TNAG-0106-FCO40-142-Proposals-to-appoint-an-Ombudsman-1969 — Page 12

JUSTICE (HONG KONG BRANCH)

Sir Edmund Compton.

N

find enclosed herewith photostatic copies of letters in the press in the last few days (9th and 13th December) from members of the public on this very point; (c) the doctrine of ministerial responsibility does not apply in Hong Kong and (a) the UMELCO office have received 120 complaints in the last full year, as against 1,200 in the ward (constitutency) offices of the members of the Urban Council in which sit a fair proportion of elected members. The Urban Council, of course, is not part of the legislature.

I note that you are alleged to have

made the above remarks and given the above advice "speaking from his own experience in the United Kingdom". You will no doubt appreciate the various and obvious differences of conditions between the United Kingdom and Hong Kong, having regard, particularly, to the size of population, area, the existence of a fully elected House of Commons and the absence of ANY elected members in the Hong Kong Legislature.

Enclosed herewith also please find a photostatic copy of an article by Mr. John Rear, Lecturer in Law at the University of Hong Kong.

As I am enclosing herewith a copy of Sir Guy Powles' letter I think it only right I should also send him a copy of this letter.

Any comments you may wish to make to dispel any wrong impression which may have been created by your alleged comments in the press would be most gratefully appreciated as well as your authority to publish the same is thought proper.

Yours sincerely,

J

1.

the

Chairman