CONFIDENTIAL
45
24
13,8
Mr Murray
PS/Mr Blaker
PARS.
2678
HKLE 173/2
LOVED IN
29 AUG 1979
DESK OFF
INDE
هلا
Ulo New 30/3
PROPERTY DEVELOPMENT AT TSUEN WAN, HONG KONG
1.
NO.
H. Quaffell HISGD
Thank
ay
you
28/8.
100
On 26 July, Mr Blaker gave a written reply to a Question by Mr Dennis Canavan MP (Labour - West Stirlingshire) about the involve- ment of private companies in property development at the Tsuen Wan railway depot in Hong Kong. (Vol. 971, cols. 404-406.) The text as printed included a table that was not attached to the version of the reply authorised by Mr Blaker. Mr Munro has asked how this happened.
2. The table had been attached to the draft reply originally sub-
mitted by the department. This draft was amended however when Mr Stratton pointed out that the table include certain information which Hong Kong had asked us not to publish without reference to them (para.8 of Hong Kong telegram No 1055). The revised draft omitted the table, but proposed instead that documents containing the inform- ation should be obtained from Hong Kong and placed in the House of Commons Library.
3. However, through a clerical oversight, a copy of the table was unintentionally attached to the text of the revised reply that was sent to HMSO for printing. The editors of the Official Report apparently inserted the sentence "Details of the companies are as
follows" on their own initiative.
4. As far as the reply itself is concerned, no great harm has been
done: it merely means that the reply included a summary of the information requested, a fuller version of which will be in the docu- ments that will be sent to the House of Commons Library (some of
these have been received already, but we are awaiting the rest before forwarding them to the Library). I do not believe therefore that there is any need to write to Mr Canavan. I have, however, written
to Hong Kong to explain what happened (and apologize)
10 August 1979
cc: Mr Stratton
W.S. Chantill
WE Quantrill
Hong Kong and General Department
CONFIDENTIAL