TNAG-2450-FCO40-3567-Future-of-Hong-Kong-constitutional-development-1992 — Page 147

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important move in that direction, I wish to hand over the

responsiblities of presiding over this Council to a

President elected by you from among your own members.

20.

This will mean that, in future, I will be

answerable as the head of the executive to this Council

rather than being restricted to the role of President.

To be answerable to this Council in practice, I propose,

if you agree, to make myself available to answer Members'

questions and to discuss government policies and

proposals, on at least one Thursday every month that you

are in session, though in practice I imagine you will be

seeing a good deal more of me that that. I should also

like to make myself available to this Council to report

on my major trips abroad and on other important

developments.

with your agreement, I suggest that the

first of these sessions should take place tomorrow.

will obviously need to work out together exactly how

these arrangements can best be made to work.

We

21.

We need to go still further in ensuring that

this Council has the independence you need to represent

the community effectively. You must have the clear and

separate management of your own affairs. It would seem

sensible to wind up the office of Members of Executive

and Legislative Council (OMELCO), whose future I know you

have been considering. We will put before you shortly

SECRET

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SEIT 26 JAS EO NHI

JONOX ONOH SNCH INKY3NOS