AIR MAIL
5
Ref: CR 1
RECOVED IN
REGISTRY No. 51
27 JUL 1971
(36)
COLONIAL SECRETARIAT, HONG KONG.
23rd July, 1971.
HKK14/14
Dean Michael,
LABT
REF.
25
NEXT
REF.
38
Please refer to your letter of 6th July, 1971, to Hugh Norman-Walker, about the announcement of Blair-Kerr's appointment as Senior Puisne Judge.
I am indeed sorry that we overlooked the need to coordinate publication of this appointment but since Blair-Kerr is already a Puisne Judge we had acted on the assumption that you would not wish to make an announcement in London. We had regarded Scholes' case as being different since it was associated with Pickering's promotion from District Judge.
You will of course be aware that there is no difference in salary, between the Senior Puisne Judge and his colleagues, and in this case there is no question of the succession being involved, However, in future we shall adhere strictly to the arrangements agreed between Carter and Hamilton both in respect of Puisne Judges and Senior Puisne Judges. By this we mean that when we have notified you of the effective date of promotion, which will follow your notification to us of the Queen's approval for the appointment, we will then expect you to suggest to us an appropriate date and time for an announcement to be made. When we have your suggested timing, we can then see whether this fits in with any special local considerations and, if not, let you know by return.
For the record, Blair-Kerr's appointment is effective from 28th March, 1971. I regret that other action on the same file about the filling of two recent vacancies for Puisne Judge led us to overlook the need for a reply to your telegram No.400.
к
yours sever
(S.T. Kidd)
Deputy Colonial Secretary
E.O. Laird, Esq., CMG, MBE, Foreign and Commonwealth Office,
LONDON.