TNAG-1750-FCO40-2470-Future-of-Hong-Kong-Parliamentary-debates-1988 — Page 18

CONFIDENTIAL

letter to Mr Martin Lee, defending the Government's handling of the review of representative government;

(a) Provision of Written Material to Backbenchers

I have discussed this with Mr Houston, and am putting together material which can be used in the preparation of briefing material

for Government backbenchers.

A

3. Ministers will in addition wish to consider action in the

following areas:

(a) Contact with The Opposition

I have already drawn attention to Hong Kong telno 146, which records

Mr Foulkes as suggesting to the Governor that Mr Kaufman will wish

to talk to the Secretary of State before the debate.

(b)

Contact with Backbenchers

A further possibility is some form of informal background briefing

for interested backbenchers. This could be directed either towards

Conservative backbenchers alone, or towards members of the All-Party

Parliamentary Group. I suggest that the latter might be more

appropriate: it is the Opposition backbenchers who are a major

unknown factor. This briefing might take the form of informal

drinks given either by the Secretary of State, if his programme permits, or another Minister. Again Ministers will wish to consider

the advantages of this against the risk that it could look like

panic or overkill;

THIS IS A COPY THE ORIGINAL HAS BEEN

CLOSED UNDER

FOI EXEMPTION NO. 27(1)

CONFIDENTIAL