- ~53. Niobius Destru
RS 850
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FM HONG KONG
TO DESKBY 29090OZ FCO
TELNO 3554
OF 29064OZ OCTOBER 86
INFO PRIORITY PEKING
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PERSONAL FOR HUM, HKD, FROM GOVERNOR.
YOUR TELNOS 2402-8: PAPERS FOR OD (K).
1. I AM CONTENT WITH THE REVISED PAPER ON THE GOVERNMENT AND THE CHIEF EXECUTIVE, SUBJECT TO A FEW MINOR COMMENTS ON THE ANNEX. THERE ARE, AS YOU SAY, ARGUMENTS BOTH WAYS ON THE QUESTION OF DELEGATION OR DEVOLUTION OF POWERS. I CERTAINLY HAVE NO OBJECTION TO THE DRAFT TALKING IN TERMS OF DEVOLUTION IF THAT IS THE SECRETARY OF STATE'S WISH BUT I WOULD OF COURSE NEED TO LET EXCO'S KNOW OF THIS CHANGE WHEN THE POINT IS PUT TO MINISTERS FOR A DECISION.
2. MY COMMENTS ON THE ANNEX ARE AS FOLLOWS:
A) PARA. 2. I THINK IT WOULD BE MORE LOGICAL IF THE SECOND SENTENCE WERE REMOVED TO THE END OF THE PARAGRAPH.
B) PARA. 3. ON REFLECTION, I SUGGEST DELETING THE WORD ''TEMPORARY'' IN THE THIRD SENTENCE. IT MAY MISLEAD.
C) HEADING ABOVE PARA. 7. SHOULD READ 'DEVOLUTION'' NOT
''DELEGATION''.
D) PARA. 7. 1 SUGGEST THE SECOND SENTENCE BE AMENDED TO READ -
IT WOULD SEEM MOST PRACTICABLE IF POWERS WERE DEVOLVED ON THE PROGRESSIVE BASES TO THE DEPUTY GOVERNOR, AND SUBSEQUENTLY TO THE CHIEF EXECUTIVE (DESIGNATE).' 'THE' IN THE FOLLOWING SENTENCE WOULD THEN NEED TO BE REPLACED BY THE CHIEF EXECUTIVE (DESIGNATE)''.
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