6 August 1993
Julian Davey Esq
East Asia and Pacific Division The British Council
10 Spring Gardens
London SW1A 2BN
Foreign & Commonwealth
Office
London SWIA 2AH
Telephone: 071-
Dear Mr Davey,
SIR S K TANG BEQUEST: FINANCIAL ARRANGEMENTS
I am now responsible for the handling of the Sir S K Tang Bequest in Hong Kong Department. The purpose of this letter is really just to touch base with you again on the issue of the Bequest and to assertain whether or not the British Council is still willing (as it was in 1986) to take responsibility for the administration of the Bequest money set aside for funding scholarships for Hong Kong students to study in the UK.
The territory may be unfamiliar, so perhaps it would be helpful at this stage to recap on the past history of the Bequest. In 1986 Sir S K Tang, a Hong Kong philanthropist, donated the sum of £1 million, shortly before he died, as a foundation fund from which the interest accrued was to be used for charitable purposes in the UK at the complete discretion of Her Majesty's Government. Sir S K Tang indicated in correspondence that he favoured using two thirds of the interest for funding scholarships for Hong Kong students to study in the UK, preferably administered by the British Council, and giving the remaining third to a medical charity such as cancer research. Although these terms are not expressed in any legal form, we can safely regard this as a true expression of his wishes. Since 1986, the funds have been held in a sterling account in Hong Kong. The two-thirds interest devoted to scholarships has been administered by the Hong Kong Government on behalf of HMG and used to part fund the existing UK/HK Scholarships Programme. The third devoted to medical research has been designated for the Institute of Cancer Research and remains in Hong Kong, untouched.
Between 1986 and 1989 the FCO and the British Council
bc.terms.2704