TNAG-0582-FCO40-715-Requisitioning-of-Ships-Order-1969-validity-of-order-need-f-1976 — Page 17

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REF.

2.

HE UISITIONING OF SHIPS ONDER 1969

1.

Please refer to your letter TSX 2/54 of 30 July to John Wilberforce the Head of Defence Department, and the latter's reply of

6 September.

2. When Alan Fletcher came over in August there was, as you suggested, some discussion between him, 107 officials and Robin Janvrin of this department, of the need to review and update the Requisitioning of Ships Order 1969. Janvrin undertook to carry out the review and it has therefore fallen to me as his successor to report progress – Ren Bridge in your Branch was recently in touch with Wilberforce about this and to seek your views withhe few points that remain outstanding.

3. we have focussed particularly on three areas. though it is probably only of academic interest to you, I shall

The first, even report in detail, just in case the same question as came into my mind has come into yours. I would be grateful for your views on the second and third:-

Since

(a) Under operative Article 2 of the Order specified powers are given to "the Board of Trade or a Secretary of State". the Örder was made there have been considerable changes in the organisation of the government which have effected the old Board of Trade, and I was, at first, led to question whether this wording was still effective. However, I have been assured that, in that it refers to "a Secretary of State" and would therefore permit the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs to exercise the powers specified, it remains valid. inclined to recommend amendment here unless, at some time in the

I am not, therefore, future (and for another nose telling reason) becomes necessary, in which case the words "the Board of Trade or"

a general amendment might be dropped in the process;

/ (b) There are

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