CONFIDENTIAL
immigrants from China continue to arrive in uncomfortably high numbers. The Secretary of State has agreed that we should continue to deal informally with this problem through
the NCNA in Hong Kong. No doubt the Governor will let us know if this becomes a serious problem, and our officials here and
in Hong Kong and Peking can then consider what further measures might be taken.
a
12. There has been increasing political interest in this country in the policy of returning illegal immigrants to China. The Secretary of State has reviewed and endorsed the present policy, and we do not foresee any problem about continuing to defend it, provided it continues to be administered in a humane manner, and provided we remain con-
fident that those who are returned are not maltreated.
VI The Precious Blood Golden Jubilee Secondary School
Controversy
13.
The Minister may wish to say that this controversy has attracted a certain amount of political attention in this country, and that Miss Joan Lestor is proposing to raise it in the Labour Party National Executive Council. We realize that it is a complex issue, and that we shall not have the full facts until the final report of the Committee of Inquiry is available. But our impression is that the Education Department showed a certain lack of sensitivity in the way they handled the case. However there is little point now in going over the past history of the dispute. The interim report of the Committee of Inquiry looks as if it could provide the basis for a satisfactory settlement. We note that the Government have accepted the report's recommendations albeit with some reluctance, and we hope that the teachers will now do the same, and that the two sides will cooperate to make the proposed compromise work.
CONFIDENTIAL
No comments yet.
Private notes are available after approval.