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1. I have discussed an earlier draft of this with the Department and have suggested a number of amendments to the present version.

2. The draft is an "interim" response to the Committee's Report because Ministers have not yet taken decisions in two of the most important and critical areas which it covers: constitutional development and the nationality issue. The Committee are of course aware that this is the position and will not expect any announcements at this point. The omission of anything new makes for a rather unexciting reply, but there is no obvious way I can think of to remedy this. Ministers will wish to consider whether to characterise the reply as "initial" of "interim" (see the square bracketted insertion in the first line of the draft). The advantage is that it might serve to deflect criticism of the thinness of the Government's response. The disadavantage is that we would be under an implicit obligation to produce a further response in due course, which we may not want to do.

выват

16 November 1989

Cc: PS/PUS

Mr Gillmore

Mr Paul, HKD

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R J T McLaren