§ Mr. Hooleyasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, in each of the years 1970 to 1976 how many persons have been deported 358W from Hong Kong on political grounds to (a) China, (b) Taiwan and (c) other countries.
§ Mr. LuardNone. Those persons who have been returned to China were illegal immigrants; those deported to Taiwan or other States had committed criminal offences.
§ Mr. Hooleyasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement concerning sovereignty over Hong Kong, in the light of the principles set out by the People's Republic of China in UN document A/AC109/396.
§ Mr. LuardThe statement in the document referred to does not affect Her Majesty's Government's well-known view of the status of Hong Kong which was set out in the letter addressed by the United Kingdom Permanent Representative to the United Nations in his letter to the United Nations Secretary-General of 14th December 1972.
§ Mr. Hooleyasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what was the cost of producing the Hong Kong Labour Department's annual reports in each of the three years prior to the cessation of publication.
§ Mr. LuardThe Hong Kong Labour Department's annual report has not ceased publication. It has been circulated free of charge since 1974 and over 500 copies are disributed annually in Hong Kong and overseas. The cost of producing the report during the last three years when it was costed separately was:
- 1971–926 copies @ $HK 10.84 each.
- 1972–955 copies @ $HK 11.74 each
- 1973–780 copies @ $HK 10.55 each.
§ Mr. Hooleyasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is the establishment, strength and budget of the Political Adviser's office in Hong Kong.
§ Mr. LuardThe Political Adviser's office has an establishment and a strength of two Diplomatic Service officers on secondment to the Hong Kong Government and two locally employed secretaries. The Hong Kong Government pay $HK 400,000 annually in salaries and allowances for these four officers.
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§ Mr. Hooleyasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many persons were held in the Victoria Road Detention Centre in Hong Kong in each of the years from 1970 to 1976; and what were the highest and the average daily totals.
§ Mr. LuardThe figures requested are not immediately available. I shall write to my hon. Friend as soon as I have the information.
§ Mr. Hooleyasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is the establishment, strength and budget of the Hong Kong Government office in London.
§ Mr. LuardThe Hong Kong Government Office in London has an establishment of 72 and a strength of 70. Its budget in 1976–77 is about $HK 6.5 millions.
§ Mr. Hooleyasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many present or former members of the Royal Hong Kong Police currently under investigation by the Independent Commission Against Corruption, are at present in Taiwan; and what demands have been made to the authorities in Taiwan for their return.
§ Mr. LuardThirty-five former members of the Royal Hong Kong Police Force under investigation by the Independent Commission Against Corruption are living outside Hong Kong. No definite information is available on the number living in Taiwan. No representations have been made to the authorities in Taiwan for the return of those who may be living there. No extradition arrangements exist with Taiwan.
§ Mr. Hooleyasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what arrangements have been made for the payment of local or expatriate pensions or compensation when the lease of the territories adjoining Hong Kong expires.
§ Mr. LuardConsideration has not yet been given to the arrangements which may be necessary in these circumstances.
§ Mr. Hooleyasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth 360W Affairs when the report of the Turner Committee on labour relations in Hong Kong will be complete; which bodies and individuals have been invited to submit evidence to them; and if the report and recommendations will be published in full.
§ Mr. LuardIt is hoped that Professor Turner will have completed his academic study of labour relations in Hong Kong by early 1977. Professor Turner is making an independent study and has not informed me what bodies or individuals have been consulted. I cannot, at this stage, say whether the study will be published.
§ Mr. Hooleyasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs on how many occasions since 1972 a statement was made by the United Kingdom representative concerning Hong Kong in the United Nations Special Committee on the Implementation of the Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples; what was the substance of any such statement; whether any vote was taken in that period on the question of removing Hong Kong from the purview of the Committee at the request of the Government of the People's Republic of China; and how the United Kingdom representative voted thereon.
§ Mr. LuardThe United Kingdom Representative in the United Nations Special Committee on the Implementation of the Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples has made no statement concerning Hong Kong since 1972, and no vote has been taken during this period on the question of removing Hong Kong from the purview of the Committee. The Special Committee's report covering its work in 1972, which included a recommendation that Hong Kong should be removed from the list of territories to which the Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples applies, was approved by the General Assembly in resolution 2908 (XXVII) on 2nd November 1972.