TNAG-1744-FCO40-2463-Visits-by-FCO-officials-to-Hong-Kong--including-visit-by-Lor-1988 — Page 197

From The Minister of State

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

London SW1A 2AH

9 June 1988

23 May 1988

Dear Peter,

Thank you for your letter of 10 May enclosing one from Mr Clifford Allison on the establishment of a British Representative office in Hong Kong.

I am naturally concerned that Mr Allison should feel that the position of British expatriates in the territory is so unsatisfactory. It was for this reason that I took up with the Hong Kong authorities the specific points raised in his earlier letter.

I have now heard from the Hong Kong Immigration Department. On the question of the registration of overseas electors, I understand that the Hong Kong Immigration Department were very active indeed in publicising these arrangements. In conjunction with the British Trade Commission, the Department placed large advertisements in a leading English language newspaper; distributed and displayed information leaflets; publicised the arrangements on radio and TV; and wrote to some 300 British firms, clubs and organisations (including Mr Allison's) to enlist their help in drawing the arrangements to the attention of all those eligible to register. Some of this material was centrally produced and I accept that some of the wording may not have been applicable to Hong Kong. But the Immigration Department's staff handling public enquiries about electoral registration are well briefed, and there is a special centre in the Travel Accounts Section of the Department designed to deal with overseas electors. I do therefore think that the rights and interests of British overseas electors are very well catered for in Hong Kong.

The Rt Hon Sir Peter Blaker KCMG MP

House of Commons

LONDON

SW1A OAA

/Mr Allison

TTI