Foreign and Commonwealth Office
London SW1A 2AH
From The Minister of State
17 March 1988
HKCD !
Dear Pater,
Thank you for your letter of 8 March enclosing a letter from Mr Clifford Allison in Hong Kong in which he calls for the establishment of a British Representative office in Hong Kong to provide consular services to British expatriates.
I have to say that I think this idea is a non- starter for a variety of presentational, practical and political reasons. It is a longstanding policy that the interests of British citizens resident in Dependent Territories are looked after by the Government of the
This policy Dependent Territory acting on behalf of HMG. applies equally in the case of Hong Kong. British Representative Office which Mr Allison envisages would be regarded in Hong Kong as divisive and discriminatory. This is just the sort of perception which it is important to avoid.
The sort of
In Hong Kong, the Immigration Department of the Hong Kong Government fulfils most of the consular-type services for British expatriates which would normally be provided by an Embassy or Consulate in a foreign country. These include passport services as well as assistance for
I had understood that this people in distress. arrangement generally works very well in practice. certainly do not see why the policy of localisation in the public service in Hong Kong should adversely affect the good service which we believe the Hong Kong
I
The Rt Hon Sir Peter Blaker KCMG MP
House of Commons
LONDON
SWLA OAA
1
/Government