Mr Holland WIAD
PJZAVT/VAS
19
Reference
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DSP VOLUME 8: DEPENDENT TERRITORIES: CHAPTER 9
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PETITIONS
Please refer to Michael Stone's minute to Mr January of 26 November 1990.
1.
2. We discussed briefly last week, the issue of how to deal with petitions to the Queen from citizens in Dependent Territories. As I explained, I had been trying to establish with Legal Advisers the proper procedure for dealing with such petitions (my minute to Mr Fifoot of 17 December 1990 refers). This was at issue largely because the text of DSP (1987 edition) did not accurately reflect the procedure illustrated by a flow chart at Annex 13. My main intention had been to establish whether all petitions, except those from "lunatics", regardless of content, should be forwarded to the Palace. With Legal Advisers' help, I have now come to a view on this. I attach Ms Brookes minute of 15 February 1991.
3.
a
It seems that petition to the Queen does not need to be sent to the palace in all cases. According to DSP volume 8, para 9.4.1, such a petition need not be forwarded to the Palace if it is deemed to be of a minor or trivial nature, or if the right to petition is being used perversely. In this case, a departmental reply, with the assent of the AUS, can be sent to the petitioner through (in DSP jargon) the "officer Administering the Government" of the Dependent Territory.
There is therefore no need for an amendment to DSP. The text of the March 1990 edition clearly reflects this procedure in the annexes to chapter 9.
4.
CODE 18-77
Give Cogan
G Coglin (Ms)
Hong Kong Department
WH303
270 2652
22 February 1991
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