TNAG-1834-FCO40-2608-Sensitivity-review-of-Hong-Kong-Government-records-1988 — Page 65

SECRET

DSR 11C

6. However, the Public Record Office will not accept

records with a continuing high security classification.

They consider that it is the responsibility of departments,

not the PRO, to protect classified material; indeed

section 3(4) was drafted to deal with this difficulty.

Public Access to the microfiche

7. We do seem to be slightly at cross-purposes here.

We

had thought it was clear that all decisions on the date of

public access to the microfiche or any section of them must

be made by the Hong Kong Government before they are sent to

London. No other arrangement is acceptable either in

principle or in practice. It is not the business of the

FCO, nor is it equipped, to second guess decisions made in

Hong Kong on the 'basis of the detailed guidance that we

have seen, nor would it be proper for us so to do.

8. A couple of other points. The Public Records Acts are

concerned with custody not ownership, and it is my under-

standing that other agencies have already made arrangements

for their records.

9. You will want to mull all this over and, hopefully,

you, Duncan and I can get round a table to discuss anything

that is unclear when you are in London later in the year.

SECRET