XN000022-1978-06-02 — Page 3

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FRIDAY, JUNE 2, 1978

THE MORE THAT COULD BE DONE IN THE HOUSING FIELD, THE BETTER, HE SAID. IT SEEMS TO ME THE GOVERNMENT HAS RECOGNISED ITS PRIORITIES AND HAS GOT A VERY BIG EXPANSION PROGRAMME. THERE IS ONLY A CERTAIS AMOUNT YOU CAN DO IN A LIMITED AMOUNT OF TIME, HE ADDED.

ON DRUG ADDICTION, MR. ENNALS SAID HE HAD BEEN VERY ENCOURAGED AND IMPRESSED BY THE INTERESTING WORK HE HAD SEEN HERE ON REHABILITATING DRUG ADDICTS.

+ I FIND IT TREMENDOUSLY ENCOURAGING THAT AS A RESULT OF MANY DIFFERENT FORMS OF ACTIVITY THIS NOW SEEMS TO ME BEGINNING TO BE. CONTAINED THAT INSTEAD OF EXPANDING THE NUMBER SEEMS TO BE REDUCING.

+ I WAS LOOKING AT THE FIGURES AND THEY ARE STEADILY COMING DOWN. THIS IS PARTLY BECAUSE OF POLICE SUPERVISION, PARTLY BECAUSE THE PRICE HAS GONE UP, BUT I THINK IT IS MORE BECAUSE OF THE IMPROVEMENT CF TREATMENT FACILITIES,

+AND THE ACTUAL REHABILITATION, THE RECORD OF GETTING PEOPLE BACK AGAIN INTO SOCIETY TO HOLD DOWN A JOE AND TO LIVE WITHIN THE FAMILY, IS I THINK VERY ENCOURAGING INDEED,+ HE SAID.

ASKED WHETHER HE HAD RAISED THE QUESTION OF CHINESE IMMIGRATION TO HONG KONG DURING HIS RECENT TOUR OF CHINA, MR. ENNALS SAID THIS HAD NOT BEEN HIS ROLE, BUT HE UNDERSTOOD THAT THE FOREIGN SECRETARY, PR. DAVID OWEN, HOPED TO HAVE DISCUSSIONS IN NEW YORK SOON WITH THE CHINESE FOREIGN MINISTER.

THE MAIN PURPOSE OF HIS TRIP TO CHINA, HE SAID, HAD BEEN TO HAVE A LOOK AT HEALTH SERVICES THERE AND TO SEE WHAT SORT OF CO-OPERATION IN PODERN MEDICAL TECHNOLOGY THERE COULD BE BETWEEN CHINA AND BRITAIN.

+CERTAINLY PART OF MY MISSION WAS TO LOOK AT POLITICAL CO-OPERATION BETWEEN CHINA AND BRITAIN, HE ADDED.

AND LOOKING AT THE TRIANGLE - CHINA, HONG KONG AND BRITAIN +IT DOES SEEM TO ME THAT YOU'VE GOT THREE LEGS TO THE CHAIR AND THAT EACH ONE OF THOSE RELATIONSHIPS IS VERY IMPORTANT, HE SAID.

+SO, IN A3 FAR AS BRITAIN'S RELATIONS WITH CHINA CAN IMPROVE THEN HONG KONG'S CONFIDENCE IN ITS FUTURE CAN IMPROVE,+ HE SAID.

MR. ENNALS ADDED THAT HE HAD A SECOND ROLE TOO WHICH WAS TO BUILD CONFIDENCE BETWEEN BRITAIN AND HONG KONG ABOUT THE IR RELATIONSHIP.

+ I THINK IT IS EXTREMELY IMPORTANT FOR HONG KONG THAT PEOPLE IN BRITAIN SHOULD BE COMMITTED TO HONG KONG'S FUTURE, CERTAINLY MY GOVERNMENT IS, AND THAT PEOPLE I HONG KONG SHOULD SEE A CLOSE RELATIONSHIP FOR THE FUTURE BETWEEN THEMSELVES AND BRITAIN. I BELIEVE THAT IS RIGHT TOC,+ HE SAID.

+ I THINK ONE OF TY JOES IS 1'. EFFECT TO SEE THAT EACH OF THE STAGES OF THE THREE ARE EFFECTIVELY STRENGTHENED, MR. ENNALS SAID.

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