TNAG-0722-FCO40-920-Capital-punishment-in-the-Dependent-Territories-1978 — Page 11

HKSD

HKG.380/1

From The Minister of State

RECEN

272

13 SEP 1978

DISK_011

INDEX

Ner

Dea Gift

PA

My 13

Foreign and Commonwealth Office,

London SW1A 2AH

12 September 1978

2.51

REGISTRY Acton Taker

2つつ

PA

дона

Thank you for your letter of 21 August on capital punishment in the Dependent Overseas Territories.

I am sorry

that we did not manage to have a word about the subject before the Recess.

The question of whether or not dependent territories should be allowed to retain capital punishment raises complex constitutional issues. In most of those territories where it is retained, the decision to keep it has been taken by democratically elected local governments and it would not be easy therefore for us to make any change that would be contrary to the freely expressed will of the local people in the territories concerned. Successive British Governments have taken the view that they should respect the decisions of local governments in what is essentially an internal matter.

However, the Government do recognise that there may need to be some change in the general policy on capital punishment in the Dependent Territories, and it remains our intention to seek Parliament's views on the subject.

Geoffrey Edge Esq MP

House of Commons LONDON SW1

Your Też

Blucheren"

Noted.

Ted Rowlands

fun

119/46

the last two sentences of the draft twee deleted by N Rowlands (his Private Secretary, did clear this with No Clarke, but it would clearly have been difficult for ' Clarke to disagree). Our Edges enquiry was stimulated by M Colin Bagnell, who has been most pesistent in trying to get a commitment out of us to abolish capital punishment: it would be vez uncharacteristic for him to find this reply satisfactory.

W.E. Quantrilt

19/8