CODE
18-77
Reference
RESTRICTED
HKD2.411
1990
Mr Fifoot (Legal Advisers)
BILL OF RIGHTS
1
fk Ass (103
Thank you Jetarded Commisht is & pik
1. In connection with my minute to you of 20 April, you asked if I could summarise the history of Hong Kong's consultation with us about the Bill of Rights. I attach the 1989 and 1990 files with folio references indicated in brackets below.
2. It was not until we prompted Hong Kong on
13 December 1989 (10) that they sent us a copy of the draft Bill which they clearly considered nearly complete and which they intended to publish in mid January (11 and 16) I discussed that draft (15) with Mr Edwards and Ms Barrett but in the time available they could give only preliminary .comments. We sent these in a telegram (19). As you can see, we were very much being consulted purely on the JD consistency angle and on some specific points which Hong Kong raised with us: we had not been asked to or given time to comment in detail.
3. The final draft was then put to ExCo on 9 January 1990 (15) but members decided that further consideration should be given to entrenchment and other issues. This meant that we had a breathing space in which to put forward more radical comments on the Bill that we had not had time to air before, and offered to do so (23). Although we had picked up the impression earlier that Hong Kong wanted to maintain their independence in drafting of the Bill of Rights, they accepted this offer (25) and we gave our views on the entrenchment issue (27).
f.r
RIDAEH
i
RESTRICTED
Redacted under FOI exemption 27(1)