TNAG-0940-FCO40-1159-Visits-by-Foreign-and-Commonwealth-Ministers-and-officials-t-1980 — Page 131

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CONFIDENTIAL PARAS 1-4 SECRET IN

HONG KONG

MINUTES OF A MEETING HELD AT GOVERNMENT HOUSE

ON MONDAY, 3 MARCH 1980

Present:

HE

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SH

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RECEIVED IN PRECAY NO. 51

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10 MAR 1950

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appropriate I mimo files

acuation on Local Government

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17/3

for discussion on Garrison and Refugees

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PS/GH

for discussion on Leases and AOB

Mr R D Clift, Head, Hong Kong and General

Department, FCO

LOCAL GOVERNMENT

1. The Chief Secretary presented a paper setting out proposals for local government reform. It was agreed after discussion that preparatory work on a Green Paper should proceed proposing:-

a)

b)

universal suffrage for all over the age of 21 with more than three years' residence in Hong Kong;

election by constituency for seats on both the District Management Committees and the Urban Council and to the District Advisory Boards in the New Territories without, if

possible, upsetting the number or ratio of appointed/elected members on the Urban Council.

2. The Governor emphasised that the main thrust of the changes must be a greater focus on regional government and while this might invite pressure for substantive change on UrbCo this should be resisted for the moment. Other things aside such a change to UrbCo would be more difficult to get through ExCo. Mr Clift assured the meeting that these measures would have broad Ministerial support and felt that there would not be any objections to changes in the Urban Council structure as well, if this was a step towards meeting demands for greater representation.

3.

The timing to aim for would be ExCo by the end of April, Green Paper in May, announcement of intentions in HE's speech to LegCo and first elections Autumn 1981.

CONFIDENTIAL

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