TNAG-1154-FCO40-1434-Visits-by-Members-of-Parliament-(MPs)-to-Hong-Kong-1982 — Page 52

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PS bister (AP)

PR/UJ of S(AF)

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KA/VODS (P&L)

DGAMS

DLO

Head DS C

Head DS 7

Head DS 9

Head DS 11

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RECEIVED IN ESITLY NO. 62 2 9 JUL 1982

KLEX

AUS(NS)

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ACAS (PO1)

RODO: VISIT TO HONG KONG

Head QG Sec Heud AC Sec

1. The House of Commons Defence Committee has just returned from a satisfactory visit to liong Kong. The Committee was well received and entertained and was given an extensive programme of visits and briefings which the members enjoyed and appreciated.

2

The Committee will wish to follow up the visit with at least one evidence session in Westminster but because of their involve- ment with the Falkland Island enquiry this is not likely to take place before October at the carliest. I think it is unlikely that they will ask to see Ministers

3. No really contentious issues were raised during the visit. Rearer the date of the evidence session ne will get some

indication of the topics which the Committee will wish to discos, but a preliminary list of points which were noted during the visit is as follows:

E

Clansman

Although the Committee were assured that Clansmen kit will be available within 18 months or so, they will no doubt wish to examine why it has been so long delayed from the original target date of 1977.

b. 180 Briefing

The Committee received the impression that the briefing given to 1SG prior to their departure from Northern Ireland was inadequate in a number of respects. In particular some guardsmen complained that they were not fully informed about their role in Hong Kong or about the high cost of living (see (c) below). Some of the wives complained about the lack of facilities for pre-school age children. The question of briefing Servicemen and their families was also raised during the last visit to Hong Kong by the Defence and External Affairs Sub-Committee of the Expenditure Committee in November 1975 (House of Commons Paper 270 published in March 1976 refeis). The PCDC are bound to want to pursue this in oral evidorco.

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