Foreign and Commonwealth Office London SW1
The Revd John Gingell BD 9 Hartington Street
Derby DEŽ 8EB
Telephone 01-
Your reference
Our reference
Date 2 September 1975
Dear Mr Singell
I wrote to you on 28 August about your letter to the
Foreign and Commonwealth Secretary about Hong Kong.
It is natural for cases of corruption in Hong Kong to receive wide publicity. However, there is no reason whatever to doubl the integrity of the great majority of public ser.ants in the Colony or the resolve of the Hong Kong Government to tackle the problem energetically. The Independent Commission Against Corruption was specifically set up to investigate complaints of corruption, to take steps for the prevention of corruption and to enlist community support. for its elimination. The Commission has made an encouraging start; it is a measure of its determination that in the twelve months ending June 1975 its operations department made 191 arxests resulting in 121 convictions.
Opinion in Hong Korm generally supports British membership of the EEC and the Hong Kong public broadly welcomed the result of the June referendum. Although we were unable to secure associate stalus for Hong Kong, as we would have liked, the Colony now benefits under most of the headings of the Community's scheme of generalised preferences and its trade with Europe enjoys considerable advantages as the result of the United Kingdes motership.
The entry into this country of any Commonwealth citizen subject to immigration control under the provisions of the Immigration Act 1971 or of any UK citizen so subiect, be he from Hong Kong or elsewhere, is governed by the Statement of Immigration Rules for bite Control on Entry of Commonwealth Citizens, which the lione Secretary laid before Parliament on 25 January 1973. These Rules are applici without regard to race, colour or religion and no additional restrictions are placed on the entry of UK citizens from Hong Konit. Indeed, nationals of dependent territories such as Hong Kong benefit; from special arrangements, in the work permit scheme administered by the Department of Employment, which are not open to others. Under these arrangements up to 500 work permits are available annually to dependent territories nationals who wish to come here for em loyment but who do not qualify for work permits under the general employment criteria of the scheme. A limit of 200 permits per year are available to any one
/territory;
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