CONFIDENTIAL
SPEAKING NOTE
I
1.
The Proposed Sickness, Injury and Death Benefit Insurance Scheme
Lord Goronwy-Roberts may wish to say that we hope to see the draft White Paper as soon as possible. He might confirm that we should like the Hong Kong proposals for a compulsory, contributory scheme to be implemented as soon as possible. But we hope the Governor will accept that the proposed scheme is not the limit of what should be done, but the basis for the introduction by an agreed date of a compre-
hensive social insurance scheme. The latter should include
a non-means tested unemployment benefit. The Government
should make a substantial contribution to the cost of the comprehensive scheme, perhaps one-third, and this contribution
should be used to enhance all benefits.
II
Appointments to ExCo and LegCo
2. The Minister may wish to express our strong disappoint- ment that the Governor's latest proposals do not do more to achieve our objective of a more broadly based membership for the Councils. We do not deny that both Mr Sandberg and Mr Newbigging would at some stage be useful appointments. But we should have preferred to see the opportunity taken at this stage to bring in less traditional candidates. It is difficult to believe that there are no Chinese candidates available of adequate calibre: has the Governor considered the two names suggested to him by Mr John Stewart: Mr CHAN KAN-CHUEN, the trades unionist and Dr CHEN, an economist at the Hong Kong Chinese University.
III
3.
Social and Economic Developments in Hong Kong beyond 1980 and Chinese Policies towards Hong Kong
The Minister may wish to congratulate the Governor on his draft paper summarising what the Hong Kong Government hope to do beyond 1980. This is an impressive document and an impressive programme. Although it now looks as if the Secretary of State's visit to Hong Kong will be postponed,
CONFIDENTIAL
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