TNAG-0441-FCO40-506-Visits-of-leading-personalities-of-Hong-Kong-to-UK-1974 — Page 5

CONFIDENTIAL

position, and appear to prejudge individual cases which ought to

be considered on their merits. Any formal change in the constitutional position could be very difficult. On the whole it seemed best to wait until individual cases arose, and look

at them then. Mr Cheong-Leen said that he recognised the difficulty and was inclined to agree.

APPOINTMENTS TO THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL

3.

Lord Goronwy-Roberts asked whether the elected member-

ship of the Urban Council should be taken into account on a more regular basis when nominations were made to the Legislative

Council. Mrs Symons said that simultaneous membership was a new idea and that, since Legislative Council Members were not at

present under any sort of oath, there might be a problem of

divided loyalties unless some safeguard was introduced. She had

in mind particularly the case of Mrs Elliott. There could be no

guarantee that Members of the Legislative Council would give their first loyalties to the Government. Mr Cheong-Leen observed that Legislative Council membership (unlike membership of the Urban Council) was currently restricted to UK subjects. More significantly, any process of election of Legislative

Council nominees within the Urban Council would be controlled by the Urban Council's appointed members (who comprised 12 out of a total of 24). He thought that an indirect elective system, although it might initially be welcomed, would not at present fulfil its intended function.

PRESS PUBLICITY

4.

It was agreed that, although the press could be informed

that the meeting had taken place, no indication should be given

as to what had been discussed.

20 May 1974

Distribution

PS/Lord Goronwy-Roberts

Bir D Watson

Mr Youde

CONFIDENTIAL