DSRS
CONFIDENTIAL
HKK. 013/1
RECEIVED
105
STRY NO. 51
- 7 OCT 1977
REGISTRY
Action Taken
Flag A
Mupray
Mr Murray Mr Cortazzi
PS/Lord Goronwy-Roberts
DESK_OFFICER.
INDEX
PA
Tel ro
No
issue
7/10
HONG KONG: GOVERNOR'S ADDRESS AT THE OPENING OF THE NEXT SESSION OF THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL
1. When the Governor of Hong Kong visited the UK earlier this week for consultations on the MFA he brought with him, and invited my comments on, an outline of the speech with which he proposes to open the next session of the Legislative Council (LegCo) on 5 October.
2. As usual the speech will survey the achievements of last year under various headings and set out under the same headings the Hong Kong Government's proposals for the coming year. On the whole the draft covers all the ground that I expected. Its most significant proposals, those concerning the introduction of free and compulsory education at junior secondary level and for the future development of Hong Kong's social security programme, are well highlighted. The speech also includes reference to the appointments of two additional Unofficials and one Official to seats on LegCo; the present state of Anglo/Chinese relations over Hong Kong (described as "something from which we can take confidence"); the establishment of the Monetary Affairs Branch; the predicted rate of the GDP's growth for this year (8%); the development of Lantau Island; legislation to deal with insider trading and to govern the operations of deposit-taking companies; a new building for the ICAC; the establishment of local advisory boards and projected labour legislation.
3.
I consider the Governor's plans to be generally satisfactory and have no major criticisms. However, in conjunction with the Overseas Labour Adviser, I have the following comments:
(a) the Governor suggests that his proposals would, if implemented, give Hong Kong "a social security system which is reasonably complete". I do not consider that the programme now proposed by the Governor amounts to "a social security system".
CONFIDENTIAL