TNAG-1514-FCO40-2072-Shipping-in-Hong-Kong-1986 — Page 12

CONFIDENTIAL

Barton Looks ok: Gul

Pone's Margine intitul

(7 MON

скажите

previous caverpaduce

pover 8 y paremal /06

Zayday

17, I think

Miss JR Binstead

Hd Loc Sec (NATO/Plans)

Ministry of Defence Main Building

Whitehall

London SW1

Th

Shipping Policy 2

Department of Transport

Room P2/070

2 Marsham Street London SW1P 3EB

Telex 22221

Direct Line

Switchboard

GTN 212

MKK 175/1 RECEIVED IN REGISTRY

3 1 JAN 1986

01-212 8494 01-212 3434

B2

3 January 1986

Dear Jame

DESK OFFICER

INDEX

PA

REGISTRY Action Taken

отела

by $3

HCDC AND MERCHANT SHIPPING

I am sorry it has taken me so long to respond to the comments from you and others on the revised draft evidence for the House of Commons Defence Committee on Merchant Shipping that I circulated in August. I am grateful for those comments I received, have taken them into account as best I can, and put a revised draft up within the Department of Transport. As you will see from the copy enclosed, I have suggested that you may want to do the same in the Ministry of Defence, but this is of course a matter for you.

I ought to comment on the points in your letter of 10 September (D/ACDS (L) 22/12/7). First, I have deleted the old paragraph 2, putting it as an appendix to my minute so that my Ministers can see what the debate has been about. Secondly, I envisage that the whole paper should be passed to the RCDC classified "Confidential". We in Transport, probably the Home Office too, will need to do what you have put in hand, identifying the passages that need sidelining. Moving on to your

more particular comments, and referring to the

new paragraphs:

Paragraph 16. I think the last sentence is sensible enough, and even a useful corrective to the natural bias many people may have when they come to this topic.

Paragraph 18, last sentence. This did in fact take into account legal advice. It has been further amended.

Paragraph 25. Given that the first sentence refers to emer- gency legislation I didn't find an amendment terribly easy to introduce here, and as you say the point is made in paragraph 18. I have tried to deal with your point about the earlier paragraph 27 by incorporating it into what is now paragraph 25. In principle the information does come earlier, when the annex is referred to.

Paragraph 26. I think we have to say something about emergency powers, and the Home Office and Cabinet Office seem content with the oblique approach.

CONFIDENTIAL