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Early Day Motions
21. Any MP may put down a motion for debate "on an early day" - which means that no date has been fixed for the debate, nor will any date be fixed unless the Government agree to provide time for it. The Leader of the House gives a statement of Government business for the coming week usually on Thursdays, and after his statement he may be pressed by the supporters of Early Day Motions to find time for their motions. When a motion concerning Hong Kong is put down, we are asked to advise the Leader of the House whether he should accept it - he will normally not wish to do so and will require two or three sentences to enable him politely to decline. We do not usually find it necessary to consult Hong Kong on Early Day Motions, but should we need to do so the notice is usually long enough to allow it to be done by telegram.
22. Most MPs know that their Early Day Motions will never be debated: their purpose in publishing them is to draw attention to a subject of concern to them and to invite other MPs who agree with the motion to add their names to the list of supporters.
23. Early Day Motions remain on the Order Paper until the end of the Parliamentary Session. We may occasionally be asked to update our advice to the Leader of the House if circumstances change.
Debates
24.
We are regularly asked to provide short passages on Hong Kong topics of current concern for inclusion in Ministers' briefs for general debates, particularly on Motions for the Adjournment of Parliament for Recesses or at the end of a Session (when Members may raise any matter which they consider provides a reason why the House should not adjourn). The briefs provided on these Motions are normally on subjects on which the policy is well established and we do not therefore need to consult Hong Kong. If necessary, however, the notice is usually adequate to allow us to do so by telegram.
25. If material on Hong Kong is required by an FCO Minister speaking in other debates, the Minister's Private Secretary will commission the necessary briefs. We would consult Hong Kong by telegram or telephone as appropriate if we were in any doubt about the advice we should offer.
CORRESPONDENCE WITH MPS
26. When an MP writes to an FCO Minister about Hong Kong, HKGD are normally called upon to draft a reply by a specified deadline, usually 7 days after the letter is received. Wherever possible, we prefer to consult the Hong Kong Government before replying to any letter, in which case an interim reply is submitted while a copy
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