TNAG-1175-FCO40-1477-Proposed-replacement-airport-for-Hong-Kong-at-Deep-Bay-or-Ch-1982 — Page 65

布政司署

CONFIDENTIAL___ 31/12/

दिसत

AF

3118

香港下亞座畢道

本署檔號 OUR REF: (17) CR 2/926/81 III

來深檔號 Your REF :

R J F Hoare Esq

HK&GD

F CO

Dear Richard,

37

GOVERNMENT SECRETARIAT

LOWER ALBERT ROAD

HONG KONG

24 August 1982

нак 18211

182||

Rosia Af319

See (40

Replacement Airport

33

Thank you for your letter of 3 August. I am not sure that the conclusion you have drawn is justified by the evidence to which you refer. The quotation in paragraph 2 of your letter appears to be from the TV and Radio "GIST" of 30 June. This is a summary of TV and Radio news and commentary programmes and is not in any sense the Government press release. (I am not sure exactly how the London Office news sheet to which you also refer is compiled, but I imagine that it is on similar lines to the GIST). The decision to avoid commenting to the press on ExCo's discussion of 18 May has been respected. This discussion in any case was not about the replacement airport as such, but about whether further investigation of the Deep Bay option was justified. So far as I am aware, there has been no press speculation on this aspect of the problem.

2.

The feasibility study on Chep Lap Kok is a very visible exercise on which large amounts of public funds have already been spent. It is impossible to keep the consultants' timetable and the progress made in their studies completely secret. It is therefore to be expected that there will be speculation in the press about the likely completion of the feasibility study, and therefore about the date on which the Government will have the technical evidence to enable it to take a decision. The earliest date at which the information on which a decision could be made is expected to be available is July 1983. This does not mean that a decision will necessarily be taken at that time. Civil Aviation Department is well aware of the need to avoid suggesting that a decision will be taken at any particular time.

Yours eve

Richard

(R P Margolis)

Acting Political Adviser

cc M W Atkinson Esq MBE PEKING

CONFIDENTIAL