TNAG-1289-FCO40-1641-Terminology-for-the-description-of-Hong-Kong-by-internationa-1984 — Page 18

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Appointed members will hold office in line with their terms of appointment (as at present), but will always vacate office on the day elections are held following a dissolution. They can be candidates. If not elected they will need to be re-appointed

(the date of re-appointment can be backdated to preserve continuity if necessary or desirable); or else they will simply cease to be members. Official members will hold office on a continuous basis and will not be affected by a dissolution of the elected membership;

(d) The original amendment dealing with the right

to sit on the Legislative Council has been deleted as it is not now seen as a matter appropriate for inclusion in the Royal Instructions. Instead, provision for dealing with election petitions will be included in the Electoral Bill.

I am sorry to have to send you these revised drafts at this late stage and I apologise for any inconvenience that may be caused by these second thoughts.

A draft of the proposed Legislative Council (Electoral Provisions) Bill will be ready very soon and I shall send you a copy for your perusal as soon as possible.

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As I explained in my letter of 30 November, we shall have to introduce this Bill into the Legislative Council in early February for enactment by mid-March 1985, if we are to achieve our announced objective of holding the first elections to the Legislative Council in September 1985. I should therefore be grateful if the necessary amendments to the Letters Patent and the Royal Instructions could be made in time for us to keep to this time-table.

(Philip Haddon-Cave)