TNAG-2968-FCO40-4247-Future-of-Hong-Kong-British-Consulate-General-inclusion-of--1993 — Page 2

31 December 1993

James Smith-Laittan Esq

BTC

HONG KONG

MULD 406/13

RECE

· 4 JAN 1994

·FFICE

Foreign & Commonwealth

Office

INDE

London SWIA 2AH

Telephone: 071-

TO

69

Dear James,

CONSULATE GENERAL: BRITISH CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

1.

Thank you for your letter of 16 December it was helpful to have the symbiotic relationship between the Chamber and the UK's commercial promotion spelt out. I shall return to the charge with interested departments in the New Year, working towards a sensible solution (ie that the Chamber would pay depreciation plus capital return at either 6% or 8%, calculated by RFD as coming to £27,352 or £34,190 depending on which rate is applied).

2.

On your para 5, I take it that you did not mean to exclude billing the Chamber for running service costs (your first sentence could be interpreted in that way). I am grateful to Russ Jarvis for providing us with some insight into the British Chamber of Commerce's room for manoeuvre. On your last paragraph, I have not yet had a definitive reply on the "gifts" / point, but am copying to you (by fax) Alan Wooton's minute to me of 10 December. This explains in more detail the accounting point. This is a complication which we could do without it seems to me that these guidelines cannot be much implemented, or our administration would have a better grasp of them.

-

3. You should by now have seen Alex Smith's minute to me of 17 December. Mr Smith's minute does not push the relocation of the BCC to the British Council wing (but it does spell out the possible inconvenience to BTC visitors, which presumably you can live with).

Happy New Year!

Debbie.

Deborah Barnes Jones Hong Kong Department

INST PAPER

cong.NAT.JRB