TNAG-0800-FCO40-1004-Implications-for-Hong-Kong-of-changes-in-British-Nationality-1978 — Page 8

CONFIDENTIAL

majority of people in Hong Kong, and we do not believe that there is any real pressure there to introduce constitutional changes that would threaten the stability of the territory.

4. Mr Gingell also claims that we deny the citizens of Hong Kong many of the rights in the labour, health and social security fields that are enjoyed in this country. It is true that Hong Kong citizens do not have as wide a range of social benefits

available to them as exist in the UK. But the Hong Kong Govern-

ment, with the full support of the British Government, are committed to a programme that will make Hong Kong's social services second only to Japan's in south and east Asia, and this is really a more valid comparison than comparison with the UK. Considerable progress has already been made in implementing this programme, and the process is continuing.

5. Mr Gingell's other preoccupation is with the fact that holders of Hong Kong-British passports do not enjoy an automatic right of entry into the UK. But this concern is based on a misunderstanding of Hong Kong British citizenship. The holder of a Hong Kong British passport has an absolute right to live and work in Hong Kong, but there is no logical reason why he should be entitled to special privileges in entering any other country including the UK. In fact, holders of passports from British dependent territories do enjoy certain advantages in obtaining permits to work in the UK, as was explained to Mr Gingell in Mr O'Keefe's letter of 2 September 1975.

6. I therefore recommend that a reply should be sent on the lines

of the attached draft.

NTD concur.

9 October 1978

cc PS/Lord Goronwy Roberts

Mr Cortazzi

Mr Smedley, N&TD

WE Quantrill

Hong Kong & General Department

CONFIDENTIAL

LETTER

The Reverend John Gingell BD Industrial Adviser to the

Bishop of Derby

9 Hartington Street

DERBY DE3 8EB

Mr Stephen

Thank you for your letter of 13 September, to which David

Owen has asked me to reply on his behalf.

The position of Hong Kong is indeed paradoxical,

particularly in the context of the Government's policy,

as reconfirmed by the Foreign and Commonwealth Secretary

when addressing the United Nations General Assembly last

month, of giving every encouragement and support to our

remaining dependent territories in seeking to become

independent. However, it is also fundamental to the

Government's policy that the interests of the people

concerned should be paramount. Hong Kong is unique:

because of its historical and geographical circumstances

it can never become an independent country. This being so,

there is no doubt that for the present, the people of

Hong Kong believe their interests to be best served by

the continuation of British administration. The Chinese

Government have made it clear that they too are content

for the administration of Hong Kong to continue in its

present form.

This is not to say that the Government is not conscious

of the need to be responsive to the wishes of the

/population

population, even though there can be no

democratically elected Government. The Hong Kong

Executive and Legislative Councils consist of a mixture

of official and unofficial members: in appointing the

latter, the Governor endeavours to choose people who are

as broadly representative as possible of Hong Kong

society. Recent appointments have included social

workers, a trade unionist, teachers, community leaders,

Ministers of both Catholic and Protestant churches as

well as businessmen and industrialists etc. The

Government has also established a system of District

Officers throughout the territory, one of whose

primary functions is to keep the Government in touch with

what people are thinking about the way Hong Kong is, or

should be, run.

You mention that Hong Kong citizens do not enjoy the

same labour, health and social security rights as people

in this country. But Hong Kong is a very different sort

of society. A better comparison is with other countries

in the region, and here I could perhaps draw your

attention to the policy, announced by the Governor, of

ensuring that Hong Kong has a range of social benefits

that are at least equivalent to the best available in

neighbouring countries, with the exception of Japan.

Considerable progress has been made in recent years in

developing social services in Hong Kong and further

improvements are being introduced all the time.

would like further information on this subject, or indeed

on anything else concerned with developments in Hong

Kong, you might like to contact the Hong Kong Government

Office in London, whose address is:

If you

/6 Grafton Street ...