TNAG-1010-FCO40-1260-Handling-of-Parliamentary-business-concerning-Hong-Kong-1981 — Page 3

PERSONAL

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

London SW1A 2AH

HICK

012/1

UNCLASSIFIED

RJT McLaren Esq

Political Adviser

Government Secretariat

HONG KONG

Telephone 01-233 3184€ DEC1Y61

Your lefarence

¡Our reference

HKK 280/2

Date

~ pilliz

18 December 1981

Dem Robin.

PARLIAMENTARY QUESTIONS

1.

2.

5

Thank you so much for your letter of 5 December.

I did in fact seriously consider writing to Philip Haddon-Cave about the suggested replies in Hong Kong Telno 1084 but decided instead to convey our feelings through David Ford. I am most grateful for your action on this. It is good to know you are keeping a weather eye on our interests. It is not only the length of replies which wants watching. There is also the question

of political judgement in the light of parliamentary and other realities. We did not frankly think the comment on reply A on the MFA in Hong Kong Telno 1084 was very. helpful given the obvious constraints on HMG.

3. At the same time, I am grateful for the work which Hong Kong departments put into these questions and the speed with which quite diverse subjects are co-ordinated. I realise that there is frequently very little time for Hong Kong to reply on a PQ but we do give as much notice as we can often leaving ourselves less than two hours to submit them.

Jons

Did

R D Clift

Hong Kong and General Department

PERSONAL