1
Mr DunniИí
ONG KONG: VIETNAMESE REFUGEES
cc.
Mr D Williams Mr Stickels
The answer to Mr Williams' manuscript minute overleaf is that as disasters, of their nature, are unpredictable, it is enough that we should have a "token" £10 in the Estimates which gives us authority, within the terms which we have agreed with the Treasury, to meet expenditure on disasters as they arise.
We are, however, required to put the arithmetic straight when the Spring Supplementaries are prepared next year.
2.
The additional £50,000, to which the Minister has now agreed, is of a different order of being, which cannot be brought within the scope of this subhead. Fortunately, after discussion with the Treasury and the Auditors, we are authorised to accept for acquittance of the contribution a certificate from the Hong Kong Auditor-General that the money has been spent on the purposes intended, ie. this can be an accountable grant and not a grant-in- aid. As there is already a subhead in our Vote for "grants unallocated", we can authorise payment by a simple process of transfer from this subhead to "grants allocated", and this process is now in hand. Again, the arithmetic has to be tidied up when we update Appendix 1 to our Vote in the Spring Supplementaries; but we are not required to get specific Parliamentary authority in the meantime.
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CRA Rae
26 June 1975
th. Bames
This in
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helpful. Maan vote for Cativen afermanal-
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27/6671