TNAG-2959-FCO40-4238-Future-of-Hong-Kong-British-Consulate-General-building-incl-1993 — Page 69

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HONG KONG FUTURE CONSULATE GENERAL: BRITISH TRADE COMMISSION

RECE

HKD 406/2

06 JAN 1993

DESK OFFICER

REGISTRY

TRANSITION FROM THE Taken:

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) is predicated on a staffing requirement for 60 UK based and 156 locally engaged staff with flexibility to cater for another 60 (space allowed for a further 13 UK based and 47 locally engaged). 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 senior British Trade Commissioner has proposed that MRS be asked to conduct a review in 1993 of the staffing of the new Consulate General and the transition process. This paper, together with the revised SOR can form the starting point for that review.

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 1 July 1996 and will provide some 103,000 square feet of space, as well as accommodation for the British Council and nine residential flats. 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 John's Building should we need it.

Immigration and Passport Work

5. Currently Hong Kong Immigration Department (HKID) undertake work in 2 areas for which the Consulate

General will be responsible after 1997. The work falling into these areas can be defined at present as:

(a)

Nationality/Passport Matters.

Applications for Naturalisation or Registration (and for renunciation) as British Citizens, BDTCS, BN (0)S, British Overseas Citizens and British Subjects;

Applications for passports for these forms of nationality and for British protected persons (BPPs);

brief.consgen.BTC

JEB

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