17
From The Minister of State
The Rt Hon The Lord Goronwy-Roberts
vem frage,
Foreign and Commonwealth Office
London SW1A 2AH
19 January 1977
8C2.
f
Goo) Prew file
You wrote to me on 2 November last and enclosed a further letter from Mrs Pryor, your constituent who lives in Hong Kong, in which she made certain criticisms of the activities of the Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC). I have now received the results of the enquiries I mentioned in my interi.. reply of 17 November.
Mrs Pryor is clearly concerned that there should be botter safeguards for the rights of the individual in Hong Kong than she considers exist at present. In particular, she has su- gested the creation of an Ombudsman and i note that you ca in your letter that there appears to be a strong case for some independent appeal body of this sort. It is not the first time that the idea of an Ombudsman has been put forward was recommended, for example, in the Fabian Society's pan- phlet "Hong Kong: Britain's Responsibility" published a jour ago - and it has been considered. For the present, the MC Kong Government's view is that the Office of the Unofficial Members of the Legislative and Executive Councils (CHELOC) effectively serves the function of an Ombudsman and it is the case that core and more individuals are taking their complaints to this Office. During the year ending 30 June 1975, the latest for which figures are available, the Office dealt wit.. 3,115 new cases. Nevertheless, I will continue to bear in mind the idea of an Ombudsman (or similar body) and i kno that the Governor of Hong Kong will do so.
/Mrs Pryor