TNAG-1724-FCO40-2437-Minutes-and-Hansards-of-the-Legislative-Council-of-Hong-Kong-1988 — Page 213

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Question Ma

Public opinion surveys on the freed

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Reply by the Honourable the Chief Secretary

Sir David/Ford, KBE, LVO, JP

to a question by the Hon Martin Lee in the Legislative Council on 3 February 1988

MR. MARTIN LEE asked:

Quest Question:

With reference to the two public opinion surveys on the Green Paper carried out by AGB McNair HK Ltd, on behalf of the Survey Office, in the light of the statement attributed to the Managing Director of AGB McNair by Mr. George Foulkes MP during the House of Commons debate

on the

the Hong Kong Annual Report 1987 on 20 January 1988 to the effect that if AGB McNair had been given a free hand it would have asked more direct and simple questions than those which actually were asked and that it felt constrained by the complicated wording of the Green Paper, will Government inform this Council whether it will still rely on the findings of the surveys that only 15% and 12

cent respectively, of people polled would like to see elections introduced in 1988?

direct

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CHIEF SECRETARY:

Sir,

In winding up the debate on the Survey Office Report which took place in this Council on 18 November last, I noted that a wide range of comments had been made on the AGB McNair surveys. I said on that occasion, and I quote: "As in any survey of this nature, there

there will inevitably be different judgements as to how precisely any particular question should be put. I do not believe it to

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