Mr Hunter
RESTRICTED
Personnel Services Department
57
некозы)?
22.AVED IN REGISTRY NO. 51
IND
· 8 OCT 1979
DESK OFACER
RELICTAM
Ракз
VISITS TO HONG KONG BY FCO OFFICIALS
1.
Su (62
It has been accepted for the last few years that members of this department dealing with Hong Kong should visit the territory from time to time. Though I cannot turn up the reference, I believe it was agreed in principle in 1976 that the Head of department should normally pay 2 visits a year, each of about 2 weeks; that the Assistant should go to Hong Kong once a year; and that the head of the Hong Kong Section should also pay an annual visit.
2. I have visited Hong Kong twice (in September 1978 and April 1979) since taking over the department in June last year. There have been no other visits during this period. The Assis- tant, Mr Quantrill, paid a familiarisation visit to Hong Kong early in 1978 and felt able to forego a further visit in 1979. The then head of the Hong Kong Section, Mr Thompson, visited Hong Kong in May 1978; his successor, since January this year, is a Hong Kong Government officer who will not need to visit the territory during his two year secondment.
3. Against this background, the purpose of this minute is to seek authority for a familiarisation visit by Mr Webb, one of the 2 desk officers in the Hong Kong Section. Until recently there was no strong case for visits by the Section's desk officers since both were new entrants who spent only a year in the depart- ment. Mr Webb's case is different. He is a Research Officer who has been posted to the department for 2 years (from July). He has a good academic background in Chinese but has never visited China or Hong Kong and would benefit greatly from a visit to the territory. If you agree, I should like to arrange for him to go there for 2 weeks sometime this autumn.
4. In considering this request you may want to know what other commitments there are likely to be for the remainder of the financial year. As far as I can see at present there are three:
a) I ought myself to go to Hong Kong again fairly soon.
However, there are various timing considerations which need to be sorted out and I am not yet ready to make a proposal.
b) Mr Quantrill will probably be posted away from the
department early next year. His successor (a name has been mentioned) is unlikely to have any relevant back- ground and an early visit will be important.
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