CODE 18-77
Mr Alan Butler, Parliamentary Unit
SECRET
File
cierence
221
FUTURE OF HONG KONG:
BRIEFING THE CHINESE ON PARLIAMENTARY PROCEDURE
1. You will see from the attached minute that the Chinese Embassy here are painfully ignorant of British parliamentary procedure in handling agreements signed by the Government.
2. I should be grateful if you could let me have a speaking note, sprinkled liberally with previous precedents, that we could use with the Chinese Embassy to explain the usual parliamentary procedure. We are anxious to convince them that we cannot sign an agreement without a debate in Parliament. I imagine that the research into precedents you kindly under- took for us last week will provide a basis for this.
Vonathan Rall
HK Kogeli
RECEIVED IN REGISTRY
2. MAR 1984
DESE FICER
INDEX
PA
h
STRY
aken
20 March 1984
J N POWELL
Hong Kong Department
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