Dr Wilson
ADMINISTRATION IN CONFIDENCE
Aat
HKK 027/14
RECEIVED IN REGISTRY
19 MAR 1984
DESK OFFICER,
INDEX
Те
TRAVEL IN THE FINANCIAL YEAR 1984-85
REGISTRY
Action Ferg
HONG KONG DEPARTMENT:
1.
In my minute of 7 October 1983 to Mr Donald I set out preliminary proposals for travel by members of this Department during 1984-85. I suggested that there might be two visits to
Hong Kong by the Head of Department and two familiarisation visits
by other members of the Department. I estimated that the total cost
would be £7,517.76.
20
See 21
2.
I have
now given the matter further thought. I have not attempted to estimate travel requirements directly connected with work on the future of Hong Kong, which are largely unpredictable and may fall on other budgets. Quite apart from these, I hope it can be recognised that this Department is in a rather special position because of the constitutional fact of the residual responsibilities. for Hong Kong which HMG continues to exercise. This makes it
particularly necesssary that members of the Department should have a first hand knowledge of the territory and of those who administrave it. In practical terms I suggest that this requires:
(i)
(ii)
3.
two visits a year by the Head of Department or in his place by the Assistant. This requirement used to be recognised in principle by PSD before the present system of Under Secretary accounting was introduced;
familiarisation visits by all desk officers in the Hong Kong Section of the Department. It is also highly desirable that desk officers in the Future of Hong Kong Section should have the same opportunity.
Among current members of Hong Kong Section Mr Hoare is an officer of the Hong Kong Government Service and Ms Walker has paid a familiarisation visit. It is time for Mr Williams
to go.
In Future
Section, as now constituted, по one has set foot in
foot in Hong Kong.
ADMINISTRATION IN CONFIDENCE
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