25
Flag A
Parliamentary Unit
CONFIDENTI AL
HONG KONG: PQS: AR ROBERT PARKY MP
Original at:
JUXK0201
This Cory for: KL 365/1
Information only / Action on Para(s)
Liverpool, Scotland Exchange
1. Hr Robert Parry MP (Labour Division) has tabled three PQs for Written Answer on 28 July.
These deal with the number of Questions asked on Hong Kong over the last five years, Lord Goronwy-Roberts' meeting with a delegation from the New Territories' Heung Yee Kuk (Rural Affairs Council) on 26 April and the working of the Hong Kɔng Crown Lands Resumption Ordinance,
2.
In preparing a draft reply to Mr Parry's first Question I have taken account of Lord Goronwy-Roberts' opinion that in view of the cost of answering a large number of PQ8 that Mr Parry had tabled early this year "it should be possible to be more selective about the PQa which warrant the full treatment"
Mr Parry's objective in tabling this Question is probably to show that the number of Questions on Hong Kong has increased over the last few years. (This is certainly the case and Mr Parry himself has played a large part in bringing about the increase.) If so, I think Mr Parry will be satisfied with a reply which indicates an upward trend but is not necessarily too precise. I have, therefore, drafted a reply which (a) gives the number of Questions put to the Secretary of State (and to the Prime Minister, where his replies to PQs have been based on drafts approved by FCO Ministers) but which excludes Questions on Hong Kong put to Ministers of other departments; (b) does not differentiate between Written and Oral Questions (thus avoiding the difficulty of classifying Oral PQs not reached and answered in writing); and (c) provides average figures only for the years 1972-75 (for which precise figures are not readily available). The existing 'rough' figures indicate that in the years 1972, 1973, 1974 and 1975 approximately 60, 30, 40 and 100 PQs respectively were tabled.
CONFIDENTIAL
No comments yet.
Private notes are available after approval.