TNAG-0307-FCO40-343-Costs-of-extra-services-provided-by-armed-forces-of-UK-in-Ho-1971 — Page 46

That decision

represented a esage of policy

the division

responsibility as Betrouens intonat

secunly sextional define

8室に

7. The Hong Kong Government's reply to

this argument is that the works under

"Spring Clean" were carried out with the

agreement and in fact on the initiative of

the Hong Kong Government and liability for

them was accepted by that Government under

the policy decision of March 1968.

There

ズ

was no reason why that policy decision should

be antedated to cover the cost of the works

carried out in 1967 under Exercise "Highland

Bonnet".

Additional allowances for Hong Kong Other

Ranks. These payments were small

allowances (amounting to £118 in all)

intended to cover the extra cost of food

etc admissible when these troops were

detained at their place of duty overnight.

The claim for this amount was put to the

Hong Kong Finance Committee who disallowed

it on the grounds that the expenditure

incurred was not considered a fair charge

to public funds. In view of this and

since this small item constituted an

irritant and an impediment to the settlement

of the larger issues, the local Military

authorities in Hong Kong decided to withdraw

the claim "on de minimis" grounds.

the Ministry of Defence have recently

However,

revived their claim for the reimbursement

of this amount.

- 5 -

(145181) Dd. 737490 750M

1/71 Hw.

NOTHING TO BE WRITTEN IN THIS MARGIN