Mats lözte
26
Mr Ricketts
the Ricketts
The terms of reference look a bit didactic-calling
the experts to say what's what ch.
Mur box
тох Hvi
Any ofs?
Hong Kong Department
29/5
FROM: S H Broadbent
DATE : 29 May 1992
Mr Evans, HMT
cc: Mr Burns
HONG KONG: PUBLIC EXPENDITURE SYSTEM
1. You will recall that, following discussion with the Secretary for the Treasury and the Financial Secretary in Hong Kong and HMT (Sir N Wicks, Mrs Lomax and Mr Evans), we agreed that Mrs Lomax should visit Hong Kong for a week in April to take a look at the public expenditure planning and control system and to exchange views with HKG officials on British experience which might be relevant to their problems. HKG were to meet the cost of fares and accommodation under their visits programme. This plan was postponed by the election and then overtaken by Mrs Lomax's appointment as Deputy Secretary in charge of Financial Services. She is now too busy to make such a visit, although she hopes to call in Hong Kong later in the year in her new incarnation.
2.
HMT have gone to some trouble to try to offer an alternative, and have suggested that the assignment might be taken over by Sir John Anson, who retired in 1990 as the Second Permanent Secretary responsible for Public Expenditure, accompanied by Michael Williams, an Assistant Secretary with an economic and public expenditure background.
3. I put this proposition to K Y Yeung when he called on me yesterday, explaining Sir J Anson's expertise, and why it might be productive if he had an assistant. Yeung welcomed this, but said he would have to check back with Hong Kong over the financial details. As a retired official, Anson could not be put on the visitors programme (although his assistant might be). I reiterated the desirability of HKG meeting at least some of the cost, since this was to be a form of consultancy commissioned by them; in practice, HMT will probably be willing to meet the cost of the honorarium which would have to be paid to Sir J Anson.
4. We established that the earliest feasible month for the visit would now be September, since Yeung would like to have the first phase of his PES process out of the way; it would also throw up points for discussion. The next step is to nail