B
unacceptable there and seen as another ploy by the United
Kingdom to override Hong Kong interests. A case was
that
therefore made to the Treasury / the financial arrangements
relating to passports issued by the Governor as agent for
the Secretary of State should be as close as possible to
the existing arrangements in Hong Kong, namely that the
Hong Kong Government should pay for blank passports ordered,
that they should meet all the administrative costs of maintain-
ing and operating the Passport Section of the Immigration
Department, and that they should retain any surplus of the
consular feer collected. In their letter of 10 March the
Treasury have agreed to this proposal. The Hong Kong
Government had already intimated that this type of arrange-
ment would be acceptable to them and indeed be the one which
they would prefer. They fully understand that the consular
fee they will be required to charge for passports issued
under the Secretary of State's authority may be lower than
that which is charged for passports issued in Hong Kong in the
own exercise of the Royal Brerogative.
Governor's
10. From 1 July 1997 a United Kingdom consular office will
be responsible for the issue of passports to all categories
of British nationals in Hong Kong. The normal financial
arrangements relating to passport and other consular fees
will then apply in the same way as at all other overseas
posts.