CONFIDENTIAL
Mr Stewart
HK & GD
RECEIVED IN REGISTRY No. 51
2J JUL NII
HKG 380/1
c.c. PS/PUS, Mr Cortazzi, Mr Hawley, Mr Bickford
61)
Capital Punishment in the Dependent Territories
Sir Clive Rose has told me that Ministers are likely to want to consider in some detail the Secretary of State's DOP paper on Capital Punishment in the Dependent Territories. There is a fair chance that they will be able to do this at a meeting of DOP on 27 July. However, Sir Clive thinks it likely that the Prime Minister will thereafter wish to seek the detailed advice of the Lord Chancellor and the Attorney General and that it is therefore unlikely that any written answer can be made before the Recess. I should be grateful to know whether
you think an announcement could wait until Parliament resumes (not before mid-October at the earliest), or whether you think we should contemplate an announcement outside Parliament during the Recess.
Even that would be difficult given the fact that Ministers will be on holiday and The Queen will have to be consulted.
Sir Clive Rose has also asked about the ':reference in para. 2 of the paper to the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man. He would like to know what the position is as far as the Isle of Man and the Channel Islands are concerned, ie would there be automatic referral to the Home Secretary of the kind we envisage to the Secretary of State in the case of Dependent Territories.
Sir Clive Rose has said that the reference in para. 4 of the report to the fact that there are strong practical or constitutional
executius objections to the other possible courses of action mentioned, would
$9,72,74.
need to be amplified by the Secretary of State at any meeting of DOP to discuss the paper. You may like to bear this in mind for briefing purposes.
19 July 1977
J. Swall
J S Wall
Private Secretary
No comments yet.
Private notes are available after approval.