There is one point on which we should be
grateful for clarification in connection with
paragraphs 3 and 6 of the draft, although we do
not regard it as affecting the recommendations
contained in the latter. In the table enclosed
with your letter to me No. DUS(F) 153/1 of 24
September, the local recurrent costs of the entire
Garrison for 1971/72 are shown as £12.15 million,
but this figure appears to include certain costs
which are related to activities conducted by H.M.G.
solely for their own purposes and which are
therefore not appropriate to any contribution from
Hong Kong. I refer, for example, to Tai Mo Shan
and the RAF staging post as cover for it. We have
noted that when the Defence and Oversea Policy
Committee considered the current defence contribution
agreement on 19 October, 1966 (OPD(66)41st Meeting)
the then Defence Secretary mentioned a total of
£1.65 million as falling under this head (of which
£1.4 million was in respect of visits by Royal
Navy ships) and we should be interested to learn
what the corresponding current figure is in
relation to the total of £12.15 million referred to
above.
I am copying this letter to Stretton and
Gedling for any comments that they may wish to
that
make on the enclosed draft.
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