ADMINISTRATION IN CONFIDENCE
013/2
HKK OB
*
- 8 DEC 1977
Mr Cortazzi
THE HONG KONG CIVIL SERVICE
1.
06/12
du
Mr J Heppell, the Assistant Secretary from the DHSS, who has just returned from Hong Kong where he has been advising the Government on their new social security system, called to see me last week. The Overseas Labour Adviser also joined us for a general round-up discussion - you will be receiving separately a record of the meeting. During the course of the conversation, Mr Heppell touched on certain matters relating to personalities in the Hong Kong Government. I thought you might like to have a separate note on these points, which largely confirm much that we already suspected.
2. Mr Heppell said that most of the credit for such reforms as have been achieved in recent years must go to the Governor himself. Without him to push them along, few of the changes would have got anywhere at all. It was essential when the time came, to appoint a vigorous successor to Sir Murray. Mr Heppell thought this inevitably meant somebody from outside the Colony, whom he envisaged as being supported by Mr Haddon-Cave as Chief Secretary.
3.
Mr Heppell felt that the main problem about pushing a reform programme was not so much hostility to change amongst senior people in Hong Kong as the lack of able middle-rank civil servants to implement and monitor the programmes with sufficient imagination. He strongly endorsed our proposal to second middle-level staff from Britain to stiffen the administration and give it a less parochial outlook.
2 December 1977
fer. B. Slend
JA B Stewart
Hong Kong & General Department
ce. In hemmay (sx.)
ADMINISTRATION IN CONFIDENCE