Sir James McPetrie
21
Reference...
Hong Kong
Commissioner for Administration Bill
in Feb. Past
We discussed (a request by the Hong Kong Department that you might write to the Attorney General there about this Bill. As a result, I
advised the Department that they should not send the draft of the Bill which we had received from the
Governor last year to the Parliamentary Commissioner for his comments but that they should themselves ask the Hong Kong authorities for a later draft of the
Bill.
2.
A revised draft of the Bill was received last
month and a copy of it has been sent to the Parliamentary Commissioner's Office. We were told that Mr. Denys Roberts will be in England during August next and proposes then to discuss the matter with the Parliamentary Commissioner. Mr. Sykes has
said that he will be happy to see Mr. Roberts. 3. It was suggested by Hong Kong that Mr. Primrose (Clerk of Councils) might be attached to the Parliamentary Commissioner's Office for two or three days towards the end of this year. Mr. Sykes has
told us that this is not possible since the Parliamentary Commissioner is bound not to disclose
information.
4.
It does not seem to me that there is anything for us to do at the moment in relation to the Hong Kong
Commissioner for Administration Bill and, in fact, no
decision has yet been taken in Hong Kong to proceed
with the Bill. You may, however, like to be aware
of Mr. Roberts' intended visit in August; he will no doubt call on you and possibly wish to discuss
this subject.
(H.L.M. Oxley) 10 April, 1969
P.GO.