lag A
Mr Male
Parliamentary Unit
CONFIDENTIAL
Original: HILI O!!!!
NICK 400/ ST
400/548
PQ'S ON HONG KONG: MR FRANK HOOLEY MP
1.
Mr Frank Hooley (Labour, Sheffield, Heeley) has put down nine Questions for written answer about various Hong Kong matters. These have clearly been inspired by the recent Fabian Society pamphlet on Hong Kong. With the exception of Question no. 3 the financial interests of Unofficial Members of the Legislative Council in organised prostitution all appear to be drawn directly from the
text of this pamphlet.
2.
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The Hong Kong Government have provided the information on which to base replies (Hong Kong telegram no. 120). With regard to- Question no. 3 and also no. 4 the financial interests of the Unofficial Members of the Legislative Council in organised gambling - the Governor has said that he hopes these Questions can be ruled inadmissible on the grounds that they are offensive.
The
Parliamentary Unit have advised that this will not be possible but that, if considered appropriate, the replies could be forthright. In fact, since the Questions are written I think it would be better to confine the replies to simple negative statements. We will explain the position to the Governor subsequently.
3.
A word of explanation is necessary about Question no. 9, which asks the Secretary of State to advise Her Majesty The Queen to appoint a British citizen of Chinese birth as the next Governor of Hong Kong. The latest job description for the post of Governor says that he must be someone who is constantly aware of the international implications of policies pursued in Hong Kong, not least for Anglo-Chinese relations, and that he should have diplomatic experience and a sound knowledge of Whitehall and Westminster. While these qualifications may not be immutable for all time, they seem likely to be appropriate for the foreseeable future and it would seem that no British citizen of Chinese birth is likely to have the
/necessary
CONTT T)WNTONI A T',