TNAG-0427-FCO40-492-Proposed-constitutional-advancement-of-Hong-Kong-1974 — Page 76

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be offered representation, which they night accept or not ds they wished, in a reformed or unreformed House of Lords. Such representation should take the form of a "right to sit", related, as in the case of Bishops, to the period any office is held. These representative peers could be either specially designated officials or distinguished local public figures. This is a new suggestion and will require further detailed examination. Such appointments to the House of Lords would no way preclude other members of either House from raising matters affecting any Dependency.

3. United kingdom peers and members of the House of Commons should be encouraged to take a close interest in a particular Dependency, even though, for a variety of reasons, it would not be possible to accord any official recognition to them.

4.. There should be an opportunity for representatives of the Dependencies to meet representatives of sovereign Commonwealth countries during meetings of the Commonwealth Prime Ministers. Consideration could be given to concurrent meetings of representatives of the Dependencies.

5. The Dependencies should have access to the information and technical services provided by the Commonwealth Secretariat. This should continue to be through the Forcign and Commonwealth office, as at present.

6.

official appointments should increasingly be made from qualified locally- born or locally-resident people, up to the highest appointment in the Dependency concerned.

7. The Judicial Committee of the Privy Council should in all cases continue to be the Supreme Court of Appeal.

8. From past experience it has not been found a great advantage to have representatives of the Dependencies as members of the United kingdom delegation to the United Nations. Their interests can best be served by advisers, the current practice. However, where appropriate, Depcndencies should be encouraged to take up membership of United Nations international Agencies.

9. As the Regional Councils develop there should be effective liaision with the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association. Consideration should be given to the value of continuity of UK representation at meetings of the CPA.

10. The present arrangement in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, whereby the Dependencies are dealt with on a geographical basis, is not considered satisfactory. Une Minister of State should have overriding responsibility for

all Dependencies.

11.

The suggestions here proposed represent a considerable degree of constitutional advance for small, in some cases minute, territories, but they do not entail complete decolorisation. Efforts should therefore continue to bo made to permuude the United Nations that this suggested status of "Crown Territories"

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