TNAG-2344-FCO40-3410-Future-of-Hong-Kong-British-Consulate-General-1992 — Page 169

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Annex

157)

HKC 496/1.

FUTURE BRITISH CONSULATE-GENERAL: BRITISH COUNCIL COLOCATION

AND FUTURE STATUS

1. In order to maximise the "presence" of the future Consulate-General, Ministers agreed in 1989 that the British

Council should colocate with the core functions of the

Consulate and the immigration and passport sections in one prestige building. The Land Commission paper, proposing the Private Treaty Grant (PTG) for the Colvin House site,

approved by EXCO on 31 July 1991 provided for British Council colocation, and it was on this basis that the formal Chinese approval was given on 20 September.

2.

The

The Council were content with the colocation proposal,

provided that they could continue to carry out the full

range of their current activities in the new building. Hong Kong Government initially suggested that the Council's English language teaching activities (ELT) might not be

compatible with the conditions of the PTG, but they are now

satisfied that because the Council is a non-profitmaking

organisation, there will be no breach of the PTG, (HK telno

3268).

3. A separate factor which could affect the Council's

ability to operate in the future is the question of their

legal status. HKG advised that, with the handover of

sovereignty in 1997, the exemption provisions of the

Societies Ordinance will be amended (under the Adaption of

the Laws exercise), and the Royal Charter under which the

Council are incorporated will no longer have application to

Hong Kong; their present legal status will thus evaporate.

There has been no indication that the Chinese would or would not allow the Council's present operation in Hong Kong to

NC2AAC/1

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