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233 7280

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J S Wall Esq

APS to Secretary of State

Foreign and Commonwealth Office Downing Street West

CONSIDERPUAL

CABINET OFFICE

70 WHITEHALL

LONDON SWIA 2AS

29 December 1977

Дель

Dear Stephen,

BUSINESS FORECAST

and

We are embarking on our next forecast of Cabinet and Cabinet Committee business, I am writing to seek your help and that of Desmond Bryars, to whom I am sending a copy of this letter, in compiling that part of the forecast which is concerned with DOP, DOP(S), GEN 103 and associated Cabinet business. (I am dealing separately with cther Committees such as GEN 12 with which the FCO and MOD are concerned).

2. The forecast is an attempt to look forward to the period beyond Easter and should show expected business on a month-by-month basis ie January, February, March and "later".

DOP

3.

Your last forecast of business and recent discussions in DOP suggest the following possible runners:-

January

We are already aiming to have a meeting of DOP in the week beginning 16 January to take the following subjects:-

Cyprus: British Folicy and Military Commitments (DCP(77) 34)

Jaguar for Turkey - a joint paper by the Foreign and Commonwealth Secretary

and the Defence Secretary

Statement on Defence Estimates 1978 (MOD)

Other possibilities for January are:

Gibraltar Dockyard (FCO/MOD) We already have Mrs Hart's paper on possible measures to offset the economic consequences of the closure of the dockyard (DOP(77) 24), but we await the FCS's recommendations on the timing and content of an announcement about the future of the dockyard (DOP(77) 3rd Meeting).

Diplock Report on Mercenaries (FCO/Home Office) We shall take this

memorandum (DOP(77) 28) as soon as a convenient opportunity arises.

1 CONFIDENTIAL

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