*8-77
SECRET
Mr Bickford, Legal Advisers, WH 217
cc: Mr Galsworthy
Reference.
FUTURE OF HONG KONG: PAPER ON LEGISLATION
ни 19
HILIC 040/53
3SEP 1984
JAK 16/7
ion Taken
1. The Lord President of the Council, the Lord Privy Seal and the Attorney General have now all agreed that it would be possible to legislate on Hong Kong by the end of June 1985, so that we can agree to ratification of the agreement by July 1985. We have undertaken to provide a paper on the form of such legislation for consideration by OD (K) and subsequently by QC, with the aim of giving instructions to Parliamentary Counsel soon after the initialling of the agreement in September.
2. I attach the first draft of such a paper together with a covering minute. I would be grateful for your comments on it, and in particular on what aspects of the agreement, including its annexes and the exchange of memoranda, will require UK legislation; which aspects will require legislation before ratification; and what the ramifications are of opting for an Act of Parliament enabling an order in council. I attach the latest versions of:-
(a) The Joint Declaration
(b) Annex 1
(c)
Annex 2
(d) Annex 3, and a paragraph on land for inclusion in the
Joint Declaration.
(e) The exchange of memoranda on nationality.
They will, of course, alter before the end of September.
3. We need to prepare the paper for circulation to OD(K) for consideration at its meeting en 12 September. We should circulate it seven days before the meeting. I would therefore be grateful if you could consider it urgently, and we could, if you agree, send it by telegram to Mr Burrows in Peking for
comments.
31 August 1984
SECRET
Vonatuan Riell
J N Powell
Hong Kong Department WH 305
233-3722