TNAG-1326-FCO40-1738-Future-of-Hong-Kong-Parliamentary-debates-1984 — Page 142

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CONFIDENTIAL

M..stum

HKCK

RECEIVED

2 8 NOV 1984

DESK OFFIC

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нка ра

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V. PS

PS/Mr Luce

Sir D Crudak

Dr Wilse

Parliamenty Unit

ACTING CHIEF WHIP

INDEX

1.

Hong Kong Debate

Thank you very much for coming round on Friday.

I think it was useful to talk through at this stage a number

of aspects of the forthcoming debate.

2.

Since we spoke, I have been reflecting further on the

question of the length of the debate. It has occurred to us

that the Prime Minister will no doubt wish to make an oral

statement on 5 November about the European Council which she

and I will have attended on 3 and 4 December in Dublin. That

will make it more difficult to achieve the objective we

discussed of fitting the debate into a single day, finishing

at midnight.

3.

I still think that should be our objective. The tactics

of selling this to the Opposition are of course for you. But

as I said at the meeting, I hope you will be able to hold open

the prospect of a second day, at least in the early stages of

your negotiation. The more I think about it the more convinced

I am that the second day if we need it, or part of it, should

be Thursday, 6 December. As Donald Thompson said, it would not

be right to hold the second day of a major debate of this kind

on a Friday. If the second day slipped to the following Monday, 10 December, that would be messy in Parliamentary terms.

important, it could cause us considerable difficulties in Hong

Kong. There would be four days for the press to comment on, and speculate about, points made on the first day of the debate.

That could open up all kinds of additional questions, and make

the Government's task in the resumed debate much more difficult.

More

4.

In short, I very much hope that you will be able to

offer the prospect of a second day, if it is needed, on 6

CONFIDENTIAL

/December