PS/Mr Luce
Private Secretary
SECRET
letter bissue
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FROM: R D CLIFT, HKD DATE: 10 April 1984
cc: PS/PUS
Sir P Cradock
Mr Goulden, News Dept
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FUTURE OF HONG KONG: SECRETARY OF STATE'S VISIT: PARLIAMENTARY HANDLING
1. Mr Luce briefed Mr Dennis Healey on lines agreed on
9 April. He mentioned the idea that there should be a debate fairly soon after the Secretary of State's return from the Far East and sought the Opposition's cooperation. Mr Healey stressed that the Labour Party were indeed prepared to cooperate. If there were a very bad reaction to the Secretary of State's statement in Hong Kong they might have to ask for a statement in Parliament. Otherwise they agreed that a debate would be right.
2. To help on this Mr Healey suggested that Mr Kinnock should ask a business question of the Leader of the House on
12 April in order to establish before the visit that a debate would be arranged. This would help to avoid trouble. It would be necessary for the question to be asked before the Recess.
(289)
3. If such a question were put and answered affirmatively before the visit there would of course be some risk of heightened expectations in Hong Kong and even of a belief that the House would be debating the terms of an agreement itself. However expectations are already quite high; the idea of a debate after the visit is a natural one and it should be possible to defuse more exaggerated ideas. Moreover the advantages of getting the cooperation of the Opposition are considerable. I therefore recommend that we go along with Mr Healey's proposal and, as he has asked, supply Mr Kinnock with a suggested form of question.
4. I recommend that the question should be on the following lines:
"In the light of the forthcoming visit of the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs to China and Hong Kong, will the leader of the House consider making time for a short preliminary debate in May when the House resumes."
HICKOHOLI
ALCEIVES IN
---/The
LAPR 1984
SECRET
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081417