TNAG-0207-FCO40-243-Construction-of-a-cross-harbour-tunnel--under-Hong-Kong-harb-1969 — Page 32

NOTHING TO BE WRITTEN IN THIS MARGIN

Registry

DRAFT Submission

No.

HKK 21/4

SECURITY CLASSIFICATION

To:-

Top Secret.

Secret.

Parliamentary Office

Confidential.

Restricted.

Unclassified.

PRIVACY MARKING

.In Confidence

Type 1+ 3 copies

From

Hong Kong Dept.

Telephone No. & Ext.

125

Department

copies to:

Mr. J. O. Moreton

Mr. C. H. Godden

Since the negotiations leading to the frorsion of finance for the project were carried out entirely

Under the algus of the Expert-Creckit's Guarantee Dept. of the

B. Trade.

The attached Parliamentary Question by

oral

Monday 5" Ray.

Mr Mr. Humphrey Atkins, M.P. is for written answer

answerk Atknic visited Hong Kong in January,

today

I am submitting it to you direct because

The Anglo-Japanese Falles.

Mr. Moreton is preoccupied with other matters but

however

I am copying this Submission to him and to Lord

Shepherd's Officer

has been put down

our

2. The Question is for answer by the Secretary

of State because Mr. Atkins appears to think that

the Hong Kong Government is directly responsible

for planning the construction of the cross harbour

tunnel.

Stis in fact a private project. The Hong Kong Government's

IS

In fact the Government has no such respon-

sibility, their involvement being confined to the

grant of a franchise to the Cross Harbour Tunnel

proposed

Co. Ltd. to construct the tunnel and to a/25% share-

holding in the Equity of the Company,agreed in

The Colony's

principle but which, Legislative Council still has

to approve. We have considered, as you know, whether

this question ought more properly to be answered by

the President of the Board of Trade but, as you also

know, the Parliamentary Unit of that Ministry declined

to accept it. It should be noted, however, that if

the Question leads to matters of commerical or finan-

cial detail Mr. Atkins should be referred to the

President of the Board of Trade, A However, the draft

answer and the Notes for Supplementaries have been

agreed with the Export Credits Guarantee Department

who have been, and are still, most involved in negotiatio

-

1

no

(118281) Dd. 391599 1,500M 2/69 Hw.