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TEIDENDI AI
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34011
RECEIVED MY LOT NO. 5 Mr. Clift
1 1 MAR 198!
Enker.
DISK OLCER
INDEX
PA
REGISTRY Action Takes
450
122
At 1073
Sir E Youde
Cc:
You
Mr Adams
Mr Jones Mr Morrice PS/Mr Luce
186030 میں
ملا
PS/Mr Blaker PS/PUS
HONG KONG:
Paro 3013
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1. Mr Adams and I, accompanied by Mr Jones and Mr Morrice, had another session with two senior Home Office officials on 4 March. This was rather better than our earlier meeting the week before, although the Home Office have so far conceded nothing.
2. The Home Office side emphasised the difficulties which Mr Whitelaw faces in respect of his own back benchers. The Home
from the Governor Secretary will need considerable persuasion
-
and the Secretary of State - if we are to achieve anything for
Hong Kong in the Bill itself.
719/3.
3. We still have to solve a real paradox in the matter of Crown Service in Hong Kong and other dependent territories. If the Home Secretary agrees to amend the Bill to allow him discretion in the very rare case, as with other Crown Servants in the service of the United Kingdom, it will be clear that this will not provide the general assurance sought by Unofficials and public servants in Hong Kong. It will also be clear to Hong Kong that
a very limited discretion would not provide access to the UK in
a crisis for anything like the numbers envisaged at present. Conversely, if the Government puts forward amendments in such a way as to cover all the Crown Servants (both past and present) who would wish to have an assurance, it will be very difficult to explain the amendments without raising serious opposition in Parliament. It will also have the disadvantage of not being able
to avoid reference to the future of Hong Kong which could be damaging to confidence. My own feeling is that the only way to deal with this paradox is to insert an amendment to the Bill which gives very limited discretion to be used ''sparingly' and which would be presented without reference to Hong Kong as a
modest proposal to enable worthy public servants from any
1
CONFIDENTIAL
/dependency