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a major decision would have to be taken. The High Commissioner had drawn the Minister's attention to recommendation Part 1,5 (iii) of the Home Affairs Committee's report which says: "If necessary, and as part of a burden-sharing agreement, Britain should accept a small share of those who are hard to resettle and have spent years in camps". The Minister had told the High Commissioner that the Government were looking positively at the Home Affairs Committee's report.
Martin Barber had met with the Voluntary Services Unit of the Home Office and had suggested that if Britain were to take a number of "long-stayers" as part of a burden sharing agreement with the USA and Australia, it was important that
The Home Office had the UK should move fast in order to get the first choice. requested an indication of voluntary agency support and costing for any proposal.
Robina Brand (SCF) said SCF would consider opening a home for the handicapped or anything else that was considered useful. There were still 106 unaccompanied Vietnamese minors in Hong Kong. Refugee Action were looking for another building. in order to take on a further substantial number of Vietnamese. It was possible SCF and Refugee Action would look at programme in London for the 17-25 year- old age group.
Michael Harris (Ockenden Venture) said that Ockenden Venture would be happy to do whatever it could.
It was noted that family reunion cases would incur no extra cost in reception centres, but would involve expenditure on extra resettlement staff.
It was agreed that Graeme Jackson would consult with agencies and co-ordinate their response, and that he would produce an outline costing for the number agencies thought they could reasonably take.
It was noted that recommendation Part 1 5 (i) referred to "Vietnamese in camps in countries of temporary asylum". Although the recommendations applied principally to Hong Kong it would be possible to take some refugees from other countries, for example Singapore, where there were a large number of unaccompanied minors.
It was also noted that the UK should/would show no preference for resettlement for those in closed camps, though there was apparently a reluctance among
some countries to take from the closed camps.
Benjamin Tang (Hong Kong Government Office) gave the Committee figures referring to the length of stay of Vietnamese in Hong Kong. The 10,936 refugees were divided evenly between open and closed camps. He promised to provide the Committee with figures relating to the proportion of ethnic Chinese among the refugees. New arrivals tended to be ethnic Vietnamese.
The Chairman noted that the Home Affairs Committee had not only accepted all the BRC recommendations, but had gone further in calling for the abolition of the closed camps.
It was agreed that the Committee endorsed all the recommendations of Part 1 of the report.
It was agreed that the Chairman would write to Richard Luce, Minister of State at the Foreign Office, thanking him for his letter and requesting a meeting. The Committee understood that Mr Luce would not be able to anticipate the government's response.
Stephen Nash (FCO) said that he would inform the Foreign Office of the Committee's desire to see Mr Luce in order to clarify certain recommendations.
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