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CONFIDENTIAL
Also at HICK ouls
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Director of Administration and
I F C Matherson Esq
Management Services
Government Secretariat
HONG KONG
28 November 1980
EXECUTIVE COUNCIL PAPERS
1. As you know, we receive copies of all ExCo Papers and minutes and these provide very useful background information. On occasions, they are of immediate relevance, an example being the one concerning amandment of Article XVI of the Letters Patent.
2.
Whilst we are currently looking at this particular issue urgently, there are two general points which I should like to make. The first is that we only received the ExCo Paper on 21 November; since it was for discussion on 11 November, it was presumably issued at the end of October and could therefore have reached us sooner. As a general rule, we would like to have these papers as early as possible, but it is particularly important that we should do so if we need to take action on a matter on which ExCo's view is relevant.
3. Secondly, in cases where Ministers here are likely to have to be consulted, it is preferable for us to have been alerted before you go to ExCo which, of course, is the usual practice. I am sure you
are as concerned as we are to avoid a situation where the FCO has to disagree with the Hong Kong Government after ExCo has been consulted. I realise that in the case of the dispensers' dispute, there was prior consultation some months ago, but this ceased when it was decided not to proceed with the amendments. In any case, the consult- ation at that time concerned the purely legal aspects of the matter and not the policy ones. It would be unfortunate for us all if, as may happen in this case, we found that we could not go along with your proposals.
P Morrice
Hong Kong & General Department
CONFIDENTIAL
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