Mr
ME PAUL,
Hong Kong Dept
Confidential fax to
"Head of Chancery, Paris pl.
11/4
Hong Kong Bill: the Secretary of State's Wind-up
The Secretary of State was grateful for the material provided with Miss Marsden's minute of 12 April. He has drafted three passages for possible insertion in a speech. I enclose them and would be grateful for any
comments.
The Secretary of State would be grateful to know how we arrive at the figure of £600 million benefit to the Exchequer if 50,000 Hong Kong immigrants come here.
The Secretary of State would be grateful if Mr Lidington could provide more material about Conservative Party manifestoes etc. Does the phrase about "no more mass immigration" come from 1974? The Secretary of State will need details of the Immigration Act 1988 or 1989 which fulfilled the specific 1987 pledge.
The Secretary of State has also seen Miss Marsden's minute of 9 April with material about Britain's economic stake in Hong Kong. This will be useful material for the wind-up, and I shall hang on to it.
The Secretary of State has also read the statements made by Mr Maude in Hong Kong about the French scheme. He would be grateful for urgent and quotable clarification of what the French are doing.
Х
X
Mr Hall is arranging for a meeting over a sandwich lunch on Thursday 19 April.
17 April 1990
CC:
PS/Mr Maude
PS/Lord Brabazon Mr Gillmore
Mr Lidington Mr Yeo MP
APS
(R N Peirce)
CC MISO MARSEN
MR MORRIS
MR PAUL
W17/4
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