CONFIDENTIAL
30 April 1992
BY FAX
Mrs Regina Ip
HKn 373/1
TECEIVED IN REGISTRY
OMAY 1992
OFFICEA
Office of the Director of Administration
Chief Secretary's Office Lower Albert Road
HONG KONG
Dear
Regina,
DIEU
Foreign & Commonwealth
Office
London SWIA 2AH
Telephone: 071-
JUDICIAL OFFICERS (SECURITY OF TENURE) BILL
1.
625
Thank you for your letter of 14 April reference CR3/3/3222/88 (91) part 2.
2. With regard to the amendment to the Letters Patent for the Judicial Officers' (security of tenure) Bill, we are content for the Bill to go forward. We note that the Bill provides that the Ordinance shall come into operation on a day to be appointed by the Governor by notice in the Gazette (clause 1(II)). This will enable the commencement of the legislation in Hong Kong to be synchronised with the coming into operation of the amendments to the Letters Patent and Colonial Regulations.
3. With regard to the proposed addition to Article XVI of the Letters Patent, we have no objection to the proposal but, given that there is at present no paragraph (1) in Article XVI the form of the amendment will have to be slightly different. There seem to be two alternatives:
a) we could revoke the existing Article XVI and replace it with the same wording as in the existing paragraph but prefaced by a "(1)". This would then be followed by the second paragraph as in paragraph 10 of your letter.
b) The alternative is simply to delete the reference to "(2)" from the proposed amendment in paragraph 10 of your letter. In other words, the proposed amendment would form part of the existing Article XVI, without being placed in a separate paragraph.
3.
Grateful to know which form you would prefer.
Yas incerely, Micht ofte!
M V Stone
Hong Kong Department
MVSAFM
CONFIDENTIAL
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