TNAG-1391-FCO40-1863-Future-of-Hong-Kong-briefing-for-meetings-and-visits-1985 — Page 79

RESTRICTED

benefitting from renewed confidence, the Financial

the Financial Secretary looks

forward to a return to balanced budgets in a year's time.

(ii) FURTHER DEVELOPMENT OF REPRESENTATIVE GOVERNMENT

10. Meanwhile, in the aftermath of the agreement a further stage in

the development of representative government in Hong Kong is taking

place this year:

(a) The second round of elections to the local government District

Boards took place in March. 213 seats were contested by nearly

500 candidates, and over 476,000 people, a third of the

registered electorate, voted.

(b)

(c)

A provisional Regional Council is being established to provide a regional representative body for the New Territories (having

the same functions as does the Urban Council for Hong Kong

Island and Kowloon); and

In September the first (indirect) elections to Hong Kong's

Legislative Council will take place, to select 24 of the

Council's 56 members. A further review of progress towards

representative government will take place in 1987, before the next Legislative Council elections scheduled for 1988.

Hong Kong Department

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

3 June 1985

RESTRICTED