GOVERNOR Chris Patten has hinted that Hong Kong will not be given the human rights commission demanded by local legislators and MPs in Britain. While denying that any decision had been taken on the issue, Mr Patten said in London: ''There are many countries where there is a bill of rights, and there are many countries where there is a human rights commission. There are very few countries where there is both a bill of rights and a human rights commission.'' Speaking after briefing MPs, Mr Patten said: ''There are a number of particular things which people believe a human rights commission should do. ''They believe it should provide greater awareness of the rights guaranteed in Hong Kong by law; they believe that it should provide better access to the courts to deal with human rights issues; and they believe that it should help to make access to the courts on those issues for individuals more affordable. ''Those are all very serious matters which we need to address.'' Among those calling for a Human Rights Commission is the Commons Foreign Affairs Select Committee, some members of which believe it is vital to set up such a body to send the signal to China that there are some areas on which Britain will not back down. Mr Patten is believed to be against setting up what many would see as another bureaucracy without many teeth. The most favoured way of enhancing human rights safeguards seems to be changes to the Bill of Rights. The topic was top of the agenda at talks over breakfast between Mr Patten and Foreign Secretary Douglas Hurd yesterday and earlier when Prime Minister John Major met the Governor. The issue would be discussed by the Executive Council shortly and its advice handed to the British Government, Mr Patten said. The British Government is expected to announce its decision in its reply to the Foreign Affairs Select Committee by the end of June. Mr Patten said the members of the committee he addressed had argued for a human rights commission. ''Nobody, nobody at all, disagrees with the proposition that we need to do everything possible to secure human rights in Hong Kong. There is general agreement on that. The main question is how best we can go about doing it.''
