QUESTIONS about the financial aftermath of the British Garrison's withdrawal are to be raised by legislator Ronald Arculli.
Mr Arculli, defence spokesman for the Liberal Party and a member of the security panel, will call for details on who will take charge of equipment and other forces assets.
It has been reported that the Black Watch battalion will be withdrawn a year ahead of schedule next year and will not be replaced by another unit from Britain.
''I will be tabling a question asking for clarification of the disposal of equipment and assets used by the Garrison in Hongkong,'' Mr Arculli said. ''If the withdrawal of the Garrison is to be quicker than predicted, we must sort out now the ownership of property.'' Under the Defence Costs Agreement, Hongkong pays 65 per cent of the Garrison running costs, plus the full amount for capital projects and maintenance.
Estimates for this financial year have put the total expenditure at $1.715 billion, or about 1.3 per cent of total government budget.
Mr Arculli said: ''My initial reaction is that, if we have paid for something, we should keep it. But, if we have just paid for the recurrent running costs of equipment, we are getting into a different area which may need discussion.