TNAG-0525-FCO40-620-Visit-of-UK-Members-of-Parliament-(Defence-and-External-Affa-1975 — Page 191

Mr O'Keefe

HK

KLØD

CONFIDENTIAL

Da.

[27/1x

108

VISIT BY PARLIAMENTARY SUB-COMMITTEE ON EXPENDITURE TO LONG KONG : MR SYKES'S MINUTE OF 29 AUGUST

1.

Subject to your views, I think it could indeed be useful for the Sub-Committee to be given a general FCO briefing on political and defence matters as we see them, especially if you feel it would be worth giving them any FCO views on the likely longer term political developments.

2. One aspect of the new financial arrangements for Hong Kong defence about which they should perhaps know is the change which is likely to come about in the relationship between the Services and the Hong Kong Government officials. I comment with reserve after having stayed for only 10 days in March, but as you know I and my MOD colleagues on the Working Party on force levels were struck by a certain lack of rapport between the two. There was a distinct air of "us" and "them" between them, and the Colonial Secretariat even briefed the Governor in these terms for a major meeting we all had under his chairmanship.

3.

The situation has apparently grown up over the years because of HMG's primary financial responsibility for the defence of Hong Kong (and perhaps also because of the tradition that the CBF has the title of Your Excellency, which implies in some ways a near equality with the Governor in military matters). One result of all this has been that the Colonial Secretariat have had only a very small staff responsible for (or expert in) Service matters and they have consequently I understand tended to accept the pronouncements of the Services on military matters, including standards of accommodation, facilities, etc., and on internal security matters involving the Services.

4. On this basis cooperation seems on the whole to have been reasonably good, but there seems to be a slight edge to the relationship. There was clearly some feeling in the Colonial Secretariat that the Services, (which means principally the Army, who form the lager Service element in the Colony), were in some areas at least living rather high on the hog (this despite the fact that senior members of the Hong Kong Government Service are themselves pretty highly paid by UK standards.)

5. I think both sides are conscious of the need for closer understanding (and greater economy) in future, but also of the fact that as the Hong Kong contribution to finance costs goes above 50%, the Hong Kong Government is going to want to have a larger say in matters and

/and

CONFIDENTIAL