(118281) Dd. 391599 1,500M 2/69 Hw,
NOTHING TO BE WRITTEN IN THIS MARGIN
to
B
Registry No.
HKK 14/14 DRAFT SUBMISSION
SALITY CLASSIFICATION
Top Secret.
Secret.
Confidential.
Restricted.
Unclassified.
PRIVACY MARKING
To:-
Mr Wilford
Sir L Monson Mr Logan
Type 1 +
From
Mr Laird
Telephone No. & Ext.
Department
HKD
In Confidence
A
MP'S LETTER: APPOINTMENTS FROM BAR TO BENCH
PROBLEM
1. Mr John Tilney MP wrote to Mr Royle on
11 October enclosing a/letter from a distant
relation of his in Hong Kong, Henry Litton QC,
who desired clarifigation on our policy regarding
appointments to the Supreme and District Court
Benches from the Hong Kong Bar. For the reasons
uct
L
explained below a reply has not been sent to
Mr Tilney.
ARGUMENT
2. For some years now a former Chairman of the
Hong Kong Bar Association, Gerald de Basto, has
been campaigning vigorously for promotion to the
Bench to be fully open to members of the Bar instead
of only to members of the Government Legal
Service and the occasional officer transferred from
the Service of another Dependent Territory. In
suggesting a reply from the Governor to Mr de Basto's
latest letter of 7 May 1970 we went no further
than saying:
"..... the Secretary of State cannot give
any undertaking as to how future vacancies on the
Supreme Court Bench will be filled, but that the
views of the Hong Kong Bar Association will be
kept in mind."
13