cst.ps/mins/20dm22.7
HK :D
P
R5/Lord Caithness PS/PUS
Sir J Coles
Mr Burns
Mr Goulden NPDD
PRIME MINISTER
CONFIDENTIAL
CHIEF
SECRETARY TO THE
TREASURY
Dr Paul 几
1 Pretty Nestand.
199
23/7
FROM: CHIEF SECRETARY
DATE:
23
July 1991
HKB 063/1
FUTURE RN PRESENCE IN HONG KONG
2314
141
I have seen Douglas Hurd's minute to you of 19 July.
2. My concern is to avoid unnecessary new budgetary commitments. Certainly, if two patrol craft are to be retained in Hong Kong, I would expect the additional expenditure to be absorbed by savings elsewhere. But there is pressure on the budget of both the Foreign Office and the Ministry of Defence; and any additional commitment would in effect pre-empt savings that might otherwise be available to offset Survey bids. Even though the sums involved in this case may not be very large, I am conscious that Douglas is also proposing retention of a number of other out of area defence
commitments.
3.
I am sending copies of this minute to Douglas Hurd, Tom King
and Sir Robin Butler.
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