SPEAKING NOTE
One-Way Permits
In recent months, the number of one-way permit holders coming to Hong Kong for settlement has exceeded the agreed quota of 75 a day. Our statistics show that so far this year, a total of 23,700 one-way permit holders have come to Hong Kong, equivalent to a daily average of 89.
If we are to adhere to the current agreed quota (75 a day or 27,375 a year), new arrivals during the remaining period of this year must be kept to 3,675, i.e. a daily average for the rest of the year of 38. On 24 September, there were 113 new arrivals; the daily average so far in September has been 94.
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When the One-way Permit Scheme was introduced in 1982, both sides accepted that it was necessary to keep the rate of arrivals within bounds which would not put undue strain on Hong Kong's social infrastructure. This was the reason why we agreed a daily quota of 75. Since then, the Scheme has worked well. Against this background, the sudden unforeseen and unplanned increase in the number of arrivals is a matter of concern. order to protect the integrity of the Scheme, we should be grateful if the Chinese side could take immediate measures to reduce the number of arrivals so that the annual quota for 1993
is not exceeded.
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Separately, you will no doubt remember that we proposed to you on 5 June 1993 an increase in the daily quota of one-way permits from 75 to 100, with a view to reducing the pressure on Hong Kong in 1997 due to the potential influx into Hong Kong of