SECRET
SECRETARY OF STATE'S BILATERAL WITH THE PRIME MINISTER:
13 MARCH 1990: HONG KONG ASSURANCES
(a) General
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Feedback from Hong Kong has reinforced my conviction that package
is essential component of our policy on Hong Kong. Would be serious
blow to confidence should we fail now. Essential to press on with
legislation as rapidly as possible.
(b) Entrepreneurs
Revised OD (K) paper (circulated on 13 March) now proposes specific scheme to cater for entrepreneurs (numbers likely to be about 500). This is a welcome improvement.
(c) Categories
Following our discussion on 6 March, Home Secretary and I propose creation of 7 broadly defined categories for General Allocation Scheme, under which only genuinely key people will be eligible to
apply.
Understand that Home Secretary has also floated the idea of a small reserve category, in addition to the 7 main categories, to cater for genuinely key people who would not be covered under the revised proposals, eg air traffic controllers, first class interpreters and translators. Agree that a way must be found to
cover these people
(d) Approved Secondment Scheme
OD (K) paper also sets out pros and cons of a small Approved Secondments Scheme. Many leading British companies (Cable & Wireless, ICI, BP, Glaxo) keen to make use of this scheme.
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Other EC countries (eg France, Belgium) have introduced assurances specifically to help their companies in Hong Kong. Others may well
follow. Secondments Scheme is the only part of our package
specifically tailored for British companies.
- Am reluctant to lose this scheme and thereby alienate companies
whose support we need.
PUPABR
SECRET
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