TNAG-1753-FCO40-2473-Future-of-Hong-Kong-Parliamentary-debates-1988 — Page 13

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(a) the debate has not been postponed at the Government's

intiative. The intention of the postponement is to enable the Whip

to identify a time when the most MPs with an interest in Hong Kong

who wish to participate in the debate can do so;

(b) holding the debate in the autumn will also enable MPs to

take full account of the views expressed in Hong Kong during the

whole consultation period and thus to make a more informed and

effective contribution to consideration of the draft;

(c) a debate at that later time will have an equally strong

impact on the Basic Law drafting process. We understand that the Basic Law Drafting Commitee will reconvene in late September and be

revising the draft throughout the autumn with a view to producing a

new draft by the end of the year. There will still be ample time

for the views of MPs to be taken into account.

5. To play up differences between the Government and the Opposition over the timing of the debate would risk incurring the criticisms in Hong Kong that the political parties are scoring parliamentary points while the territory's future is at stake.

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