Mr Stratton
CONFIDENTIAL
RED
HKC 380/1
- 5 OCT 1977
CSK OFFICER
INDEX
26.51
REGISTRY
PA/ Action Taken
129
Flag
Flag B
Mr Cortazzi
No
CAPITAL PUNISHMENT IN THE DEPENDENT TERRITORIES: DRAFT REPORT TO MINISTERS
1. I attach a copy of the Cabinet Office's draft report to Ministers on the question of future policy on capital punishment in the Dependent Territories. Mr Cortazzi told me last week that he would like to see this report once it was available and Mr Stratton will probably wish to be aware of it. As you will see, Sir Clive Rose proposes to call a meeting of the Official Committee (on which the FCO, Home Office, Attorney General's Office and the Lord Chancellor's Department are represented) during next week. Mr Stewart who, with Mr Bickford, Legal Adviser, is the FCO representative on the Official Committee will be coming into the Office in order to attend the meeting.
2. The first 11 paragraphs of the draft report follow the draft which we submitted to the Cabinet Office, subject only to minor drafting and presentational changes. Paragraphs 12-18 are the work of the Home Office and paragraphs 19-22 have been produced by the Attorney General's Office. You will see from paragraph 23, which has been written by the Cabinet Office itself, that there is a marginal preference in favour of proceeding in the way recommended by the Secretary of State in his minute of 15 July to his colleagues on the Defence and Overseas Policy Committee, ie to abrogate the "Creech-Jones" formula by means of a Parliamentary statement. The department, in consultation with the Legal Advisers, will be considering whether there are any points in the paragraphs in the draft report produced by other departments on which Mr Stewart will need briefing.
13 September 1977
D.F. Millon
DF Milton
Hong Kong & General Department
cc: Mr Posnett (Dependent Territories Adviser) (without encs)
Mr Levoir (Hong Kong & General Dept)
#1
CONFIDENTIAL
/Sir C Rose
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