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CONSTITUTION AND ADMINISTRATION
are carried out by the Urban Services Department, the director of which is the principal executive officer of the council under the Urban Council Ordinance.
Most of the cost of this work is met from income from the Urban Council's share (35.3 per cent) of the yield from rates in the urban area. Fees and charges provide other sources of income. In the financial year 1975-6, the council worked to an overall budget of about $334 million.
Foreign Relations
The foreign relations of the Hong Kong Government are the responsibility of the British Government, but with external trade a considerable degree of latitude is permitted to Hong Kong. The territory's dependence on trade makes it necessary for the Hong Kong Government to operate offices in London, Washington, Geneva and Brussels to maintain and improve commercial relations with other countries.
Colonial Secretariat
The Colonial Secretary is the Governor's principal adviser on policy, the chief executive of the government, the head of the civil service and the chief government spokesman. His office, the Colonial Secretariat, co-ordinates and supervises the work of all government departments.
The Financial Secretary is responsible for financial and economic policy and for the overall supervision, through his Deputy Financial Secretary and the Secretary for Economic Services, of departments primarily involved in this field.
The Colonial Secretariat is organised into six policy and two resource branches, and a branch dealing with New Territories affairs, each headed by a Secretary. The policy branches are based on programme areas, as indicated by their titles: environ- ment, economic services, home affairs and information, housing, security, and social services. The two resource branches (civil service and finance) deal with the govern- ment's personnel and finances.
A Political Adviser, seconded from the Foreign Office, advises on the external political aspects of government policies.
London Office
The London Office, at 6 Grafton Street, W1, is a projection in Britain of the Hong Kong Government. It is part of the Colonial Secretariat and the Commissioner there is directly responsible to the Colonial Secretary. The Commissioner provides a point of direct contact in London between Hong Kong and various ministries and departments of the British Government, and other organisations with an interest in Hong Kong.
The London Office keeps under review British commercial, economic and indus- trial developments and official thinking on worldwide trade policies, and advises the Hong Kong Government of the likely repercussions of these developments on Hong