3.
there. The Home Office had been asked by JCRV to approach the UNHCR
about funding a liaison officer for the UK who would spend part of his
time on such work as well as helping the UK selection team when it was in
Hong Kong;
(f)
Mr Marshall explained that there would be little opportunity to provide
information to those refugees in transit camps who had been called forward
to the UK. The length of stay in these camps for this group varied between
2 and 10 days;
(g)
The continuing presence in Hong Kong of an experienced resettlement
officer who could find out the housing needs of those selected was
considered, but it was recognised that there might be a need for this
work to be checked or done again when refugees arrived in the UK.
It was agreed:
(i)
English language teaching to refugees selected for the UK but not yet
called forward would not be effective in speeding resettlement in the UK
which was dependent mainly on the availability of housing;
(ii) The Home Office would put in hand the preparation of a leaflet to be
made available for those selected for the UK. It would be available in
Chinese and Vietnamese. Its aim will be to provide the essential facts
about such matters as housing, education and employjent. A draft would be
circulated to those present and to selected reception centres in the UK.
1
(iii) A further set of slides would be prepared by the Home Office to be shown
to refugees in the transit camps in order to familiarise them with what
will be their environment in their first few weeks here.
4. Mr Marshall undertook to report the outcome of the meeting to the JCRV.
concluded.
The meeting
i