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essentially concerned with good housekeeping and the concept of a
budget as a social or economic instrument is foreign to him.
14. I recommend that Lord Goronwy-Roberts should thank the Governor for letting him have such a detailed preview of the budget. As Lord Goronwy-Roberts is not now seeing the Governor in Hong Kong, I suggest that in his telegram the Minister of State might indicate that he is disappointed at not having seen any indication of the
budgetary strategy of the Hong Kong Government nor of its long-term
fiscal planning. He might say that he hopes that the budget speech will contain indications of Hong Kong Government thinking on this; that the details afforded have given rise to some queries
which he will wish to discuss at greater length with the Governor
after he has had a chance to study the full budget. Had
Lord Goronwy-Roberts' plans to transit Hong Kong been maintained,
I would have recommended that these matters be brought out in
conversation with the Governor.
15. I submit a draft telegram. The Economists, FRD, the Secretary
of State's Special Economic Adviser and the OLA have been consulted in the preparation of this submission.
17 February 1977
cc:
Mr Maud (FRD)
Mr Smith (Senior Economic Adviser)
Mr Lipsey
Mr Hurst (OLA)
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1.0. B. Stand
JAB Stewart
Hong Kong Department
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