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Mr Male
DEFENCE AND EXTERNAL AFFAIRS SUB-COMMITTEE: ORAL EVIDENCE SESSION 9 DECEMBER
1.
I have been asked to support Mr Hawley when he meets the Sub-Committee on 9 December. The Chief Clerk is, I understand,
seeking Ministerial approval to the proposition that official witnesses should confine themselves to statements about existing policy and decline to answer questions about changes to that policy which is more properly the responsibility of Ministers (Mr Moberly's undated minute and draft below).
2.
Even so, some of the questions which the Sub-Committee are likely to ask about Hong Kong are awkward. It is not quite clear yet what the full range of the Sub-Committee's enquiries will be but some of the subjects to be covered will be found on pages 1 and 2 of Mr Sloman's minute of 1 December; and again on pages 1 and 2 of his minute of 4 December. Some of these are for the Ministry of Defence and pose particular difficulties in view of the present
disagreement on the timing of the announcement of the Defence
Costs Agreement. (Mr Rodgers wishes this to take place tomorrow; but Hong Kong believe that it would be impossible to secure
Executive Council consent to the Agreement until the question of restrictions on Hong Kong textiles is resolved.)
3.
I attach a list of these questions together with suggested replies on which I would be grateful for approval.
Millaffe
8 December 1975
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Sir D Watson
Mr Hawley
PL O'Keeffe
Hong Kong & Indian Ocean Dept.
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