TNAG-1101-FCO40-1351-Legislation-on-homosexuality-in-Hong-Kong-including--Report--1981 — Page 576

- 2

34

The

These

otherwise of certain specific issues which were bolug explored in the hearings but which were ostensibly outside the terms of reference.

Commissioner declined to interpret the terms of ceference, stating:

"I consider it impracticable to define them, Explanations have been

given already by M. Bevaridge in his address to the Commission,

explanatione have been given with my authority and approval," Beveridge, Q.C. only cursorily summarised/paraphrased the torus of reference in

his opening address to the Inquiry on the 29th October 1980 but he did

deal with them in detail in his "nid-term" address of the 19th December

1980 when be began :

"My Lord, I would like to preface my remarks (on the terms

of reference) by making it clear that although I have your

Lordship's express encouragement for making these remarks,

none of then have your Lordship's blessing and that they fall

from my lips and they do so neither as expressions of my

considered opinion or judgment on the facts or the merits of

any of the issues nor as submissions to your Lordship on such

matters".

The Commissioner then (in January, 1981) proceeded to "rule"

on the specific issues and he "ruled" thus :

(i) that the Government policy on the employment of

homosexuals in the Civil Service may be relevant to the 1978 "Yuen Long"

incident and that it may be relevant to the question of the continuation of Fulton in the Public Service (whatever relevance that has);

SKORET

/ (ii).

...