CONFIDENTIAL
HONG KONG FUTURE CONSULATE GENERAL: TRANSITION FROM THE BRITISH
TRADE COMMISSION
1.
With the transfer of sovereignty to China on 1 July 1997,
Britain's interests in Hong Kong will need to be represented by
a British Consulate General (BCG).
2.
The design and construction programme for the building is
already under way. The Schedule of Requirements (SOR) has also
defined the staffing requirement some 60 UK based and 200
-
locally engaged staff. But the new post cannot emerge fully-formed in July 1997. The present British Trade Commission
(BTC) will need to be built up over the next five years to take
on the full range of extra responsibilities by 1997.
The Building
3. One constraint on increasing the size of the present BTC will be availability of office space. At present, they occupy some 9,500 square feet in an office block, and have just taken
on another 3,400 square feet.
4. The new building should be ready by late 1995 or early 1996,
and will provide some 127,00 square feet of space, as well as accommodation for the British Council. The major increases in
staffing, in preparation for 1997, cannot therefore take place until the new building is ready. But the availability of the new building need not entirely dictate our policy on expansion
at the BTC meanwhile. In addition to the extra space at the
BTC, more spare space is also available in UKREP JLG's
accommodation in St Johns Building should we need it.
Immigration and Passport Work 5.
Currently Hong Kong
Immigration Department (HKID) undertake work in 2 broad
categories for which the Consulate General will be responsible
after 1997:
trans.btc.BTC
SLM
CONFIDENTIAL
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