TNAG-0221-FCO40-257-Re-organisation-of-colonial-secretariat-in-Hong-Kong-1970 — Page 17

Mr. Wilford

CONFIDENTIAL

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Administrative Arrangements

I mentioned to you that I had been thinking about the problem of associating a more representative cross- section of the people of Hong Kong with the administra- tion of the Colony without upsetting the CPG. I have also been thinking about ways of getting away from the bottleneck in the Secretariat.

2. Mr. Gaminara has shown me the attached file (HWB 1/27) which contains some interesting documents on both these questions (see in particular enclosures (1), (2), (3), (7) and (9). I do not know why nothing came of these various proposals under consideration in 1967/68. However, Mr. Carter told me on the telephone yesterday that when Lord Shepherd visited Hong Kong in June 1969 he discussed with the Governor and his senior advisers means of enabling people to participate more fully in decision-making by the Government and that there was talk then about reducing the number of advisory committees and boards and making the terms of reference of some of them wider. Mr. Carter also said that the Governor had been keen, at that time at any rate, to review the number, composition and functions of these advisory bodies.

3. It seems to me that arrangements on the following lines are long overdue (reference enclosure (3) in file HWB 1/27).

(a)

(b)

(c)

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Reorganisation of the Colonial Secretariat much on the lines proposed, except that there would cease to be a "Colonial Secretary" who would be "first among equals" As I see it the functions of government should be broken down into, say, eight groups. Each portfolio would be in charge of a Permanent Secretary who would have the advice of the chairman of an advisory committee. The Permanent Secretary would be responsible for executive action, including the formulation of policy within the framework of policy laid down by the Executive Council, but he would have to carry the advisory committee with him on all important issues. There are at present ninety-eight councils, boards and committees, twenty-four of them appointed by the Governor, sixty-six appointed under local legislation and eight others. New advisory committees with, in some cases, broader terms of reference, would have to be appointed to work with each Permanent Secretary (including the Attorney General and the Financial Secretary).

There would be a Deputy Governor who would be responsible to the Governor for the day to day administration of the Colony by the Permanent Secretaries.

CONFIDENTIAL

/ (a)