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CONFIDENTIAL covering SECRET
HICT HKRIST
2. CJ
PS/Lord Goronwy-Roberts
HOUSE OF LORDS DEFENCE AND FOREIGN AFFAIRS DEBATE: WEDNESDAY 26 NOVEMBER
Your minute of 10 November refers.
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2.
As with the Foreign Affairs Debate in the House of Commons on 10 November (Mr Milton's submission of 7 November copied to you), there are two topics on HKIOD's side which may be raised in the House of Lords Debate: Hong Kong defence costs negotiations and the removal of the former copra plantation workers from Diego
Garcia.
Hong Kong Defence Costs Negotiations
3.
There have been no significant developments in the defence costs negotiations over the past ten days and the speaking note and the background note provided by the Ministry of Defence (and approved by Mr Rodgers personally) for the House of Commons Debate are still valid. I attach these together with supplementaries on two particular points which may crop up: the role of the Governor in the negotiations and the release of MOD lands. (The MOD expect shortly to be able to answer Lord Goronwy-Roberts'a questions about the status and value of the lands in question.) I also attach the Minister of State for Defence's answer to a
Written Question by Mr Townsend MP on 6 November on the size and cost of the garrison.
Diego Garcia
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I attach notes for supplementaries together with a background note. The first is in rather summary form since Lord Goronwy-Roberts and the House are by now very familiar with the issues from the Questions on 14 October (Lord Brockway and Lord Hale), 20 October (Baroness Lee) and 27 October (Baroness Lee). I attach
the relevant extracts from the House of Lords Official Report together with a copy of the letter Lord Goronwy-Roberts wrote to Lord Hale on 29 October which dealt with a number of outstanding points and was aimed at avoiding a specific debate on Diego Garcia.
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