CONFIDENTIAL
Foreign and Commonwealth Office
London SW1A 2AH
18 June 1985
G J Jenkins Esq
Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries & Food
55 Whitehall
London SW1A 2EY
HKK Oto/2
- 2 AUG 1985
.en
Dear Jenkins.
HONG KONG:
LEGISLATION
RA
dil
As you will know, on 1 July 1997 the United Kingdom will restore Hong Kong to the People's Republic of China under the terms of the Joint Declaration of the two governments, ratified on 27 May 1985.
Under the terms of the Joint Declaration and its Annexes the laws previously in force in Hong Kong will be continued after 1997. In order to secure the maximum advantage from this provision (and to avoid any suggestions of a carry-over of "imperial" laws) the Hong Kong Government are embarking on a programme of localisation of United Kingdom law which currently applies to the territory. It is hoped to provide, in the form of local ordinance, a comprehensive set of self-contained Hong Kong laws by 1997. (The Hong Kong Act 1985 makes provision for Orders in Council to enable the Hong Kong legislature to repeal or amend any enactment so far as it is part of the law of Hong Kong and to make laws having extra-territorial operation.)
Having regard to this programme of localisation we wish to minimise, if we cannot completely avoid, the application of new or amending UK legislation to Hong Kong. I would accordingly be grateful if you would take steps to ensure that, should it be proposed that new or amending legislation under the responsibility of your department be applied to Hong Kong, Hong Kong Department in this Office is consulted as soon as possible.
Lourd
ass
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Liveraly,
for freep
John Freeland Legal Adviser
CC
as in attached list
CONFIDENTIAL
1186
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