although the accommodation is modest in size.
3. Absence of security of tenure has caused concern to successive Heads of Post. Economic purchase according to the Treasury criteria (the cost must be, roughly speaking, within 10 times the annual rent) has not been found feasible. Houses seldom come on the market and then only at a high price. Two exam: les this year were offered at £171,000 and £385,000. Uneconomic purchase could be argued on need grounds only if there were no alternative way of housing the Trade Commissioner on an acceptable basis. So far, however, rental has been possible. Furchasing land on which to build has also been considered but scarcity makes the price of land prohibitive.
4.
The Governor has been asked for assistance on one or two previous occasions. In January 1973 Mr Wilford raised the subject with the Governor. Sir M Maclehose was sympathetic but said that his Executive Council would be unlikely to approve a gift of land, or if they did would expect HMG to reimburse the cost of the (then) new Hong Kong office in London. The Governor thought that on the whole the answer was to purchase a house. He was not encouraging about the possibility of finding the price from the Defence Costs Agreement. In June 1973 he repeated his advice adding that it was also unacceptable "that land not required by the Military should be diverted for the use of the Trade Commissioner"
5. Subsequent attempts to buy a house have come to nothing. Last month Mr Kinnear went over the ground again and suggested that spare land might be found near the CSOS flats at Stanley. The PSA surveyor in Hong Kong admitted that there might be land to spare but questioned the location; He added that he could not be sure that the Hong Kong Government would allow any spare land to be used for Trade Commissioner purposes.
0.
This is the first indication we have had that there might be spare land as a consequent of the recent decision to reduce the number of flats in the third phase of the CSOS 'Pendragon' Develorte t (for GCHQ staff, on land made available by, the Hong Kong, Government). Mr Kinnear does not give an opinion on the suitability of the site (assuming it could be made available) for his own house. lle implies however that it would be acceptable for staff flats.
17.