Mr Alan Paul Head of HKD
FCO
CONFIDENTIAL
BRITISH TRADE COMMISSION
HONG KONG.
5 February 1991
Dear Alen,
HONG KONG AIRPORT PROJECT: OPPORTUNITIES FOR BRITISH FIRMS AND APPOINTMENT OF A CONSULTANCY
1. When we spoke on the telephone yesterday evening (your morning) you said you had not seen the telegrams relating to the DTI proposal to appoint an outside consultancy, or perhaps a DTI official. Since there is a bag closing in a few hours I am sending you copies with this letter. are as follows:
My telno OTTER 40 of 28 January
My telno OTTER 28 of 18 January
DTI telno OTTER 26 of 6 January
They
Its faxed follow-up of 17 January containing draft terms
of reference for the consultancy
My telno OTTER 6 of 3 January
DTI telno OTTER 339 of 28 December 1990.
My telnos OTTER 6 and OTTER 40 were both repeated for information to the FCO so you should have seen them.
2. As you will see, and as discussed on the telephone, I have reservations about this proposal, and I have said that I would prefer the involvement of a DTI official to a private consultancy. However our prospects for picking up substantial business from any part of the airport project seem to be slipping backwards all the time, so my bottom line is that I am willing to go along with any proposal that might devote more resources to improving our prospects. If, as the DTI say, the proposed technique has been used successfully on the Channel tunnel then I can scarcely object to giving it a try here.
wer
Yous
Peles
P W Heap
CONFIDENTIAL