TNAG-1107-FCO40-1358-Inspection-of-the-British-Trade-Commission--Hong-Kong--in-Fe-1981 — Page 53

1

M J Towsey Esq

Accommodation and Services Department

Room 121 Apollo House Croydon

Fil

XAA 424/3931/4

ADM 410/6

4 March 1981

000025

AIR CONDITIONING IN HONG KONG

I am sorry not to have replied earlier to your letter of 13 January about air conditioning but the letter had been put away without action being completed.

2. I recognise and appreciate the efforts which have been made to allow posts in humid climates to benefit from the review of air conditioning policy although frankly I think it only reasonable that visiting schoolchildren should enjoy similar air conditioned sleeping facilities to that available for resident schoolchildren.

3. I see very little point in continuing the correspondence about air conditioning until the Treasury are ready to accept that officers of representational grade in posts where the people they are expected to entertain usually dine in air conditioned living and dining rooms, cannot be expected to subject their guests to uncomfortable entertaining conditions. In the absence of air conditioned living and dining rooms throughout the hot, humid summer months in Hong Kong, I fear that members of my staff are unable to carry out their full entertainment responsibilities. To suggest that the entertainrent can continue by taking refuge in air conditioned bedrooms is, I think, not a prospect which Security Department would welcome!

4. I shall simply continue to bring these points to the attention of future FCO Inspectors. Basically the problem in Hong Kong is that whether we like it or not, most senior people benefit from air conditioned living rooms and therefore set a high standard of dress for official entertaining which we have little option but to follow.

D M March

Senior Trade Commissioner