FCS/84/310
150)
CONFIDENTIAL
M..stum
HKCK
RECEIVED
2 8 NOV 1984
DESK OFFIC
F
нка ра
L
V. PS
PS/Mr Luce
Sir D Crudak
Dr Wilse
Parliamenty Unit
ACTING CHIEF WHIP
INDEX
1.
Hong Kong Debate
Thank you very much for coming round on Friday.
I think it was useful to talk through at this stage a number
of aspects of the forthcoming debate.
2.
Since we spoke, I have been reflecting further on the
question of the length of the debate. It has occurred to us
that the Prime Minister will no doubt wish to make an oral
statement on 5 November about the European Council which she
and I will have attended on 3 and 4 December in Dublin. That
will make it more difficult to achieve the objective we
discussed of fitting the debate into a single day, finishing
at midnight.
3.
I still think that should be our objective. The tactics
of selling this to the Opposition are of course for you. But
as I said at the meeting, I hope you will be able to hold open
the prospect of a second day, at least in the early stages of
your negotiation. The more I think about it the more convinced
I am that the second day if we need it, or part of it, should
be Thursday, 6 December. As Donald Thompson said, it would not
be right to hold the second day of a major debate of this kind
on a Friday. If the second day slipped to the following Monday, 10 December, that would be messy in Parliamentary terms.
important, it could cause us considerable difficulties in Hong
Kong. There would be four days for the press to comment on, and speculate about, points made on the first day of the debate.
That could open up all kinds of additional questions, and make
the Government's task in the resumed debate much more difficult.
More
4.
In short, I very much hope that you will be able to
offer the prospect of a second day, if it is needed, on 6
CONFIDENTIAL
/December