44
orthy.
Mr Galsworthy, HKD
CONFIDENTIAL
HICK Outi onti
ACLIVSO IN KEGISTRY
20FEB 1985
DECK OSTC
KNOCK
(47)
Hong Kong: Amendments to Letters Patent and Royal Instructions
to
The Secretary of State has seen your minute of 13 February together with comments by Dr Wilson and Mr Luce. He believes that the draft minute to the Prime Minister is broadly right. He has made a couple of manuscript additions on the text below. His only substantive query relates to the point in sub-paragraph (b) at the bottom of page 5 of the draft. He does not think that the draft minute fully answers the Governor's argument that a determined Chief Executive might use repeated dissolution of LEGCO to frustrate the legislature. He wonders whether there is not an example in some other Commonwealth constitution for a limitation of abuse along these lines? Grateful if you could consider these points, and any further argumentation we can include in the minute to answer the Governor's worry. We will need to have this back in the Secretary of State's box tonight if we are to circulate it in time for discussion if necessary at ODK) on 26 February.
Pachets
18 February 1985
(P F Ricketts)
c.c: PS/PUS
PS/Mr Luce
Sir W Harding
Dr Wilson
Mr Burrows, Legal Advisers Mr Fifoot, Legal Advisers
Mr Houston
CONFIDENTIAL