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
More
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.
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 December, and, obviously be
able to deliver it if it was needed. It may well
not come to that, and indeed a willingness to
offer a second day may well help to ensure that it
is not needed.
Printed in the UK for HMSO Dď 8422057 2/84 (28592)