Registry No. HKK 8/3
DRAFT
LETTER
SECURITY CLASSIFICATION
Top Secret.
Secret.
To:-
M D A Clinton Esq
CMG GM
Colonial Secretariat Hong Kong
Type 1 +
From
Mr Laird
Telephone No. & Ext.
Confidential.
Restricted.
Unclassified.
PRIVACY MARKING
...In Confidence
Dak.
js
En
82)
2/ LIT
1.
Department
Thank you for your letter of 8 December about
the preparation of replies to Parliamentary
Questions.
2. I am sorry if our telegrams pes 890 and 891
caused you unnecessary inconvenience. The fault
was ours in that you could not be expected to know
that in the case of Questions for written (as
opposed to oral) reply which are put down at short
notice, up to three days' grace is allowed in
replying to such questions, beyond the date on which
they are due to be answered. It was for this reason
that in the two telegrams to which you refer we did
not ask for your replies to reach us by any specific
deadline.
3. The aim is, of course, to reply to all Questions,
whether for written or oral reply, on the date on
which they are due to be answered; and the extra
latitude referred to above applies only when
are
ané
Questions for written reply are put down at short
notice.
4.
You will no doubt bear the above in mind when
dealing with any future telegrams from us of this
kind. If on receiving any such telegram you consider
that it will not be possible (without undue stress)
(885363) Dd. 896639 1,000M 8/71 St.S.
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