TNAG-2171-FCO40-3108-Special-quota-of-work-permits-for-the-Dependent-Territories-1990 — Page 46

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10

104457

MDLOAN 9336

CONFIDENTIAL

FM FCO

TO PRIORITY HONG KONG

TELNO 601

OF 20110OZ MARCH 90

AND TO PRIORITY BTC HONG KONG

PERSONAL FOR GOVERNOR FROM PAUL, HKD

DEPENDENT TERRITORIES WORK PERMIT QUOTA

HD 213/1 Ако

RECEIVED IN REGISTRY

3 OMAR 1990

DESK OFFICER INDEX

PA

证

REGISTRY

Action Taken

1.

AS YOU KNOW, MINISTERS DECIDED IN DECEMBER TO ABOLISH THE SPECIAL WORK PERMIT QUOTA FOR HONG KONG, ON THE GROUNDS THAT THE ARRANGEMENTS TO GRANT CITIZENSHIP TO 50,000 FAMILIES PROVIDE FOR HONG KONG ON A MUCH LARGER SCALE AND REMOVE THE JUSTIFICATION FOR THE SPECIAL ALLOCATION OF WORK PERMITS. IN THE LIGHT OF THE POINTS IN YOUR TELEGRAM NO 49 AND THOSE RAISED BY TSANG DURING HIS VISIT, WE HAVE PUT THE CASE FOR A CONTINUATION OF ARRANGEMENTS. BUT THE HOME SECRETARY IS ADAMANT THAT THE QUOTA SHOULD GO: THE 1990 QUOTA FOR HONG KONG WOULD THEREFORE BE THE LAST.

THE ANNOUNCEMENT OF THE 1990 QUOTA WILL BE BY MEANS OF A PQ.

TEXT AS FOLLOWS:

2.

QUESTION: TO ASK THE SECRETARY OF STATE FOR EMPLOYMENT, WHETHER A DECISION HAS YET BEEN MADE ON A SPECIAL ANNUAL QUOTA FOR THIS YEAR OF WORK PERMITS FOR WORKERS FROM THE DEPENDENT TERRITORIES WHOSE LEVEL OF SKILL IS BELOW THAT REQUIRED BY THE GENERAL WORK PERMIT SCHEME.

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REPLY: THE ARRANGEMENTS FOR A SPECIAL ANNUAL QUOTA ARE KEPT UNDER REVIEW. I CAN CONFIRM, HOWEVER, THAT IT HAS BEEN DECIDED THAT THERE SHOULD BE A QUOTA FOR 1990 OF 200 THE SAME AS LAST YEAR. WITHIN THE FIGURE OF 200 NO MORE THAN 150 PERMITS WILL BE ALLOWED FOR ANY ONE TERRITORY.

AS YOU WILL SEE, THIS MAKES NO MENTION THAT THE QUOTA IS THE LAST. A FURTHER STATEMENT WILL BE MADE LATER IN THE YEAR.

3.

HURD

YYYY

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