TNAG-2209-FCO40-3169-Future-of-Hong-Kong-principal-officials-1991 — Page 34

CONFIDENTIAL

Mr Paul, Hong Kong Department

FROM:

DATE:

CC:

HKB 012 17.

RECEIVED IN REGISTRY

DES:.

P FifootNDEX

2 5 APR 1990

Legal Advisers 23 March 1990

2S/Mr Maude

Mr Gillmore

RICER

PA

Mr McLaren

Mr Lidington

Mr Stone

Ms Barrett

ра.

12/4

HONG KONG: AUTONOMY

1.

The paper attached to your submission of 21 March:-

(a) omits consideration of the advantage/desirability/ necessity of making institutional changes to the present administration/executive structure of Hong Kong in order to facilitate convergence or give practice in the future institutions of the SAR in the run up to 1997 (the second sentence of para 14 merely touches on this area);

(b)

omits consideration of the effect of the nationality package on the availability of individuals qualified to hold executive office or membership of Exco and, in turn, the problems of identifying them prior to 1997 so that a pool of possible candidates could be put into executive posts before 1997 which would give them an opportunity to acquire necessary administration experience;

(c) fails adequately to consider the consequences of the separation of the Executive from the Legislature in 1995 and the need to make provision both for a failure of cooperation between them and the need to create positive ways of cooperation (though the latter is briefly touched on in para 25 (c));

1

/(a)

* Footnote: Your request for urgent comments on the draft paper which I received late on Wednesday morning allowed me only time to send you a draft, much amended in manuscript of a hastily dictated minute. This minute replaces that one. amended (a) to take into account your final text, (b) the wider circulation, (c) to eliminate some of the

breathlessness of my Wednesday draft, and (d) to include a. few additions.

PF1AAM