TNAG-0291-FCO40-327-Constitutional-development-of-Hong-Kong-1971 — Page 12

Mr E O Laird Hong Kong Dept

CONFIDENTIAL

Th Gaminara. дай

En 15/9

HONG KONG CONSTITUTION

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RESERVED POWERS

6

1.

Would you please refer to paragraph 5 of Sir Leslie Monson's minute of 13 September addressed to you and copied to me regarding provisions made in the Constitutions of Dependent Territories giving the Governor power to declare, in the interests of public order, public faith or good Government that any Bill that Legislative Council does not pass shall have legal effect.

2. There are numerous examples of this type of provision similar to the one quoted from the British Solomons Islands Protectorate Order 1970.

3. The following are typical current examples:-

4.

J

(a) British Honduras Constitution Ordinance 1963 Section 27.

(b) The Cayman Islands (Constitution) Order 1965 Section 40.

(c) The Virgin Islands (Constitution) Order 1967 Section 43.

(a) The Seychelles Order 1970 Section 36.

(e) The Turks and Caicos Islands (Constitution) Order 1969

Section 26.

(f)

The St Helena (Constitution) Order 1966 Section 34.

(g) The Falkland Islands (Legislative Council) ( (Amendment)

Order in Council 1951 Section 4.

(h) The Gibraltar Constitution Order 1969 Section 34.

(i) The Gilbert and Ellice Islands Order 1970 Section 57.

(This Section confers on the Resident Commissioner reserved Legislative powers).

Similar provisions existed in the pre-independence Constitutions of a number of Territories now independent. The following are only

three examples: -

5.

(a) The Aden (Constitution) Order in Council 1962 Section 53.

(b) The Fiji (Constitution) Order 1966 Section 71.

(c) The Gambia (Constitution) Order in Council 1962 Section 49.

In the case of Montserrat no strictly comparable provision

CONFIDENTIAL