TNAG-0005-FCO40-41-Departmental-briefs-about-Hong-Kong-1968 — Page 158

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officials and if so when. We can support the Commonwealth Secretariat's

suggestion that it would be useful for senior officials to meet on

23-24 September.

Item 4. Draft agenda for officials' meeting: this is largely

a matter for the Treasury,' but it is customary for officials to discuss

the sterling area balance of payments and there is some merit in

retaining this practice, more especially since the old Sterling Area

Statistical Committee ceased to meet to discuss balance of payments

questions. The only other matter that officials need to discuss would

be the draft agenda for the meeting of Ministers.

Item 5. Background paper: we have already circularised Commonwealth

Governments through our High Commissions for reviews and forecasts of

balance of payments and we should expect the Treasury usual to prepare

a paper on this subject for the officials' meeting.

Item 6.

Administrative arrangements: most of the administrative

arrangements have already been discussed at a meeting held at Marlborough

House on 28 May and the Secretariat consider that there may be no need

for further discussions on 20 June. The one item left unsettled relates

to costs, it being agreed on 28 May that the division of costs as between

H.M.G. and the Secretariat should be further discussed. For this purpose,

it is the Treasury that will be expected to bear H.M.G. s share of the

costs on its own vote and this should raise no problem for the

Commonwealth Office.