TNAG-1354-FCO40-1795-Constitutional-development-in-Hong-Kong-1985 — Page 57

布政司署

香港下亞畢道

*** OUR REF: (3) in CO 3/3/4356/46 IV

來函檔號 YOUR REF :

Ра

BY BAG

GOVERNMENT SECRETARIAT

LOWER ALBERT ROAD

HONG KONG

26 April 1985

Clinton Leeks, Esq

c/o Hong Kong Department

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Whitehall

London SW1A 2AH

UNITED KINGDOM

HKCK Cilli

RECEIVED IN RECISTRY 9 MAY 1985

Year Clinton,

IN:

SOH

We are in the throes of amending the Standing Orders of the Hong Kong Legislative Council in preparation for the introduction of elected members in the autumn. It would be helpful to obtain sight of the standing orders of one or two former colonial legislatures and I was wondering if you could ask the Librarian of the House of Commons if he could unearth some, say of Kenya and/or Nigeria. I say "unearth" as Hong Kong is at a comparatively basic stage of constitutional evolution i.e. from a totally nominated/appointed Legislative Council to one with its first ever elected members. Indeed, I believe Kenya first elected Legislative Councillors

as long ago as 1918

but they were all white settlers! Possibly Nigeria or the Gold Coast would be better models for our purpose.

I have

a

friend in the FCO

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whom I have already 'primed' who might be able to advise if not help. His name is Dr Richard Cashmore on 01-273-3000 (office). It was he who advised contacting the House of Commons Librarian.

We do have an increasingly tight deadline of May 18th for the Working Group to finalise its Report to the Chief Secretary and for amended Standing Orders to be put through LegCo before the end of this session on 7 August. I would have written earlier but, as you know, have only recently and temporarily-been posted in this job.

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