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2 December 1992
(By Fax)
Joseph Y T Lai Esq
Mt GP 2/12 во
Constitutional Affairs Branch
Lower Albert Road
Hong Kong
Foreign & Commonwealth
Office
London SWIA 2AH
HAB017/40
Telephone: 071-270 2652
Dear Me Lou,
ران تا
ELECTED LEGCO PRESIDENT AND CBF'S MEMBERSHIP
Thank you for your letter of 1 December.
You asked whether it would be acceptable for amendments to the Audit Ordinance and the Employees Retraining Ordinance to be enacted one or two months after approval is given in the Privy Council to the amendments to the Letters Patent and Royal Instructions. Legal advice is that it would not be acceptable for these amendments to be made after the amendments to the Royal Instructions come into effect.
However, as we have provided in the draft Royal Instructions for the instrument to come into operation when published in the Hong Kong Gazette, it would be possible for you to time the enactment of the amendments so that they come into operation at the same time as the instrument comes into operation by delaying publication in the Hong Kong gazette until such time as the amendments to the ordinances are enacted.
We will need to have your reply about the suggested approach to Clause XXIV of the Royal Instructions given in my letter of 24 November by Friday 4 December at the latest if we are to meet the deadline for the December Privy Council. It would be preferable to receive your comments by close of play tomorrow (Thursday 3 December) in case we need to revert to you on certain aspects. Otherwise we will have to wait until the next Privy Council meeting which is not until February, which would obviously be undesirable.
Yous Suceren, fdeel cas
Bridget Paris
Hong Kong Department
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