RECE
HKC 386/1
3 0 OCT 1978
DESK OFA...
INDEX
0. 51
REGISTRY
Action Taken
PA
27/11
REX
(286
A
B
C
DA
E
F
Mr Stratton
PS Mr Rowlands
No
PS/Lord Goronwy-Roberts
PARLIAMENTARY QUESTION:
1.
BERMUDA
cc Mr Stephen
Mr Cortazzi
Mr McLaren, HKGD
Lord Brockway has put down a question for oral reply on 8 November. Lord Goronwy-Roberts' office have asked for a draft reply and Notes for Supplementaries by 2 November. As Mr Rowlands will be away for most of next week he will wish to consider this before he goes.
2. I therefore submit a draft reply and Notes for Supple- mentaries which with one exception have been agreed with the Governor. The exception is the wording of the fifteenth supplementary which the Governor wanted to end "to be important".
I
3. As background I attach the Hansard Reports of the Secretary of State's statement on Bermuda on 5 December 1977 and Lord Goronwy-Roberts' reply to Lord Kennet's question on capital punishment in the dependent territories on 19 January. understand that the Secretary of State is considering the question of a debate on capital punishment in the dependenɩ territories: Hong Kong and General Department will therefore submit a revised note for the tenth supplementary should this prove necessary.
4.
I also enclose a copy of the Department's analysis of the Pitt Report and a copy of the Report itself, which provides full background on Bermuda in a lucid and readable form.
5. Finally I attach copies of Mir Rowlands' minutes to the Secretary of State dated 3 October and 19 October written beforu and after his recent visit to Bermuda.
6.
The Governor is delivering the Speech from the Throne today and I suggest that copies of this should be made available to the Library of both Houses. This and other possible developmen ́s before 8 November may mean that some updating of the draft reply and supplementaries will be required.
27 October 1978
PCD)
PC Duff
West Indian and Atlantic Department
CONFIDENTIAL