Sir M MacLehose GBE KCMG KC VO Government House HONG KONG
CONFIDENTI AL
АКК
01311
1 7 MAR 1978
IN March 1978"
امد
у
P
Teken
STANDING COMMITTEE TO MONITOR THE HONG KONG PLANNING PAPER
1.
The Standing Committee held its fifth meeting on 23 February and I am enclosing a copy of the minutes.
2.
You will see that the major topic discussed was social development in Hong Kong after 1980. I shall be writing separately about this in due course but, in the meantime, I should be grateful for your comments on two other points that were raised.
3. The first point concerns your annual policy speech at the opening of LegCo (item 1(a) in the minutes). You have explained, and we agree, that this speech and Philip Haddon-Cave's budget speech together form the equivalent of the Chancellor of the Exchequer's budget speech here. This being the case we believe there is something to be said for your speech containing rough estimates of the cost of new measures which you announce. I know that last October such figures were given in some instances but not all.
4. The second point concerns the secondment of a Grade 4 "Chef de Cabinet" (item 1(d) in the minutes), You will remember that we discussed this during your last visit. I would welcome any further thoughts you may have had.
CONFIDENTIAL
J A B Stewart