XN000022-1985-10-29 — Page 2

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 29, 1995

MINISTER IMPRESSED BY DISTRICT BOARD

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THE VISITING MINISTER OF STATE FOR FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS, MR TIMOTHY RENTON, SAID TODAY THAT THE DISTRICT BOARDS WERE A VERY GOOD EXAMPLE OF POLITICS AT THE GRASS-ROOTS LEVEL.

SPEAKING TO REPORTERS AFTER ATTENDING A MEETING OF THE KWUN TONG DISTRICT BOARD AND A VISIT OF THE DISTRICT, MR RENTON SAID IT WAS VERY INTERESTING TO HEAR BOARD MEMBERS TALKING SPECIFICALLY ABOUT THE NEW URBAN PLAN THAT WAS BEING PRESENTED TO THEM.

+AND I COULDN'T HELP DRAWING SOME ANALOGIES WITH MY OWN CONSTITUENCY IN SUSSEX WHERE SIMILARLY AT A COUNTY AND DISTRICT COUNCIL LEVEL WE ARE DISCUSSING OUR PROBLEMS OF INDUSTRIAL GROWTH FLOWING FROM THE RAPID DEVELOPMENT OF GATWICK AIRPORT.

+50 IT WAS A VERY INTERESTING PARALLEL FOR ME TO HEAR YOUR DISTRICT BOARD IN ACTION AND TO COMPARE THAT TO THE UNITED KINGDOM, AND I HOPE I'VE GOT A FEW LESSONS AND THOUGHTS TO TAKE BACK TO THE UNITED KINGDOM WITH ME, MR RENTON SAID.

THE MINISTER SAID HE WAS VERY IMPRESSED BY THE DELIBERATIONS OF THE KWUN TONG DISTRICT BOARD. +I WAS VERY IMPRESSED BY THE WAY THE MEETING WAS ORGANISED VERY FULL ATTENDANCE, VERY WELL

ORGANISED, AND A VERY LONG AGENDA.+

MR RENTON SAID THAT AS A MINISTER RESPONSIBLE FOR HONG KONG AND AS A POLITICIAN, HIS ATTENDANCE AT MEETINGS OF GOVERNMENT AT DIFFERENT LEVELS WAS PARTICULARLY IMPORTANT.

HE SAID HE WAS AT A MEETING OF THE EXECUTIVE COUNCIL THIS MORNING WHERE THEY HAD A VERY USEFUL AND WIDE-RANGING DISCUSSION ABOUT MANY MATTERS.

AND HE WOULD HAVE SEEN HONG KONG GOVERNMENT OPERATING AT ALL LEVELS AFTER HIS ATTENDANCE AT THE FIRST MEETING OF THE NEW LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL TOMORROW, HE ADDED.

+THAT IS A VERY VALUABLE LESSON FOR ME, A FIRST-HAND LESSON, OF HOW GOVERNMENT AND HOW COMMUNITY POLITICS OPERATE IN HONG KONG, HE SAID.

REPLYING TO A QUESTION ON WHETHER DISTRICT BOARDS SHOULD BE GIVEN MORE POWER, MR RENTON SAID THIS WAS A MATTER FOR HONG KONG TO DECIDE.

+ I CAN ONLY SAY THAT THE AGENDA SEEMED TO ME TO BE JUST THE SORT OF AGENDA WE WOULD BE LOOKING AT IN MY CONSTITUENCY AT THAT LEVEL, HE ADDED.

ASKED TO COMMENT ON THE RECOMMENDATION OF A REPORT MADE IN HONG KONG THAT THE SAVE THE CHILDREN FUND SHOULD WITHDRAW FROM THE BOWRING REFUGEE CAMP WHICH HE VISITED YESTERDAY, MR RENTON REITERATED THAT HE HAD NO DOUBT THAT THE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT LIKE HER MAJESTY'S GOVERNMENT, WOULD MUCH RATHER SEE THAT THERE WERE NO CLOSED CENTRES.

/3UT ON