TNAG-0115-FCO40-151-Departmental-briefs-for-Commonwealth-Prime-Minister-s-and-ot-1969 — Page 132

intance

Copy for briefing file.

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CONFIDENTIAL

BRIEF

For Lord Shepherd

for a meeting with Mr. Hilton Cheong-Leen

at 4.00 p.m. on Wednesday 19 February.

(A biographical Note on Mr. Cheong-Leen

has already been provided)

It is thought that amongst the matters which Mr. Cheong-Leen

may raise with the Minister, the following may well figure:

(a) the question of expanding the scope of the Urban

Council to give it wider powers including responsibility

for primary education facilities, social welfare services

and other municipal services, together with the attendant

financial responsibility;

2.

(b)

the question of the appointment to the Legislative

Council of a number of elected members of the Urban Council;

(c) the question of terminating the operation of emergency

regulations, with particular reference to Regulation No. 32

which confers the power of detention without trial.

As regards (a), the Minister will be aware that the whole

question of local government in Hong Kong has been the subject of

prolonged study in the Colony: this study has, however, been

delayed by the disturbances which occurred during the last eight

months of 1967. There have been three Reports on the matter;

the first was a Report by an ad hoc Committee of unofficial

members of the Urban Council in October, 1966; the second was the

Report of an official working party which was published early in

1967. There has since been a further (unpublished) Report by a

Secretariat officer (Mr. W. V. Dickinson). This Report was

1

CONFIDENTIAL