20
27
A
779
DO/ME
PS/Mr Blaker
MP'S LETTER: HONG KONG: VISCOUNT CRANBORNE MP
Problem
Draft
bisne
6AM
15/2
HKK 430/1
NO.
Mis PAW 21/2 H.
Мо
1 To send a substantive reply to Viscount Cranborne MP (Dorset S
Conservative) who wrote to Mr Blaker on 25 July 1979 about a
constituent's complaint against the Hong Kong Government. Mr Blaker acknowledged Viscount Cranborne's letter on 1 August 1979, and sent
C & D him further interim replies on 18 October 1979 and 7 February. (42) 192
B(25
23
79
Recommendation
2 I recommend that Mr Blaker should reply to Viscount Cranborne on
the lines of the attached draft.
199
(31A) (37
GO
Background
3
Viscount Cranborne's constituent, Mrs C V Penhearow, is the widow
of a building services engineer who died in Hong Kong last January,
where he was employed by the Hong Kong Government. She claims that
she lost over £300 because of the fall in the value of the Hong Kong
dollar between the time of her husband's death and the time she
received the outstanding salary and a tax refund due to his estate from
the Hong Kong Government. The exact amounts were £281.52 in respect
of the salary and £47.32 in respect of tax.
4
We have been corresponding with Hong Kong about this case since E & F July. Taking account of Mr So's letters of 7 and 27 September 1979, and
Hong Kong telegram No 17 of 3 January, I think we must accept that the
time taken to pay the salary arrears was not unreasonable: indeed,
as explained in Hong Kong telegram No 17 of 3 January, the Hong Kong
Government went out of their way to try to speed up the normal
processes. But there was a delay in refunding the overpayment of tax,
/and