HK 2 ADH
BACKGROUND
CONFIDENTIAL
CALL ON MR LUCE BY MR JOHN MORRIS QC MP
1215 MONDAY 24 JUNE
B
1.
The background to the LEGCO (Powers and Privileges) Bill is
summarised in Mr Galsworthy's submission to the Private Secretary of
14 June.
C 2. We expect (but await confirmation from the Hong Kong Government
which we shall pass to you before Mr Luce's meeting with Mr Morris)
that the Bill will proceed as scheduled to its Committee Stage and
+ Third Reading on 26 June, and that if passed will then receive the
Governor's assent. The Hong Kong Government intends to make further
amendments to the Bill at the Committee stage: it nevertheless
anticipates that, while media interest in the Bill has subsided
somewhat, the decision to proceed will give rise to some criticism
in Hong Kong.
3. The amendments that Hong Kong Government now intends will meet
part of "Justice's" concerns on Clauses 8 (3) and 19 (A). The Hong
Kong Government does not intend to amend Clauses 8(2) or 23 as
"Justice" and others have requested: Hong Kong consider the further
amendments that have been requested to these two clauses to be
Legally and constitutionally inappropriate.
CONFIDENTIAL