TNAG-1890-FCO40-2683-Visits-by-Sir-Geoffrey-Howe-and-by-Douglas-Hurd--Secretaries-1989 — Page 28

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PAROZIL

Mr Paul, HK1)

This is in land,

HKB 026/20

Mr McLaren

I helizar

125/5-

Hong Kong: PR

As you know, the Secretary of State was very struck by the massive PR effort which is to be mounted by Omelco. He also notes the enormous information gap evident in the United States, as evidenced by Washington telno 1465.

Filling that information gap will be one of the issues for discussion at this afternoon's meeting. The Secretary of State would anyway be grateful to have at his disposal information (primarily for use in this country) on:

the number of homeless in the United Kingdom;

the extent of the house-building programme and how far it could cope with a massive influx from Hong Kong;

pressures on the health service and social services in major cities, etc.

In other words, the Secretary of State wants as many relevant facts as possible to show the practical difficulties we would face in trying to accommodate a large-scale Hong Kong influx. Although the material is primarily for use here, it may also be useful to have it in Hong Kong as well, so the Secretary of State would be grateful if material could be prepared urgently in advance of his visit.

29 June 1989

CC:

PS/Lord Glenarthur PS/PUS

Mr Gillmore

Miss Spencer

Mr Burns, News Dept

Mr Paul, HKD

Inf Dept

(J S Wall)

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